Five things cover almost all routine care, and most machines come with three of them.
A stiff lint brush. The one supplied with the machine is usually adequate. A stiffer brush shifts compacted lint better than a soft one.
Tweezers. Long, fine, and preferably angled. Lint in a well-used machine presses into a felted mat that a brush skates over, and thread ends in the race need lifting out rather than sweeping.
The correct screwdriver for the needle plate. Use the one supplied — it is sized for those screws. Sewing machine screws are soft and an ill-fitting driver rounds them out, which turns a two-minute job into a drilling exercise.
Sewing machine oil, if your manual calls for oiling. Clear, thin, and sold for the purpose. Nothing else: household oils gum up, vegetable oils go rancid, and general-purpose spray lubricants displace the oil the machine needs.
A torch, ideally a small bright one. Most of what you need to see is in a dark recess under the needle plate.
Useful additions. A small vacuum with a brush nozzle. A magnet for finding dropped needle fragments. Pipe cleaners for narrow channels. A dust cover, which prevents more problems than any tool cures.
What not to buy. Compressed air, which drives lint deeper. Household lubricant sprays. And any additive promising to free a stiff machine.
The most valuable habit costs nothing: clean the race at the end of each project, before the lint has a chance to pack down.
Questions people actually ask
Can I use a different oil in an emergency?
No. The wrong oil gums up as it ages and then needs a strip-down to remove. Wait until you have the right one — a day without sewing is cheaper.
Do modern machines still need oiling?
Some are sealed and specify none. Follow your manual: oiling a machine designed not to be oiled causes marks on fabric and attracts lint.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11