I shared the following stamp cleaner recipe at Lily Pad Cards on May 24, 2011, but I wanted to put it here as well. Although Lily Pad Cards closed last May, you can still visit for some wonderful posts and videos!
I N G R E D I E N T S
- 8 oz spritzer bottle
- 2 Tablespoons of liquid glycerin
- 1 Tablespoon of baby shampoo
- Distilled water
- 1 teaspoon of Rosewater (optional)
I N S T R U C T I O N S
- Pour 2 T glycerin and 1 T shampoo and (optional) 1 t of Rosewater into the spritzer bottle. (Since the original publication of this recipe, a reader has emailed me that Rosewater adds a lovely fragrance.)
- Pour 1 cup distilled water into the spritzer bottle.
- Shake well.
You’re finished! Wasn’t that easy?
C O S T
You can purchase all of these ingredients at your local pharmacy. The glycerin cost me less than a dollar when I bought it three years ago, and I still have plenty left. I bought a name brand baby shampoo because I wanted to test this recipe before I committed to a larger bottle – a travel size like the one pictured cost $1.25. (I actually have a large bottle of the generic stuff now, but I went and got another travel size for photography purposes. The generic stuff cost $1.00 because I got it at The Dollar Tree.) A gallon of distilled water cost 79¢. And the spritzer bottle was “free” because I recycled the bottle of original stamp cleaner – the stuff that cost me $6.99 – when it was depleted.
My homemade version costs about 30¢ a bottle!
And I can live with that.
You can spritz the cleaner directly onto the stamp or onto a stamp cleaning pad. (My favorite stamp cleaning pad is the one made by Stampin’ Up! because it’s extra wide and can accommodate the larger background stamps.) However, if you object to the expense of a stamp cleaning pad, you can also “make” your own very cheaply by taking a trip to the hardware store’s paint section. They’re called paint trimmers, and you can get them in a holder or as refills. I still use these to clean stamps after using Staz-On inks. As far as I can tell, they’re made of the same basic stuff as a stamp pad cleaner and they work just as good. (These are three for $2 – $5, depending on where you get them, and you can fit one into one of those refillable baby wipe containers that open and shut just like a stamp pad cleaner.)
I made Download Homemade-Stamp-Cleaner-label you can download to print a homemade stamp cleaner label like mine. (This is just the label part – not the patterned paper I wrapped around the bottle.) You can print this on an Avery 8923 label or on regular cardstock and glue it on.
I hope you try this recipe and find it good! (Because there’s nothing like cleaning up when you clean up, right?)
Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day!
Does this work for clear stamps? Or just rubber stamps? Love the idea of making my own, so wanted to be sure it works for all stamps. Thanks
Posted by: Donna Cole | June 25, 2017 at 04:45 PM
Yes, ma'am - works great!
Posted by: Deborah Nolan | July 3, 2017 at 04:51 PM
I had one that called for Dawn dish soap 1 teaspoon works great.
Posted by: Nancy Ramminger | July 15, 2017 at 12:19 PM
Great cleaner, I cannot find the baby wipe clam shell cases, what do you think would substitute for them? Thankyou
Posted by: Debbie | October 10, 2017 at 03:58 AM
LOL. You must live in the US. I recently purchased a gallon of distilled water and I think we paid $3.99 or $4.99 Canadian plus environmental deposit fees for the plastic jug it came in. Thanks so much for posting your recipe. I have been looking for a few years for a stamp cleaning recipe.
Posted by: Joanne Hinsperger-Scott | November 16, 2017 at 08:48 PM
Debbie (If you're still out there), I do apologize for not seeing and responding to this sooner. Some other options for holding the paint trimmer thingie are ziplock baggies, Rubbermade containers, and the containers that food comes in (like reclosable deli meats, etc.).
Posted by: Deborah Nolan | February 10, 2018 at 09:32 PM
This makes a great cleaner...I'm getting ready to make my second bottle. Thanks for this economic jewel!!
Posted by: Deborah Kapchinske | March 12, 2018 at 10:38 PM