This is very basic but also very important. If you clean your stamps properly, they will last a long time.
I have often used Baby Wipes to clean my stamps. The advantage is that the wipes are easy to use and to take with you, they do clean the stamps (although not as well in small crevices), and you can throw them away. The disadvantages are that the wipes leave behind lint. This can affect the quality of the stamped image and the lint comes off onto your ink pad. The lint then goes back onto your stamp and will leave little fuzzies on the stamped image.
One of the most effective and easy ways to clean the stamps is to use Stampin’ Up!’s Stampin’ Scrub. Mine is near worn out in the center. The benefits are that you can clean small crevices really well, clean completely, and not leave any lint on the stamp. You also condition the red rubber stamps which makes them last longer.
To condition the stamp and clean it gently, I spray the Stampin’ Mist onto the left sided pad of the Stampin’ Scrub. There are water droplets in the upper left hand corner.
The right side is kept dry. After you scrub off the ink, you can dry the stamp. Note the sun sign in the upper left hand corner of the right scrub pad.
I usually stamp my stamp onto scrap paper to remove as much ink as possible. The scrub pads do need to be cleaned when the stamp doesn’t come clean. Just remove the pads and soak them in warm water with a little Dawn detergent. I usually give them a scrub with a scrub brush, then rinse them until the water runs clear. Dry overnight.
Another way to clean your stamps is to use the Simply Shammy. Mine is a little stained from use.
Just add water to make the Shammy damp. You can store it in one of the Standard Stamp Cases. If you live in a humid climate, you may not want to do this as there will be some mildew. Here in Arizona it works well.
To help keep the Simply Shammy as clean as possible, I stamp the rest of the ink onto a scrap paper first. Then I rub the stamp onto the shammy until it is clean. The advantages of the Simply Shammy are that it is very easy to take with you, there are not any chemicals, trash or lint.
I hope this helps. I should have included this post in the beginning but I overlooked this very important detail.
Stampin’ Up! products discussed include: Stampin’ Scrub #126200, Stampin’ Mist spray bottle #102394 and Stampin’ Mist refill #101022, the Simply Shammy #147042 and the Standard Stamp case #119105.