Just got all of all four of my machines cleaned. I clean my quilter everytime I finish a quilt. The other three I clean about every three months, more if I have used them alot more than usual. I always feel so good after they are clean. When I got my first machine years ago, the kind little old man who sold it to me said if I would clean it every three months, it would last a lifetime (little did he know how much I would sew!) It only lasted about twenty years, until it was worn out. He sold me my next one and then retired. Since then I have bought the serger and the quilter and and embroidery machine. But I never forgot the advice he gave me about cleaning them. When I take them to the "new guy" for a check up, he always comments on how clean they are. How often do you clean your machines?

Everytime i finish a quilt, i clean her all down, and change the needle.And she gets a drop of oil in the wick.

..the bobbin area is done everytime i have to change the bobbin..

i have a tiny vac for sewing machines and computers..
I have the Janome 6600p

Interested in the tiny vac for sewing machines....what type and where to purchase.

When ever it needs it. If I am working with flannel, I sometimes clean it twice per project, because of all the lint build up. With cotton, after each project. I just try to keep a eye one the lint build up. So, I guess I do it more than every three month. It does not take much lint to mess up the machine.

this is similiar to what i have, but i got mine on ebay.and i am sorry, it is the attachments, not the vac itself.

http://www.ezvacuum.com/mini-attachm...l?currency=USD

Nancy's notions also has them
http://www.nancysnotions.com/product...achment+kit.do

I think they also make battery operated ones..but i have no idea how good they work..hope this helps..

Check your manual, some machines say not to use a vac in them. I clean mine after one use, if it was a linty job, or after about enough time to wear out a needle. This is just a quicky clean. A real cleaning is done on it about ever four months ( at the change of a season) by me, once a year by the shop.

I do a quick clean on my bobbin area every three or four bobbin changes, but my machine is VERY picky about lint build up in a couple of places. It gets a really good cleaning a couple of times a month :D:D:D

I would like to get a vacuum attachment too!!!

RedGarnett..why would a vac be bad for your machine?curious.
i know for sure the canned air is...my dealer told me not to use it. just pushes the lint further into the machine.

I also take my Janome in once a year..i plan on her lasting a long, long time.

I have had her about 5 years now..and this is the way i have always cleaned the machine..my dealer even sells the mini attachments..but they want to much money for them..

I know how my machine should sound, and when I notice the diffence, I have my hubby clean and oil it.

I clean the bobbin area every time I change it.

My machines are cleaned after every project, oiled and a new needle put in so it's ready for the next project. I have a small fan paint brush that I use to clean out the bobbin area every bobbin change. :)

I clean my bobbin area with each bobbin change. I use a paint brush, pipe cleaner and a clean mascara wand (that's my fav). I purchased small attachments that I fit on my vacuum hose from Menards (hardware store) did have to purchase an adapter so it would fit on my vacuums hose.

I clean around the bobbin every time I enpty one and take a long handled paint brush and brush out all the lint I see. If it sounds noisy I remove the plate above the feed dogs and brush that out also. I put a drop of oil on the bobbin rim each time also. I brush around and behind the tesion knob when I see lint. I oil it after about every 6-8 hours of sewing as manual directs.

This is a very good practice to get into and I do the same thing, except I blow out the lint in the bobbin area.

Billy

I was told by an instructor not to ever blow into our sewing machine innerds. Evidently the condensation from our breath can actually cause the metal parts to rust. I told her I blew, not spit, wherein she laughed and said it amounted to the same thing. It's also why we aren't supposed to stick pins in our mouths, because it can cause the pins to rust. Just thought I'd throw that out there for you. (Don't spit in my direction if you disagree! :lol: )


I clean my machine after every project or every 6-12 hours of sewing, or about once a week. I clean out the bobbin area once every 1-2 bobbins. If I have to fill my bobbins, it's time to clean! I also change my needle after every project. I should do it more often, at least according to the experts, but money is a bit tight and those darn needles can get expensive.

I like your response to the instructor!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

I use compressed air to blow out my bobbin area so no spit is involved, but I can understand the whole condensation thing though.

But lets not forget that the newest machine that I use is 62 years old so what works well for me might not be the best for the folks who have the newfangled machines.

Billy

I was lucky to work with an ex industrial sewing machine maint. tech. I would bring him my machines and he would show me how to get the housing off and where to clean, where to oil, how to fix the clutch for the bobbin winder, and how to set the timing. I haven't had to use a machine repairman in years. I did let one shop order a new part for one of my machines and found out later when I cleaned it a used part was put in but I was charged for a new one. It makes me wonder how many repairs are made this way.

I clean mine after each project. I had to clean more when I made the flannel quilts. They were so linty.

I cleand the bobbin area every time I change the bobbin. I clean the rest when the noises changes. Take it to be clean about once a year. My favorite cleaning tools other than a brush are a pipe cleaner (I have to keep hidden bc it's Emmy's favorite toy) and a clean mascara brush.

I have a Viking machine and the shop I bought it from quoted $89 for a "tune up" and cleaning. I understand that it will take a bit of time, but I'm wondering how many $89 tune-ups I should have on a $500 machine?

