10 Preventative Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Sewing Machine Running Well

Most sewing machine problems are the result of neglected maintenance. The good news is that basic upkeep is simple, inexpensive, and takes very little time. Here are ten things you can do to keep your machine running smoothly for years.

1. Store It in a Cool, Dry Place

Extreme temperatures and humidity are hard on sewing machines. Heat and cold combined with oil and lint create buildup on the moving parts that eventually causes them to perform poorly and corrode.

Keep your machine in a cabinet, a sturdy case, or on a table with a dust cover when not in use. The worst place to store a sewing machine is in the trunk of a car — temperatures fluctuate dramatically and the machine can be damaged easily.

2. Use a Surge Protector

Never plug your sewing machine directly into a wall outlet. A power surge can permanently damage the internal electrical components, and surges happen without warning. Plug into a surge protector instead. If you don't have one handy, at minimum unplug the machine when it's not in use.

3. Clean It After Every Project

Lint and dust accumulate in the bobbin case and around the thread take-up lever every time you sew. Left too long, this buildup interferes with the hook timing and can cause thread to snag and break.

Use a soft brush to clean the bobbin area after each project and follow the cleaning instructions in your user manual. A few minutes of maintenance after every project prevents a lot of bigger problems later.

4. Oil It Regularly — But Check First

Applying a drop or two of sewing machine oil to the moving parts every few projects keeps the gears turning smoothly. Don't over-oil — a little goes a long way, and too much can attract lint and cause its own problems.

That said, not all machines need manual oiling. Many modern computerized machines are self-lubricating. Check your user manual before oiling to find out whether your machine requires it and where to apply it.

5. Change Your Needle Every 6 to 8 Hours of Sewing

A dull needle causes more problems than most sewists realize: skipped stitches, puckered seams, snagged thread, and fabric damage. Needles dull with friction and heat, and they dull faster on embroidery machines or during heavy decorative stitching.

Change your needle every 6 to 8 hours of sewing time. Replacement needles are inexpensive and take seconds to swap out. Keeping a bulk pack on hand means you'll never have an excuse to skip this step.

6. Never Sew Over Pins

If your needle strikes a pin while sewing, it can bend the needle, damage the needle bar, and even throw off the timing of your machine — a repair that requires a technician. Remove each pin just before it reaches the presser foot. If you struggle to see pins as you work, switch to pins with bright-colored ball heads.

7. Let the Feed Dogs Do the Work

The feed dogs are designed to move your fabric through the machine evenly. Pulling or pushing your fabric as you sew puts stress on the needle and can cause skipped stitches and puckering.

Let the machine do the feeding. If you're sewing through thick fabric or multiple layers, a walking foot helps by feeding the top and bottom layers at the same rate.

8. Use High-Quality Thread

Poor quality thread breaks easily, creates excessive lint, disrupts tension, and causes far more machine problems than it's worth. You can test thread quality by letting 10 to 12 inches hang freely — good thread hangs cleanly, while poor quality thread looks fuzzy or curls significantly.

Avoid bulk thread packages. The thread is usually low quality, and buying thread to match your fabric at the time of purchase gives you a better color match anyway.

9. Pull Up Your Bobbin Thread Before You Start

Before you feed any fabric through the machine, always pull the bobbin thread up through the needle plate. Turn the handwheel toward you until the needle dips into the bobbin case and comes back up, then gently pull the loop of bobbin thread up to the surface. Starting to sew without doing this is a reliable way to end up with a tangled mess underneath your first few stitches.

10. Adjust Your Tension at the Start of Every Project

Different fabrics require slightly different tension settings to produce smooth, even stitches. Before sewing on a new fabric, run a few test stitches on a scrap and adjust the tension until no loops are visible on either side.

Pin It

Adjust the upper tension dial first. Avoid adjusting the bobbin tension unless absolutely necessary — it's set by the manufacturer and should be left alone in most cases. If you do need to adjust it, the screw is located on the bobbin case, and very small adjustments go a long way.

Don't Skip Your Annual Tune-Up

Even with excellent at-home maintenance, take your machine to a professional repair shop for a tune-up every one to two years, depending on how frequently you sew. A technician will clean the internal parts thoroughly, check for worn components, adjust the timing, and tighten anything that's come loose. It's the best way to catch small problems before they become expensive ones.

Have a maintenance tip that keeps your machine running well? Share it in the comments!