I attempted to cut out a very small intricate design using my Cricut and a very thin scrapbook paper. The paper ended up becoming very stuck to the mat and was not salvageable.Why didn’t I use card stock anyways? ~~*sigh*~~
What a mess!
I was having a really hard time pulling it up and the Cricut spatula was no help.
Tiny Spatula
I was afraid that this mat might be ruined even though it was rather new. Thankfully I picked up this tool kit on clearance.
Cricut Tool Kit
Some elbow grease, the little scrapper guy and a magic eraser saved this mat!
Once I removed the bigger pieces off the mat, I used a damp Magic eraser to get all the little blue paper fuzzy fibers removed. The mat was surprisingly still very sticky and usable!
Lamenting because you do not have a Cricut tool kit that you found on clearance? Don’t worry! These little guys work great too! 
You can pick up a pack of three pan scrapers from Pampered Chef for under 5 bucks! If you already have these for your stoneware, I would recommend labeling which scraper is for the kitchen and which one is for the crafts just in case.
Should you run out and purchase the tool kit? I am not really sure it is necessary for everyone. Thus far I have only used the scraper, the replacement machine blade, and the scissors. The little pointy pieces have never left the case. What have you come across that these pointy tools were good for?
I would highly recommend buying the spatula. (It comes separately.) It makes removing almost all cut pieces off the mat a piece of cake. The pieces also don’t curl up like when you peel pieces off.
So remember, when planning a paper project, thin paper and small Cricut designs are no fun to clean up after!
Idle Hands 
I have used the pointed tool that looks like it could be found at a dental office on intricate pieces of vinyl. It works well because the vinyl has a backing that the blade does not cut through so you don’t have to worry about it sticking to the mat, it comes of in one piece.
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Thanks! I have not tried a vinyl project yet. I didn’t know it wouldn’t cut the backing. I probably would have been fretting I did something wrong!
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Vinyl is my absolute favorite! I looked up tutorials on Pinterest before starting and it helped tremendously. And vinyl will stick to most surfaces so you can customize everything!
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You can wash your mats…I do it all the time! I use regular dish soap and a scrubby sponge. It helps!
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I saw a few suggestions on various webpages about applying glue to mats that are no loner sticky. Have you ever needed to do this with washing them?
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Yes, and it does work. However it isn’t necessary every time you wash them. I re-stick my mats maybe twice a year, but wash them at least monthly. Granted I have a lot of mats and I do use them in rotation so I make the most of their stickiness.
But washing them can be done regularly without the re-sticking process. Try it! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
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