wool needle felting mats

Wool needle felting mat care

Wool needle felting mat care

Please note these care instructions are only applicable to Refill Crafts wool needle felting mats.

When using your wool needle felting mat over time wool fibers from your projects will become incorporated into your mat, over time as these build up, these fibers can knit them selves into new felting projects and if the fibers are a noticeably different colour to the colours in your project it can become bothersome pulling small strands of different colours out. Such as is shown in the picture below.

Here are some tips to help keep your mat in good working condition

Care while using the mat:

  • When felting continually move or rotate the project to avoid felting your project into your mat.
  • Do not felt all the way through your project.
  • If you are felting a 2D object which is thin then likely the object will get felted into the mat, make sure you turn the project frequently to avoid getting your project stuck.
  • Choosing one side of the mat for lighter wools and one side for felting darker or brighter wools can help prevent cross contamination.

Removing excess wool imbedded in your mat:

Over time even with the care methods above wool will be come embedded in your mat and build up, every six months or so depending on how often you use your mat you may want to remove some fibers. These techniques can be harsh on your mat and  I wouldn't recommend using these techniques frequently.

Cleaning techniques tested:

Techniques to be tested:

  • remove excess wool by hand
  • lint brush
  • electric lint remover
  • disposable razor
  • adhesive tape

Over the next year or so I will review the above techniques for cleaning my mat and add them below.

Kitchen fork

Gently scrape the surface of your mat using a kitchen fork: this method worked okay as you can see with the before and after photos. There is still fibers left in the mat but they are not on the surface, it does fluff up the surface of the mat though and I needed to iron, the mat flat after using this technique, use your iron on wool setting. 

 

 

Wire brush cleaner

This method and outcome was very similar to the fork, I gently scrapped the surface of the mat, it worked a bit quicker than the fork but there are fibers left in the mat and it also removed mat fibers and fluffed up the surface of the mat and I had to iron it down afterwards, use iron on wool or a cooler setting, shop here for wire brush cleaners.

 

 

Washing your mat

If your mat become dirty or dusty over time you can gently spot clean or hand wash your mat with cold water and a small amount of mild detergent (note: if you use hot water your mat will shrink), then leave your mat to dry before you use it again, depending on how much water you use your mat may take a few days to dry.

You can buy wool needle felting mats and wire brush cleaners at Refill Crafts. Wool needle felting pads are available in five colours, and two sizes 10 x 10 cm and 15 x 20 cm and are both 2.5 cm thick.

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