10 Cricut Hacks You Probably Didn’t Know!

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The Cricut cutting machine can be so overwhelming when you first take it out of the box but it can also be so much fun once you learn how to use it!

Of course, you want to do it right from the get-go so you can start making money quickly if that is your goal.

I get that and I’ve been there, and that’s why I’ve compiled a list of (#) (descriptor; Example: little-known, insider, easy-to-do) tips to help you out, let’s take a look!

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1. Use Ikea Bag Dispenser For Storing Your Vinyl

One of my favorite storage hacks is to store my vinyl in an Ikea bag dispenser. When this hack first gained popularity I didn’t have an Ikea near me! It was an over 2-hour drive! I ended up getting lucky and found mine in a thrift store. Hopefully, you have an Ikea close enough to you though but if not you can find them on Amazon here.

By having all of my vinyl together I was able to quickly grab what I needed so I could get done with whatever I was working on a lot quicker.

Before using the Ikea bag dispenser my vinyl was all over the place and I would have to hunt it down!

By keeping your vinyl organized you can avoid wasting time and instead get your projects or orders completed a lot faster!

2. Sharpen Your Blades With A Ball of Foil

When your blade doesn’t cut as well as it used to grab a ball of foil and poke it a few times.

What this does is it sharpens the blade again and removes any stickiness that might be causing the blade to not cut as well as it used to.

When I was first learning how to make leather earrings, sometimes my blade would not cut my leather as well as it should. I learned about this trick from other crafters.

By sharpening or cleaning your blade you can save money by not wasting materials or having to buy new blades! Of course, if you still have problems after trying the foil trick, you may still need to buy a new blade!

3. Use The Right Weeding Tools

Using the right Cricut weeding tools will make your life so much easier! While Cricuts weeding tools are a great set I also like using a sewing pin for any bubbles that I might have in my project!

Having the right tools will make weeding so much faster and less frustrating!

Before finding out about the sewing pin trick I used to waste so much vinyl!

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4. Make Your Cricut Mats Less Sticky

When you first get your Cricut mats, they can be pretty sticky! To make them less sticky you need to condition it. To condition it, just take a towel and dab it on the mat until it’s not so sticky. You can also use your hand to make it less tacky.

Making it less sticky will make it easier to get your project off of the mat.

Before I found out about this tip, I would have issues getting my material off of the mat. This can really be a problem if your working with cardstock and can cause it to rip. Using the right mat for your project is important too.

By conditioning your Cricut mats before using them for the first time you can avoid paper projects ripping when you take them off of the mat.

5. Keep Your Cricut Mats Covered When Not Being Used

You can make your Cricut mats last longer by storing your mats with the clear film cover that came with them when you bought them.

By keeping the mat covered, it will prevent dust, hair, dirt, or other debris from clinging to the mat.

By keeping your mats covered you can avoid getting miscellaneous debris stuck on your mat and extend the life of your mats.

6. Use a Lightbox

Use a lightbox when weeding vinyl. I used to hate weeding because it was hard to see the cuts in the vinyl but as soon as I heard about lightboxes I had to have one! They make weeding so much easier!

It can be used for other things too, like scrapbooking, tattoo transferring, sewing projects, quilting, embossing, and much more! I also use mine for sketching and tracing.

By using a lightbox when you weed, you can avoid the frustration of not being able to see the cut lines and get done so much faster!

I love this brand because it comes with a lifetime warranty!

7. Save Your Vinyl Scraps

Don’t throw out your vinyl scraps! Save them for future projects! I like to save mine in a binder.

Vinyl is not cheap and we have to save as much as we can! You can make all kinds of projects by saving your scrap pieces. Scrap vinyl can be used to make decals for your nails, pantry labels, labels for your kitchen or bathroom containers and so much more!

By saving your vinyl scraps, you can avoid wasting money and instead make new projects either for gifts or to sell!

Before I started using binders to store my leftover vinyl, I used to store them in these scrapbook cases. I like the binders a lot better tho because I can now keep my vinyl organized by color! It also makes it a lot easier to find what I am looking for.

8. Keep A Garbage Can Near

Keep a small garbage can near you when weeding vinyl or any other kind of project.

By keeping a small garbage can near you it will make clean up a lot faster!

Before I started keeping a garbage can near me, I would have stuff scattered all over my floor! I used to work on a lot of projects at a time when I was making stuff for my craft shows or my booth. It would always take me forever to clean up my mess!

By keeping a garbage can near you while working you can avoid having scraps of viny, cardstock, etc all over your floor and instead make cleanup a lot faster!

9. Flip The Mat When Removing Materials

Flip the mat when removing materials. By flipping the mat when you remove your materials (for example cardstock) it will keep it from curling. Don’t you just hate that! To prevent cardstock from curling, just turn your mat upside down and gently roll the mat away from your project.

By flipping your mat over when removing cardstock you can avoid your cardstock curling on you!

10. Cut More Than One Color Of Vinyl At One Time

Did you know that you could cut more than one color of vinyl or leather at one time or the same mat? My mind was blown when I found out about this trick! All you have to do is make everything the same color

By being able to cut everything at one time, it saves you from having to load and unload your material multiple times! To cut everything on one mat, all you have to do is make all of your elements in design space one color. Now everything will go onto one mat. Just make sure that you put appropriately sized pieces of material in the corresponding sections on your mat. You can do this by referring to your mat preview as you place your material.

Before I found about about this tip I was constantly having to add a new vinyl to the mat and then loading and unloading each color separately! I would waste so much time doing it this way!

By being able to add all of your vinyl to the same mat, you can save so much time and avoid loading and unloading each color of vinyl individually and instead just cut everything all at one time!