I clean the bobbin area about once a week with a paint brush and pipe cleaners. If I see lint in other areas, I take apart all I can and clean out the lint.

Does anybody actually remove screws from the housing and really get into the works of their machine? I'm wondering if I can do this and save myself big $$$.

What do you think??

Sue

I think in a way this is kinda going overboard but since I service vintage machines it has turned second nature for me to do this each and every time I use one of my machines.

The first thing I do is pull the machine down to get to all of the workings then I make sure all of the lint is out of the works. Then I oil the machine top to bottom, front to back. Essentially I give my machines a complete service before I use it on the next project. Even to the extent of putting my set of gauges on the machine and checking the tensions of the bobbin and feed.

Billy

On these newer machines, they tell you NOT to oil. I can't even find an oil hole on my Pfaff. On my mom's Golden Touch and Sew that I inherited, yes, I can.

When you guys say you clean it after every project and clean the bobbin area after every bobbin change, what does that mean? I am new and just got my machine last week and want to take care of it. I'm guessing it means more then wiping down the outside :P

I am kind of afraid of my machine. I worry that if I were to open it up, I'd break it :P

Boy I am glad to hear you say that. I bought a Pfaff not too long ago and I clean the bobbin area, but I never could find any place to oil it. Kept looking through the instructions to see if I was missing it. I took it in today because I thought it needed a good look through. I am just used to cleaning and oiling my old Kenmore I guess.

I've wondered about the $89.00 price I was quoted about cleaning and a tune up for my Viking. What do you think? I'm really anal about cleaning my machine. I don't take it apart. I'm sure there's something in there that probably needs checked, right? I guess I'm trying to justify spending that $89 when it runs fine and sounds fine. Suggestions please...
I have a Dirt Devil Kwik-a really small (12") hand vac that works great on my machine, computer, and any other electronics. Just enough suction but not too "sucky" (is that a word?) to damage equipment.

When I bought my viking, the dealer taught me how to take it apart and thoroughly clean it. I "remove screws and get into the works..." So mine has been in to be 'tuned up' only once. We had moved in the interim, and the new dealer couldn't believe I did my own cleaning. The machine is now 30 years old.

Boy, I must be a clean freak! :lol: I clean mine everytime I change the bobbin.

I do take it in to the tech every 4 months or so tho for a check up and once over and cleaning. He says I have the cleanest machine he's ever seen and asked if I use it. :lol: Yep, almost every day!!

I clean mine every time after a every project & put in a new needle. It is surprising how much gunk gets in the small area.
Serena

INterestingly, I emailed Brother about oiling my cheapy XR-52 (mechanical). There are no oil holes, and I would have to unscrew the case to get to the innards. The response was to take it to an authorized person to have it cleaned after a certain amount of hours sewing. I do clean out the bobbin casing myself, but not that often. I haven't tried taking it apart to try and oil, so if anyone has any advice for me it would be appreciated. I do like the machine. It seems to be a workhorse (of course now that I said that, it will probably go on hiatus!!!!)

I must admit I was not always as diligent about cleaning my machine & like you would never remove the bobbin casing but I took a machine quilting class & the first hour was spent on her teaching us how to clean & oil our machines. One woman had her machine for 20 years & had never cleaned it & she couldn't believe how much better her machine ran. None of us could believe that it was still working.
Serena

Wow, these are things I have never even thought of. I do clean the bobbin area during and after a project, because I usually end up having a big clog with the bobbin thread. I do not think I have ever replaced a needle unless it broke. I will start to change them more often now. Thanks everybody for the great advice.

My machine is 45 yo. It gets cleaned when the fuzz starts accumulating and the thread starts to tangle!
I do try and oil it every few quilts that I make. :lol:

When I purchased my Pfaff, my dealer told me to oil just the bobbin area - turn the hand wheel slowly and place a drop of oil where the "hook-thingy" meets the rest of the apparatus.

I have heard that you should [u]never[u] try to open up a computerized machine. It could upset the software inside, and involve costly repairs in the end.

I clean mine after every project and clean the bobbincase every time I have to put in a new bobbin. I bought one of those vaccums and I wasn't impressed with it. It didn't really get all the dust out. I take mine in every year and have it professionally serviced.

i would like to know if anyone knows of an internet sewing machine repair class or better yet a school in the Colorado Springs area. I wonder where all the sewing machine repair people get instructions.

I thought about cleaning my machine completely. I was told that machines can get out of timing and every brand of machine requires a different timing tool. I know only to well about the timing problem. My HQ got out of timing and it took 6 weeks to get it fixed.

I clean it quite often. A lot more often than 3 months!!! Probably once a month, unless it needs it sooner. I do need to get it in for a professional cleaning, though.

I would like to know about the vac you use for your machine.

I have been told that sewing over pins can cause the timing to mess up.

I clean my machine every time I finish a big project and then I change the neddle and about every 6 month I oil and give it a good cleaning. I took a class on how to clean my featherweath and once a year I take it to have clean.