Why Should I Have My Sewing Machine Cleaned Professionally?

What's in a Cleaning?

 
Home Remedies :
We at the Quilt/ sewing machine shop have all heard it over and over. " I clean my machine after every single project" Believe me we know! Those of you who use your little brush to clean out your bobbin, bobbin case and other areas below your sewing area are doing a great job!  Your machines will run very well in between professional cleanings! We love seeing happy machines come in and go through a quick cleaning only needing the hard to reach places tidied up, greased, oiled and sent on their way to provide more great sewing of countless projects. 

  The Truth: Many older machines can be cleaned very well at home most of your new machines need to be taken apart and out of their shells to be fully cleaned. The bottoms also need to be pulled of for a total cleaning. Some machines just have a few screws and ::POP::  other have wires and mother boards and other controls attached to the shells which you won't know until you get in there. Sometimes these are plugged in sometimes it's soldered. Either way a person who has been trained to deal with what ever is in there is a good idea. 

  What should I never do? You know that can of air that you've been using to get rid of lint? What you actually should do with it is use it for your computer keyboard and nothing else. (or toss it out the window)
The Truth:
If you don't take the case off before using the can of air it doesn't actually get rid of all of the lint. It more or less is like sweeping something under the rug. You might not see the lint anymore but it's still there only now it's behind your control panel and near your motor. OH! one more thing. a closed machine will hold on to the moisture that those cans of air blow into your machine. And we all know what happens with mechanics and water. (In case you didn't know they don't play well together.)
Funny Tidbit: In February of 2015 we had a woman who was FURIOUS! Her husband had rushed into her sewing room, grabbed her machine right out from under her and put it outside in the concrete bird bath in the back yard. Now we all know that our husbands have fantasized about doing this very thing (especially when dinner is non-existent for the  3rd time in as many days). The difference in his story to hers.... Well there was smoke coming out of her machine. (which she had also noticed but she only had one more border to attach ... priorities ) They brought the machine in for what proved to be an autopsy and we found that in her 10 years of owning this machine she had cleaned it after every use. With the help of a can of air. She had never had it professionally cleaned. She had used coats and clark thread, sewn cotton, flannel, and minky along with others and had always made sure that it appeared cleaned.  Unfortunately appeared is the key word here. we found melting and most issues to be near the motor. Our best guess is that all of that lint had been pushed near the motor and when the motor had sparked at start up that puppy lit up like a roman candle!

What About My Special Vacuum Attachments?
Remember when we talked about all those little things attached to the shell off your machine? Wires and what not? Although your vacuum is less of a threat to your machine then Ye Old Can O' Air it can separate the good from the good as well and the bad from the good. Try not to put the attachment where you can't see the end. And NEVER use it on a mega vac like a Dyson or something else with a killer pull or suck.

Lets talk about thread baby .....

Like fabric not all threads are made alike. Hand sewing thread and less expensive thread can and will shed more. I'm not telling you to run out and drop tons of money on new thread and toss the rest out. I am however telling you that if you are using a thread that isn't considered low or no lint you might want to get your machine cleaned more often.

( The same goes for high lint fabrics - like Minky or Flannel) 

How often should I have my machine cleaned?

If you sew weekly once a year. If you sew monthly every 18 months. If you  don't sew often you should consider every 2 years. If you use high quality thread or low lint fabric you should be  ok to stretch it a little longer. In the same breath if you are using high shedding/ lint fabric or threads you might want to consider more often. 

So In Conclusion

 Just like proper car care the cheapest car will run longer then the most expensive car on the road if treated well and cared for properly. Sure one with metal parts has a better chance at survival in the long run. And we all know that one person who swears that they never changed the oil on their old fiat and she still runs like a dream..... But lets be honest we are not all that lucky . 

Maybe car to sewing machine comparisons don't do it for you but it's the same. If you take care of your machine it will take care of you. 

Happy Sewing!