Machine off?
 

I never turn it off to clean and oil. My cleaning/oiling schedule is by bobbin load. So once I have gone through 3 bobbins I clean and oil and I am usually in the middle of a project. So I am on your side of the fence. (and the grass is greener over here :D )

to do a normal cleaning, No I do not turn it off.

No, I do not turn off for normal cleaning--like you, I need the light .

Most of my machines are vintage and don't have an on/off switch. I only unplug them when doing something to the motor.

Cari

Machine is on for the light.

There is a needle lock button for changing needles. Bobbin area is cleaned out after every project.

Machine is turned off and unplugged when done sewing for the day or leaving the room for a while.

Don't turn it off to oil but unplug after sewing in order to avoid a power surge.

It depends. If I'm changing a bobbin and just going to clean out the bobbin area and use a drop of oil, I don't turn it off and unplug. If I"m going to be doing a more thorough cleaning and oiling like on my vintage and mechanical machines, then I do turn it off and unplug.

For safety reasons, I turn mine off. I use a lamp turned on to see what I am doing.

I don't turn off either, need to see what I am doing.

I do the same. I oil the bobbin race before starting sewing and with every bobbin change it gets cleaned and a drop of oil again.

I don't turn mine off either. The only time I unplug my Bernina is when I go away. I just feel better knowing that it's not plugged in.

Never turn it off to clean and oil.

I do turn off to clean and oil, as well as change a needle. It's something instilled in me from many years of working on electrical equipment. Kind of a "lock out, tag out" for safety.

Me either...I don’t turn it off to do routine cleaning and a drop of oil. I do unplug my machine when I go on vacation even though it is in a surge protector.

No, I never turn it off or unplug it to clean and oil.

My quilt machine I clean and oil the bobbin area after every bobbin change and I don't turn it off for the same reason you stated. My sewing machine I don't turn off either when cleaning the bobbin area. Wouldn't be able to see well without using a small flashlight.

Mine would not have been turned on yet when I clean it. I have a goose neck desk light to see into the corners.

This is my procedure, too.

Mine has the "lock" feature so the needle can't move while it's on. I use a surge protector and never think to unplug it. Is this something I should be doing? I don't turn mine off to clean, but I do use the lock.

Nope I do not turn my machine off, like you Tartan and most others I need the light on! Glad to hear that I'm not the only one.

My newer BERNINA machine has a stitch counter. At 3,600 stitches the display shows an icon to service the machine. I take it out and lay it over on its side to service it. I like to put the oil on in a horizontal position. I do not unplug because of the light. Also, my machine will not run if the presser foot is not down. I do think frequent cleaning saves a lot a problems.

If I'm just cleaning out the bobbin area, I don't turn the machine off. But if I were going to do something more in depth (like pulling off the top to oil deeper in the machine), I turn it off.

But it is very interesting to read what different people do!

I don’t unplug mine. I am careful not to touch my foot pedal.

I don't turn it off but make sure the foot pedal is disconnected. Learn the hard way to do that. LOL

I leave my machine on to do routine cleaning but always have it plugged into a battery generator/surge protector (which I bought for my Tiara but use for all machines now) in case the power flickers, albeit rare. (We live in the country and have an electric co-op). I believe it will stay on for 6 minutes, but our generator will kick on before then. I unplug when I am done with that machine or at the end of the day.

I am like quilterpurpledog, I have a Bernina and it tells me when it needs to be cleaned and oiled. The machine will not run if the pressure foot is up but I tend to do both on/off depending on what I have been doing. I also have an Ott light near the machine so have plenty of light from that.

I turn off my machine for everything. I've painfully smashed my finger accidently under the presser foot mechanism twice. I'm a klutz and can't be trusted around machinery!

No I do not turn my machine off. I need the light to see what I'm cleaning.

I turn mine off and unplug.. I use a desk light and mini flashlight to see when cleaning. After years of unplugging a toaster before sticking a fork inside to get the chunk of bread out, I guess it's ingrained...lol...

I use vintage machines, most being built into a cabinet with a knee controller vs a foot pedal. I don't turn off the machine, nor unplug it. But I do fold the knee controller into the position that it cannot operate. Too easy to accidentally bump it with my knee while fiddling about, cleaning and oiling.

My hubby bought me one of those headbands with a light in the front, kind of like a miners' hat. It does the job great and leave both hands free.