I really enjoy creating handmade cards and other paper crafts using rubber stamps. The main issue for me with rubber stamps is the cost. They are quite expensive when you buy them new, so it is important to properly care for them. But what if you want to buy used stamps from the thrift store or an auction? I’ve seen a lot of people pass up on interesting stamps just because they weren’t cleaned properly. Even if they have old dried on ink, they aren’t a lost cause if you know how to clean them. Yes, you CAN remove most dried on yucky ink! Cleaning the ink from your rubber stamps after each use will ensure they continue to make crisp, clear images.
Understanding different inks
When you are buying a used stamp you aren’t going to know exactly what kind of ink they used. This makes removing the ink a little challenging at times. I like to go through different steps with cleaning used stamps. Most of the time I will find a method that works wonderfully.
A lot of the lower cost inks that are available in stores are water based inks. These are actually the easiest to remove from the stamps with some warm soapy water. Archival inks are more difficult to remove and will usually require a specialized cleaner. There are several companies that make stamp cleaning sprays that work well, but they can be expensive. If you don’t want to make your own cleaner, these are a great option for quick and convenient use. If you feel adventurous and want to make your own cleaner I have a few different recipes you can try.
Tools and Supplies
The tools you need for cleaning rubber stamps are fairly simple. Gathering up all your supplies ahead of time will save you a lot of hassle.
- Dirty stamps (hard to clean them if you don’t have them!)
- small bowl or container of warm soapy water
- old toothbrush
- a kitchen sponge with a scrubby side
- old rags or paper towels
- store bought stamp cleaner or homemade version described below
Glycerine based cleaner
The first recipe I have uses 2 tbsp glycerin, 1 cup warm distilled water, and 1 tsp of baby wash. Any brand will work as long as it is a gentle wash. Mix the three ingredients in a small spray bottle and shake before using.
Simple Green Clean
One of the household cleaning products I love is Simple Green. It’s a non-toxic, biodegradable formula that is good for removing tough stains. Because Simple Green is concentrated cleaner, it lasts a long time. For this recipe combine 1/4 cup Simple Green and 1/2 cup distilled water. Put into a spray bottle and shake before using.
Cleaning
The soapy water method
I always like to start off with the soapy water cleaning method. If I can get the ink off without resorting to the more complex cleaners I’m happy. For this method, wet your toothbrush or sponge with the warm soapy water and give the stamp a good scrub. If the ink comes off, hooray! Give it a good rinse after scrubbing, and set it flat to dry. Do not store your stamps when they are still wet, this can lead to mold and rot. If you don’t see any difference on the stamp, the ink is most likely not water based. In this case I would move on to the other steps.
Store bought/ homemade cleanser
If the soapy water didn’t work, lightly spray the rubber portion of your stamp with the cleanser. Rub the solution over the stamp with your fingertip, then use a toothbrush or scrubby sponge to lightly scrub. Follow up with a rag or paper towel to remove any remaining ink. Rinse the stamp with clean water. Make sure to lie the stamp flay, rubber side up and dry completely before storing. If this method still didn’t remove any of the ink, your stamp may be permanently damaged. This can be caused by the previous owner using acrylic or oil based paints on it. Not every ink will come completely off when cleaning rubber stamps, and there may always be some staining. Stained stamps are okay as long as there isn’t a thick build up of ink that is obscuring the details.
Example
In the image above, you can see one of the used stamps I recently cleaned. I got it in a bulk lot of used rubber stamps from a local auction. I figured even if some of the stamps were unusable, I was still getting a steal on the unused stamps. On the left is the stamp as I received it. There was a thick build up of ink that was obscuring a lot of the details. On the right is after scrubbing the stamp with water and then homemade cleaner. I continued alternating between the two methods and scrubbing with both the toothbrush and the scrubby sponge until I could see all the details again. This stamp is permanently stained from improper cleaning when it was first used, but now its usable again.
I hope this has encouraged you to take a chance on used supplies. If not used, at least you now know how to better maintain your new ones. Cleaning rubber stamps doesn’t have to be a scary process! Leave me a comment below if you found this helpful!
