[with love Heidi]

l just took the needle plate off my overlocker/Seger forth first time (I’ve had it 3 years!). It was impressive the amount of lint it had collected. It hasn’t been running great so l thought l should check, yep I should have. Hopefully it runs much better now. If you want the imputus to clean your overlocker or sewing machine here’s the before and after pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73669617@N07/9030488114/

[Nicole]

I open the cover and blow it out with a hairdryer after each project.

Its just a little travel one that lives in my sewing room.

I hope it runs better now Heidi,

[Lightning McStitch]

And don’t forget to feed the clean dogs!

Impressive photo.

My machine just went off for a service after 5 years and wow did that make a difference. I’d cleaned under there but never oiled anything. Trust me, these machines do need a little more love than I’d showed mine.

[wendy]

Anytime my serger has started misbehaving, a good clean has fixed it. I brush it out regularly and use a can of compressed air to get out the harder to reach bits like in between the tension disks. I’d never thought to use a blow dryer; great idea! Much cheaper than buying air in a can!

[meleliza]

shocking how much dust and lint they gather. I vacuum the machine a little every time I vacuum my room and once in while – like before a special project – I get out the manual and the little brushes that came with it and really clean it out.

[lattemama]

I was (severely) told off by my sewing machine store attendant for using compressed air to clean out my machine. She said I’d just push the lint further into the machine. :/

She did however berate me for a bunch of other stuff I said I did that is just a matter of preference (like for example ironing the invisible zipper before putting it in, and using a heavier duty thread for sewing hexies to the little paper templates, which I do just because I always have), so I’m not sure how much it matters.

I started using the vacuum but the nozzle is so large I can’t reach every nook and cranny. (Now you’re all picturing me using the big attachment on my machine, right?)

[Sarvi]

Haha, true! I hadn’t thought that about canned air — I use that too.

[wendy]

Oh dear. Somehow I’m always humbled by the sewing machine store clerks, even though the rest of the rest of the time I feel fairly competent. The trouble is, I’ve tried disassembling every possibly part of my serger and there are some areas that just can’t be reached. I was actually wondering if one of the differences between a low end and high end serger is how well the wee parts are protected from the inevitable dust bomb.

[Jess M.]

they make little mini vacuums for computers/key pares, I winder if that would work?

says the girl who needs to a) clean her sewing room and b)dust her machines

[Jess M.]

Also remember to tighten screws every so often, like your walking foot. I’m still mad I didn’t recognize what was happening until I finished the shorts. 🙁

[Tamara]

I clean the sewing machine after every project but not the overlocker – bit slack there. I clean that out after every two or three projects. But the needle plate doesn’t come undone, I blow it out from underneath.

[with love Heidi]

I regularly vacume clean the easy to get to bits but hadn’t done the feed dogs as it needs the screwdriver. Lesson learnt. It’s running beautifully now.