If you have been using with rubber stamps for awhile, you can remember when you forgot to clean a rubber stamp, the one you just stamped with a dark black ink, and began ink'n it up on a nice pink ink pad...Stink! It only takes a mistake to ink a pale stamp pad, and the only way to stop it is to clean your stamps completely. But...what is THE best way to clean your art stamps?
Art rubber stamps don't need to be cleaned between stamping if you plan on using the same inks with that art stamp again before switching. Don't get so tied up with cleaning the craft stamps that you don't love using them. You can always place a stamp face down on a damp towel to keep the ink, dye, or paint moist until you can clean the stamp when you are finished. Don't forget that some inks will permanently stain into the rubber texture and will not come out...no matter what kind of cleaner is used! Before reusing your craft stamp make sure you use a white paper to test stamp and ensure that the ink has dried. Many a stamper has believed the art rubber stamp was simply stained only to realize that some ink or cleaner remained .
To remove light colored inks (yellows, pinks, light blues, white, etc.) you can simply tap the art stamp on a paper towel, then daub the towel into the grooves and let the ink dry. If you do decide to scrub the rubber stamp with a commercial stamp cleaner using the scrubber on top, be sure not to scrub to hard or the felt will get into the cracks of the stamp and can make the impressions look fuzzy and streaked. Stamp cleaners work so well because they contain additives that dissolve the toughest inks like blacks and blues. In addition to using the scrubby top of a commercial craft stamp cleaner, you can use an old white sock.
Another way to clean rubber stamps, and one of the fastest, is to use alcohol free baby wipes. Alcohol free baby wipes work perfectly because they are disposable and just damp enough to clean off the ink. Some stampers like to use a toothbrush to get the grooves of the stamp die clean. Be careful if using a brush because you don't want to splash ink all over your carpet!Make sure the brush bristles are very flexible since you don't want to scratch your rubber art stamp while cleaning it.
Whatever method you use, make sure you don't use solvents to clean your rubber stamps since they can ruin the labels. Do not dip your rubber stamps in water...this will cause the labels, adhesive, and rubber to come apart eventually. If you decide to use a commercial window cleaner, make sure you don't use one containing ammonia as that can be harmful.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Kathy Williams
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