Definitely fills up fast. I take my plate off, usually because I've messed something up, but it gives me a chance to clean that area out! I've found that a LIGHT spray of canned air helps me.

Far out!

*rushes off to check machine, armed with vacuum cleaner*

WOW! I clean mine every time I use it! I oil the bobbin case too after about every 4 or 5 bobbins I use too. My tech said I keep my machine very clean.

I also use the vac attachment for sewing machines.

I clean my bobbin area every few hours of quilting. I know the best way to keep my macine running for a long time is good maintenance. I am always surprised at how much accumulates in just that little bit of time, and how much quieter it is after each cleaning.
OHSue

I have cleaned mine out to find enough lint to knit a small sweater, I clean it pretty often but every so often it still coughs up a hairball or two, I clean it fairly often, maybe not as much as some of you do but on a fairly regular basis,

Don't forget to check between your feed dogs as well, sometimes it can build up there as well and they won't work quiet as well.

My new machine is a front loading one, I use the extended table all the time unless I am doing something that has to wrap around to sew it, I leave the door open, that way some if it escapes all on it's own and I can see when it is building up.

Watch using the canned air, it is cold and you can freeze things with it if you over spray.

I clean mine a couple of times a week, something I was taught as a child when I first started sewing.

A friend of mine came over to sew and she said that her machine was not running as nicely as it normally does... I asked her when was the last time she cleaned it... well, never she said... so I pulled out my vacuum attachments and handed them to her. She was about floored when she opened up her machine. It was solid! I think she has added cleaning and oiling to her routine now lol. It was way worse than yours to say the least... but yeah, doesn't take much to get a ton of lint in there!!

I clean mine once a week, whether it needs it or not.
Easy way to clean out between everything in there if you don't want to use your vacuum. (I won't use mine because I'm afraid it might suck up something it's not supposed to)
Anyway...if you get a Q-tip, put a little dab of oil on it and GENTLY put it down inside the bobbin area, give it a little twist, it'll grab the dust in there.
I also won't use canned air because sometimes "wetness" will come out. The man that I take/took my machines to for cleaning says to NOT use canned air for that same reason.....

Wow Eddie...guess your machine is thanking you now for all the cleaning you did! You might want to pet it nicely for awhile and hope it forgives you for letting it get soooo dirty!! :wink:

I read to not use canned air. I was reading tips from a shop and he said that he can always tell when someone uses air because it blows the lint deeper into the machine where it does more damage and you can't clean it out.