LUANNH

If you can't fit the mat in your tub you can either spray it with a mister of water or lay a towel that is very wet on top of it and let it sit over night to soak into the mat couldn't hurt. Might want to put a peice of plastic under it so your table top or whatever you have your mat on doesn't get water marks.

lhunt825

Clean your mat with the red erasers we used to use in elementary school. It gets ALL the lint out. You can usually find big ones at the Dollar Store.

Jannie

Use the net bath scrubbies to clean the lint out of the mat. They work pretty good.

joy

I use my goldilocks pot scrubber... works really well...

VickiM

I use my old mats for purse bottoms...since you make purses, cut your mat to size needed by using the shears that cut everything. They work really well.

katykwilt

Seems like there was another thread on this a while back. I recall the need for washing the mats. These mats are one of our most necessary pieces of equipment. So far I have only replaced one -- then learned that you can extend their life a bit if you:
1. Don't cut on the very same line every time. Move over 10 inches if you have to repeat the same width cut a lot.
2. Keep them out of the sun unless they have somehow warped and you are using the heat to try to flatten them. If they have been stored and somehow warp a bit, a warm soak and laying them flat will probably correct the warping.
3. A damp microfiber rag will clean fibers out of cracks quickly and cheaply.
4. The mats do like moisture. If they are too large to soak, the damp microfiber rag treatments works well. Just leave the rag on it overnight when you're sleeping and not quilting. I have a 58" long mat that has been in service for 4 years and still looks and works fine.
5. White mats are not any more of a problem than any other color. The biggest problem I've found is the thickness of the cheaper mats. The small thin mats I've used don't seem as durable.
6. With continuous cutting in the same area, any mat is going to show wear, whether it's indentations or fading of the gridmarks. My personal opinion is get as large a mat as you can utilize. You have more room to move to various areas of the mat to use to cut on. A small less expensive mat can be put on it for squaring block as well as rotating for trimming those awkward areas. So far I haven't had to purchase a rotating mat, just used my small mats that I take to class.
7. If you have a "bad" mat, it can be recycled. You can cut it up (depending on its original size), & use it for a sewing machine mat, a small mat to square blocks, the bottoms in totes and bags, a small piece is a great place to put your coffee cup so the heat doesn't affect the mat you're working on. Imagine there are tons of other uses for has-been mats. But that can be another thread.

KalamaQuilts

Where the mats are sold at Fabric Depot in Portland (don't miss it if you pass by Portland Oregon) there is a sign by the mats from Olfa itself, to use the eraser as noted by lhunt above to remove fabric fuzz.

And I agree with the members above who say dull rotary cutters are the usual culprit for fuzzy mats.
When cutting silk or batting or fleece I always use the reverse side regardless of how sharp the blade.

I've got a few little mats that look like heck, I'm going to try the vinegar bath today