Such factors as how much you sew, where you sew, what type of thread and fabric you use will determine how often you must clean your sewing machine. Don't rely on those cans of air. All they do is blow the dust around. For a good cleaning, get out your Q-Tips. Remove the presser foot, needle, faceplate, bobbin, and bobbin casing. Oh yes, unplug it first. No accidents allowed.
Remove any dust bunnies that may be lurking about especially in the feed dogs. Use a straight pin or a small flat head screwdriver to get in between the "dogs".
Oiling is just as important as cleaning, but remember 1 drop will do better than 2.
Check your instruction manual on which areas to oil. There may be some that you're supposed to leave alone. Rotate the wheel by hand and see which parts move. My theory is, "if it's metal and it moves - oil it." If it's rubber or plastic leave it alone. 
Don't forget to clean out the bobbin casing before replacing it. They get very dusty on the inside. Cleaning and oiling improves the efficiency of your sewing machine. By working with lint free thread such as Essential thread from Connecting Threads, you'll see a drastic reduction in dust in your machine. If you sew in a humid environment, remember to oil often to prevent rust.
After cleaning and oiling, wipe down the table top and machine with a paper towel. Re-assemble all parts and place a paper towel under the presser foot. Let it sit overnight. Any excess oil will drain on to the towel. Wipe down the area again before sewing.
Until then, keep stitchin' . . .
2 comments:
Cool post. Thank you very much! There are parts of the innards of the machine I can't reach to get the lint out, and I wasn't sure whether to use the can of compressed air or not; thanks for the tip.
Thanks--this was very timely. I bought my "new" old machine in May and haven't sewn on it a WHOLE lot, but was thinking it might be time to oil it. I clean the dust out pretty regularly, but how often should it be oiled?
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