About: How to Choose the Best Sewing Machine Oil in 2022
Sewing machines are made of mechanical components that require oiling and lubrication to perform efficiently. Lubricating your sewing machines prevents the internal components from wearing down or rusting.
While most people know they ought to oil their sewing machine, the question that comes to mind is How to choose the Best Sewing Machine Oil and Which is the Best Sewing Machine Oil?
Hence in this article, we’re going to answer all your questions that will assist you in maintaining your sewing machine without damage. I will also give you my top 3 recommendations for lubricating your sewing machine.
Sewing Machine Oil Guide
If you’re using a domestic sewing machine made of plastic and rubber parts, chances are that you won’t need to lubricate you’re sewing machine at all. Hence, it is best to refer user’s manual to check if your machine needs lubrication. If your sewing machine has metal components, there is a high probability that it needs oiling, still, you can confirm this by referring owner’s manual.
Oiling your sewing machine is a part of preventive maintenance to keep it in good shape. It minimizes friction between the mechanical components. Over time, some of these parts may become fragile due to wear and tear or rusting, hence oiling these parts can prevent further disintegration.
Types of Oils
- Natural or Organic Oil – Coconut, Sunflower or Palm oil
- Synthetic – Automobile Oil
- Mineral – Petroleum or Paraffin Oil
While synthetic and natural oils do a good job, the best oil for lubricating your sewing machine is mineral oil. It is a by-product of refining crude oil to make gasoline and other petroleum products. The sewing machine oil is transparent, odorless, and has good viscosity..
Natural Oil Alternatives for Sewing Machine
Products such as coconut, olive, and palm oil can be used to lubricate the sewing machine. These oils are natural, safe, and effective in oiling your sewing machine and are readily available, you use them individually or they can be mixed into a cocktail of lubrication oil.
Since these oils are organic and fairly inexpensive you can experiment with them and see how your machine responds. In case you aren’t comfortable using natural sewing machine oil, then there are a few other alternatives that respond well
Synthetic Oil
Synthetic oil is a good alternative to natural oil, it consists of chemical compounds that are artificially made. It can be used on plastic, rubber, and colored surfaces. Automobile oil is a very good example of synthetic oil that can be used for lubrication. The biggest drawback of using synthetic oil is that they’re a lot more expensive than mineral oil.
Mineral Oil
It is by far the best sewing machine oil for maintenance that is cheap, reliable, and easily available. However, they contain heavy minerals and harmful ingredients such as paraffin, Teflon, and other harmful chemicals that are toxic to the environment and shouldn’t be used at home.
Our Top 3 Best Sewing Machine Oil Recommendations
Zoom-SPOUT Sewing Machine Oil Oiler
Zoom- Spout sewing machine oil is a highly refined, non-detergent mineral oil that will effortlessly lubricate your sewing machine. It is ideal for sewing machines since it is odorless, transparent, and won’t spoil your clothes if they come in contact with the oil.
Lily White – Sewing Machine Oil
Lily-white is an extremely popular sewing machine oil for correct reasons. It is has low viscosity and transparent texture which make it ideal for sewing machines. It comes in a big gallon; hence you don’t have to worry about running out of stock.
Liberty Oil for Sewing Machines
It is one of the most renowned brands in the market, it covers your machine against rusting, oxidation and parts wear and tear and comes with 60 days return policy. The oil is blended from the finest high viscosity index solvent refined hydro-finished 100% pure paraffin base stock.
How to Oil a Sewing Machine
Before you start the lubrication process, make sure you have access to the owner’s manual for safety reasons as all sewing machines aren’t created equal. In case you can’t find the manual then head over to the manufacturer’s website and search for the particular model number. Once you have gone through the user’s manual, then go ahead and get the collect tools.
Collect the right tools
You need to clean the sewing machine before oiling; hence you can use the lint or toothbrush, dust cleaners, and soft fabrics to begin with. Make you’re cleaning the smallest areas within the sewing machines without damaging them. Cleaning is an important step before oiling the machine from inside with sewing machine oil.
- Make sure you’re using the correct replacement parts for repairs
- Use any of the oils mentioned above for lubrication
- Lastly, you will need a can of compressed air for cleaning the lint.
#Step 1: Cleaning
As previously mentioned, you need to clean the accumulated debris before oiling the sewing machine. To do that, remove machine parts and accessories that can hamper your cleaning process. Additionally, remove the needles, stitching plates, hooks, and thread. Once done, you can use the compressed air to clean the difficult-to-reach areas and then use soft fabric to wipe the larger parts.
#Step 2: Lubrication and Oiling Sewing Machine
Once the cleaning process is done, you can head over to the oiling process. Put a few drops of oil into the moving parts. If you’re not sure which parts to lubricate, then check the owner’s manual for reference and directions on how to lubricate them.
Use common sense to determine which parts to lubricate, check whether they are rubbing against others,s and lubricate them accordingly. Use a plain cloth to absorb the excess oil as they can make things messy and slow down components on the inside of the sewing machine.
To oil, the shutter hook put a few drops of oil inside the hook race of the sewing machine. The shutter hook is the circle that allows the bobbin hook to fit flawlessly. By lubricating that area, you no longer have to worry about wearing down the smaller parts.
Precautions and Preventive Measures
- Follow the user’s manual if you’re unsure how to oil a sewing machine, follow the instruction as it is for lubrication, repairs, and part replacements.
- Make sure that your sewing machine isn’t connected to the power outlet before proceeding to the oiling process.
- The best way to smoothen the sewing machine oiling process is by disassembling one part at a time, which ensures you’re not complicating the lubrication process and also minimizes the risk of losing any machine parts.
- Always remember, regular maintenance will keep your machine up and running thus extending the life of the spare parts.
Conclusion
Maintaining your sewing machine isn’t difficult at all, with proper tools and correct lubrication oil you can extend the life of your sewing machine without fuss. Some manufacturers purposely leave out the maintenance information in order to earn after-sales revenue.
Lastly, oiling your sewing machine will extend the machine’s life and reduce the wear and tear of the parts. Thus, it is super important to oil your sewing machine regularly to keep it in good shape.
If you’re still unsure or lazy enough to do it on your own then you can take professional help to oil your sewing machine.
FAQ
Do Regular and Industrial Sewing Machines use the same type of Oil?
You can use regular sewing machine oil to lubricate the Industrial machines. Since industrial machines use mineral oils for lubrication which contain harmful chemicals such as paraffin, Teflon, etc you should avoid using them at home.
Can I use WD 40 to oil my sewing machine?
Absolutely not! The WD-40 can damage the machine as it will rip off the lubricant leaving the metal parts exposed.
