If you are a Cricut fan, you will love these vinyl hacks to help you Cricut better!
These must-know Cricut Vinyl Hacks will help you to save time and money.
I’m constantly using these amazing vinyl hacks when I Cricut and I know you will want to use them too. They will make Cricut Crafting so much easier.
13 CRICUT vinyl hacks
WEEDING ON THE MAT
My first vinyl hack will make weeding much easier: Weeding on that mat.
Once the Cricut is done cutting, use your Cricut Brayer Tool to burnish your project to the Cricut Mat before you start weeding.
This will make sure your image is secure to the mat to help keep everything in place while you weed out the vinyl parts you don’t need.
CLEAN THE SURFACE
Before applying vinyl to your project, you will want to make sure the surface is cleaned.
By having a clean surface, you are setting your Cricut vinyl project up to have good adhesion and be long-lasting.
Even if the surface looks clean, it could still have some dust, oil, dirt, or debris that can’t be seen by the naked eye.
So use rubbing alcohol on a cloth or paper towel and wipe the surface down. Let it dry before applying the vinyl. This will help to reduce any issues with applying vinyl such as causing mall bubbles.
REUSE TRANSFER TAPE
If you want a Cricut Vinyl Hack that saves time and money, reuse transfer tape.
I’ve noticed some transfer tapes are stronger than others. So it’s very possible to get multiple uses out of transfer tape. I think the most I’ve re-used the standard Cricut Transfer tape was 5 times.
When you are done transferring the vinyl project, just place the used transfer tape to the transfer backing. Then you can use Transfer tape for your next Cricut vinyl project.
SAVE VINYL SCRAPS
Another great way to save money with Cricut is to save vinyl scraps.
No need to waste vinyl when you can save those scraps.
After you cut your Cricut design, trim the excess vinyl around the image so you can use it for another project.
REVERSE WEEDING
Another awesome vinyl hack is reverse weeding.
If you have a small or intricate design, use reverse weeding.
Reverse weeding is when you apply transfer tape to your vinyl project before wedding. Turn the project over and place it down on your mat (transfer tape is touching the Cricut Mat).
Next, remove the vinyl backing and then start weeding the vinyl project as you normally would.
Once you are done weeding, the vinyl is already attached to the transfer tape so you can just apply it to your project.
USE THE RIGHT VINYL WEEDING TOOLS
Weeding vinyl with the right tools is a must! Don’t weed with your hands or nails, use a basic weeding tool set. It will become second nature in no time.
Weeding tools help to weed those small little sections.
It will also prevent you from accidentally touching the sticky side of the vinyl section that you will be keeping.
Having a clean and sticky vinyl back will help to adhere to your project.
VINYL SHELF LIFE
It’s important to keep a note of how old your vinyl is.
Vinyl has a shelf life. After some time, it will become more difficult to use.
It could be harder to cut, weed, or apply. It may not last as long on your Cricut Project either.
I’m not sure of the exact shelf life, but I have noticed vinyl that I bought about 9 months ago is becoming harder to use. So I only buy enough vinyl to get me through 6 months.
You can easily track how old the vinyl is by writing the purchase date on the vinyl backing.
USE THE RIGHT VINYL BRAND
The cheapest vinyl is not always the best vinyl. And the most expensive vinyl may not be the best either.
So the Vinyl brand matters.
I tend to stick with Oracal Vinyl and Siser Vinyl because I’ve had the best luck with those brands. I’ve had issues with other brands where it won’t weed or cut smoothly.
Or it could be hard to apply to my project.
So if you are having trouble using vinyl, it might be the vinyl brand. So try a different brand. (and definitely stay away from the dollar tree Vinyl).
It’s not fun when the vinyl is damaged and you have to start over. So selecting the vinyl brand is so important. And make sure you are using the right type of vinyl for all of your projects.
MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE
Always, and I mean it – always measure twice and cut once.
I follow this motto for a lot of things that need to be cut to a specific size – not just vinyl.
Nothing is worse when you have to recut something because it’s too big or too small.
So measure your project twice and you should only have to cut your project once.
VINYL SCRAP COLLECTOR
Another handy Vinyl hack is a Ring Collector.
A Ring Collector that can hold all those small vinyl scraps you weed.
I used to stick those little pieces to my fingers and they would just get everywhere.
Now I use a ring collector because it makes weeding vinyl so much easier!
EASY CLEANUP
For an easy vinyl hack cleanup, you’ll want to get yourself a lint roller.
The lint roller can pick up any vinyl pieces left on the Cricut Mat or in your crafting space.
Lint rollers come in a couple of sizes, so you can get the normal size or a smaller one.
BABY POWDER VINYL HACK
Another vinyl hack for those hard to weed projects is to get yourself some baby powder.
If you are having trouble seeing the lines to weed off the cut vinyl project, sprinkle some baby powder over the project. It will help you to see the cut lines so you can weed vinyl easier.
Then you can easily blow/wipe off the baby powder.
VINYL STORAGE
If you are looking for an easy way to store and see your vinyl, get yourself an Ikea Plastic bag Dispenser.
They can be attached to the wall and can hold up to 14 basic rolls of vinyl.
This makes it much easier to see what you have and it’s easy to grab that sorting through a bin of vinyl.
And if you don’t have an Ikea near you, you can grab a similar plastic bag holder on Amazon.
VINYL HACKS
This list of 13 vinyl hacks will help you to Cricut smarter while saving time and money.
And if you have a favorite vinyl hack not mentioned here, leave a comment and let me know what it is. I’m always looking for ways to work smarter not harder when I do Cricut Crafting.
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