Self-Inking Rubber Stamps: Cleaning Procedure and Tips for Office Use

The rubber stamp is a small but important item in the office. You need it to sign off on official documents as an acknowledgment of receipt or disclosure of the contents of a letter, package and other office stuff. Today's market has many types of rubber stamps to suit your office needs. A self-inking rubber stamp is quite popular because of its built-in ink pad. It rolls up for contact with the pad and flips back when you press the stamp, leaving the stamp image behind. Certainly, regular use of a self-inking exposes it to dirt. Here are the steps and tips you need for cleaning your self-inking rubber stamp: 

Cleaning Tools

The first step to proper cleaning starts with having the right equipment at hand. Thankfully, the stuff you need for cleaning your self-inking rubber stamps is easy to find. They include a piece of sponge, baby wipes, paper towel, paper and a clean, dry cloth. 

Configure the Stamp 

Once you have everything you need to clean the rubber stamp, you need to reconfigure it to enable you to clean the target surface. Look for a small white or red button on either side of the rubber stamp. Flip the rubber stamp upside down such that the side with pad faces you. Push the white or red button so that it holds the pad in place and doesn't let it slip back when you release it. 

Remove the Ink

Your next step involves removing excess ink from the pad before cleaning it. Stamp a sheet of paper several times to remove the ink on the stamp's pad. Stamp it until you have a faint stamped image, an indication that you have removed excess ink deposits from the pad. 

Use the damp sponge to wipe any excess ink left on the stamp pad. Cellulose sponge is a preferred option because it doesn't leave small shreds of the material on the stamp's pad. 

Remove Dirt and Dried Ink Residue

At this stage, you are now ready to bring the baby wipes into play. Use them to wipe the rubber stamp pad gently, removing dried ink residue and any dirt stuck on the pad. Make sure that the baby wipe is alcohol-free so that it does not interfere with the composition of the ink when you resume using the rubber stamp. Finish off by wiping excess liquid using a paper towel. 

When done, release the button on the side of the stamp to restore the normal configuration of the rubber stamp.