Making your own stamp cleaner is both inexpensive and very easy. Have you ever noticed when cleaning stamps some inks are easier to wash off than others? This might be due to the type off ink you are washing off. Archival inks don’t wash off as easily as less expensive inks. This is where this inexpensive homemade cleaner will come in handy.
The key ingredient is the glycerin. It is used in many commercial stamp cleaners and will help condition the rubber and help keep it pliable. You can find glycerin at many pharmacies or drugstores, or at your local craft store in the soap-making section. You can often find that it is sold in small 4 to 6 oz size bottles. The bottle shown below is 16 ounces and we found it sold on Amazon for just $8.00, that’s just $0.50 an ounce.
Glycerin Stamp Cleaner
2 tbsp glycerin
1 tsp baby shampoo
1 cup distilled water
Pour all the ingredients into a small spray bottle, shake well. After using to clean a stamp use a small rag or washcloth to remove any ink that doesn’t wash away. Rinse the stamp with clean, cool water and allow it to dry completely.
Cost – You can purchase all of the ingredients at your local pharmacy.
glycerin 4 oz bottle $4.00
baby shampoo 1.5 oz $0.60
distilled water 1 gallon $1.00
spray bottle 4 oz bottle $0.50
Store bought Rubber stamp cleaners are going to cost you upwards of $5.00 for 4 ounces. This frugal recipe will cost you approximately $6.00 for all the ingredients and will yield at least 4 batches. If you purchase the ingredients in larger bottles you can reduce the cost to about $0.50 a bottle.
