Guide to Sewing Machine Cleaning and Repair

Vintage sewing machine cleaning and repair can be intimidating, especially when you’re accustomed to sewing rather than working on the sewing machine itself. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Never use soap and water to clean the inside of a vintage sewing machine.

Water creates corrosion and soap will strip away all the oils from the machine, which is something you don’t want. Instead, you’ll want to use kerosene to clean out the inside of your machine. Kerosene is a wonderful cleaning solution because it takes away all the dirt without being too astringent. Furthermore, you can also take away the tarnished look of internal parts, by using 1000 grit sandpaper and/or steel wool.

Kerosene is good for the inside, but BAD on the outside.

Kerosene is perfect for cleaning internal parts, but should never be used on the outside of a sewing machine because it will destroy decals. Overall, the best method for cleaning the exterior of your sewing machine all depends on the circumstances. Here are a few scenario’s and best cleaning processes for each one.

Singer 66 is dusty and dirty but still in otherwise good condition.

1) Black vintage machine covered in dust and dirt.

Plain old sewing machine oil will work just fine to the outside of a black vintage sewing machine. Most of these machines were painted using an oil based japanning paint technique. Therefore, using regular  sewing machine oil will bring back the beautiful luster and shine without too many problems.

2) Filthy sewing machine covered in grease, mice droppings, tobacco tar, dust etc.

Vintage sewing machines came in a wide variety of colors, which were painted with a number of different finishes. For this reason, there is no one-size-fits all solution for cleaning a vintage sewing machine. Instead of using sewing machine oil, you’ll need to use a cleaning solution.

There is no 1 size fits all cleaning solution for vintage sewing machines because they were all painted with different finishes and exposed to a wide variety of environmental conditions. Since the paint condition can vary between machines, its best to test one of the cleaning solutions below on a small area to see how it works first. If the chosen cleaning solution works well, then you can apply it to your entire machine. Here are the most common cleaning solutions for the exterior of  filthy sewing machines.

• kerosene (NOT FOR MACHINES WITH DECALS)
• Dawn Dish Soap & Water
• Goop
• Gojo
• Zymol Cleaner Wax 
• Meguier’s Cleaner Wax

Emdeko JA21 after deep cleaning with kerosene.

When you use the right liquid, sewing machine cleaning and repair becomes much easier.

My first vintage sewing machine was covered in tobacco tar. Plus, there were rat droppings all inside the machine. This mess had to be cleaned up. There was no better way than to clean this mess up with kerosene.

Since there were no decals on the machine, I decided the best way to clean would be to dip a micro fiber cloth in kerosene and scrubbed the outside of the sewing machine to eliminate all the tar. On the internal parts, however, the task was a lot more tedious because the parts were sticky and dusted with rat droppings. I started by taking extra precautions to ensure no kerosene dripped on my electrical cords. To ensure no kerosene dripped on my cords, I removed them. It took all of 2 seconds to unscrew the motor and remove the light bulb housing.

Once these electronic parts were removed.  I used a paint brush and Q-tip, dipped in kerosene, to scrub the internal parts clean. It took around 3 hours to deep clean all the internal parts and remove the gross rat droppings. It will, however, take far less time for you to clean your sewing machine. My sewing machine was an exception because it was in someone’s outdoor shed and in bad shape.

Wax on and Wax off like Karate Kid.

Once you’ve done the cleaning of your sewing machine, it will look very lack luster. A dull sewing machine looks dirty. To make your sewing machine look fresh, clean, and shiny , use Zymol wax. Zymol is all-natural wax that will make your sewing machine look like brand new.

The next best wax to use on a sewing machine is Meguiar’s . I’ve used this kind of wax on vintage sewing machines because it creates a great shine too. To use your wax, simply wax on and wax off. You will need 3 to 4 coats to make your restoration job look professional. You’ve cleaned and waxed your vintage sewing machine, but…

… don’t forget about the chrome.

Chrome is what makes a vintage sewing machine stand out most. It’s shiny and gives your sewing machine the look of a vintage car. Like all things fantastic, however, chrome needs maintenance.

I clean my chrome sewing machine parts in the same way grandma cleaned her china, with Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish.  Apply a little polish to a toothbrush and scrub away all the tarnished spots. Then, use a microfiber cloth to finish the job.  You’ve got a clean and polished surface.

Now, tackle sewing machine cleaning and repair head on by oiling her up!

Oil is the most important part of sewing machine maintenance. It prevents parts from getting stiff and loosens parts that no-longer move. Put a few drops of oil on every moving part of your machine. However, be careful if you have a vintage sewing machine from the 1970’s and beyond. You’ll want to avoid putting oil on any plastic/nylon sewing machine parts.

The kind of oil is important.

Never use:

1. WD-40 as it gums up sewing machines over time
2. 3 in 1 oil as it gums up sewing machines over time
3. Olive oil because it attracts rodents

 ONLY USE SEWING MACHINE OIL IN A SEWING MACHINE.

• Singer
• Zoom Spout
• Liberty

Machine oil makes everything good, but when something breaks it’s not the end of the world.

When a part won’t move, don’t force it. Oil it. If it still won’t move, take a flash light and consider the matter. This is especially true for hand wheels. When a hand wheel won’t turn, most times, it just needs oil. On occasion, however, there is a deeper problem. The secondary problem is almost always the machine belt. It costs under $15 to replace a machine belt.

When something else is wrong, don’t panic.

Take a closer look at it. Is a part broken? Does look like a part is missing? Is the rotary or oscillating hook moving off schedule? Once you’ve determined something is amiss, you can always comb google for replacement parts or find a handy repairman. I hope this sewing machine cleaning and repair article was helpful.

Originally posted February 2018  & Last Updated May 2023

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How to Oil a Sewing Machine

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