I use alcohol wipes to clean the needle and put "Sewers Aide" on the thread. It lubricates the thread and needle, making it harder for the goo to stick.

i have used finger polish remover

So glad I am not the only one with this problem.. lol Thank you for the advice!

If you have one of the orange oil based cleaners or air freshener sprays, like Citrus Magic, that will work too.

Our local Singer shoppe sells a product that you spray directly on the fabric that helps with that. Whats it called? I don't know, all I know is that its oil based but doesn't hurt the fabric. I think Florini makes it. They use it for embroidery machines when they use sticky stabilizers.