If you have a computerized Brother machine you just need to keep you bobbin area clean. And if you want to, you can oil the take up assembly. To keep the oil off my projects, I like to sew on a scrap of flannel after I service my own machines.

My extra oil tip is paper towels! You can do a lot with them in terms of getting your tensions good as well as blotting up oil. Sometimes you might have to fine tune your settings a little more when switching to fabric, but I find for cottons, a paper towel is a nice handy cheap sewing surface.

I use a small watercolor brush to clean my bobbin area every time I remove a bobbin. Every time - even it's only been used for 5 minutes to top stitch. Keeping the lint down in the bobbin alone can gain you extra time between servicing your machine. Every odd year, I give my machine a Spa Day. She has earned a rest and while I miss her while she is away, I appreciate it when she returns home ready to sew with the crazy owner she lives with. I consider it a small price to pay for such loyal service.

This thread reminds me that I need to take my newish Bernina in to be serviced. It hasn't been sewn on a lot, but it has been a couple years. Time for it to go visit my OSMG Michael!

I love the mascara brushes that you can get at the Dollar store. They are wonderful for getting the lint out of all those tiny crevasses. A few years back, I got a digital copy of the service manual for my Janome 4900. Since then, we take the top and bottom off the machine and give it a thorough cleaning and oiling, about every 6 months. I am always amazed at the amount of lint that collects in the body, just to the left of the bobbin area.

But now, we are going on holidays and the machine is going in for a full service. I am hoping that will cure some of the tension and feed dogs issues that have cropped up.

Thanks Annette...that's a great list. I service my own machines too, but I probably should pay more attention to things like new brushes and electrical wiring. All of my machines are 50+ years old, so they are very simple.