How to Clean Rubber Stamps

Learning about cleaning rubber stamps is important for beginner and experienced stampers alike. To preserve the longevity of your rubber stamps it is important to keep them clean. Ensuring rubber stamps are clean has many benefits:

• Clean stamps will not contaminate ink pads with different colored inks.
• Dried inks can start to clog up parts of a rubber stamp resulting in unclear images.
• Unclean stamps gather dust and dirt.

There are different ways of cleaning stamps, and individual stampers will have their own preferred method.

Stamp Cleaner

There are special stamp cleaners available and these can be purchased through rubber stamp suppliers and craft stores. Stamp cleaners are typically sold in a bottle and are designed either to be poured into a vessel to clean the stamps or have an integral cleaning pad built into the bottle.

Baby Wipes

Alcohol free baby wipes are ideal for cleaning stamps and are a handy way to keep stamps clean during a stamping session.

Soap and Water

Most standard inks can be washed off using normal soapy water (dish washing detergent is fine). An old tooth brush is ideal for washing off any inks that are clinging to the stamps.

Tips for successful cleaning of stamps

• Do not soak wooden stamps, this may damage the stamp
• Tap the stamp after use on waste paper to remove any surface ink, this aids the cleaning of the stamp
• Avoid any cleaning products that include alcohol, this can cause the rubber to dry out and damage the stamp
• Store wooden rubber stamps only when they are dry
• Check the manufactures information for any special cleaning instructions

Note: There is a difference between clean stamps and stained stamps. Some stamps become stained after a time, however are perfectly clean. Do not try to scrub stained stamps clean as this might damage the surface of the stamp.