Before you throw it out, give it a good soaking in water. I read somewhere, that it makes it nice again, because they dry out over time. It is surely worth a try.

And what we are cutting. Using the rotary cutter and mat with batting leaves a lot of yuk to clean up.[/quote]

I have found the easiest way to get the batting fluff out of my cutting mat is to just use my fingertip in a circular motion. It rolls up the fluff so it's easy to sweep off.

Why use a cruddy old mat. Buy a new one.

mine is 5 yrs old and still in good condition. I clean it regularly after each project (wipe it down with wet cloths). and I recently soaked it in the tub to 'bring it back'. looks good - I'll keep on using it.