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Last Updated on April 21, 2022 by Chris Butler
Do you need to change your Cricut Blade? We’ll take a look at how you know when it’s time to change your blade plus you’ll find step-by-step instructions showing you how to change your Cricut blades. You’ll learn how to change the fine tip blades on Cricut Explore, Maker and Joy. Plus how to change the Maker Quickswap blades.
I’ve used the same blade on my Cricut for as long as I’ve owned it, which is almost 6 years! Blades can last a long time with proper care – I’ll give you some of those tips too – but now I’m at the point where I really think I need to change it.
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How Often Should You Change Your Cricut Blade?
How often you need to change your Cricut blade will depend on its use. If you’re cutting all kinds of materials every day you’ll need to change out your blade much faster than the casual crafter.
If you start getting bad cuts and have never cleaned your blade, there’s a very good chance that’s the issue. Bits of vinyl residue, glitter, and cardstock fuzz can stick to your blade and start giving you trouble.
Before you replace your blade try cleaning it first and see if that solves your problems.
To clean your blade you’ll need tin foil balled up. Remove the blade housing from your Cricut. You can dip your blade in vinegar before you start cleaning it to help break up some of the vinyl residues. Next depress the plunger on the end of the blade housing to expose the blade.
Then stab the blade into your tin foil ball 20-30 times to clean it off. Be careful that you don’t stab yourself in the process!
After you have thoroughly stabbed your ball of foil take a close look at your blade. Do you see any knicks or notice it’s bent? It’s such a small blade it might be hard to notice these things, but if you can see something is off it’s time to replace your blade.
If everything looks good (and your blade is dry if you pre-dipped in vinegar) replace the housing and try your cut again. If your cut is still messing up after cleaning your blade then it’s time to replace it.
Also keep in mind that the fine point, deep cut, and bonded fabric blade all use the same housing. So if you want to swap blades to cut different materials you can just buy the blade and swap them out to save some dollars.
How to Change Your Cricut Fine Point, Deep Cut and Bonded Fabric Blade
You can purchase the fine point, deep cut, and bonded fabric blades with the housing. But the price is almost 5 times as much as buying just the blade. And unless something extreme happened your housing should be fine and last the lifetime of your machine.
You’ll use the same process to change fine point, deep cut, and the bonded fabric blade on the Cricut Explore, Maker, and Joy. To do this it’s best to grab a pair of needle-nose pliers or tweezers. Those little blades are sharp so be careful! Having pliers or tweezers will reduce the risk of getting cut.
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The quick video below shows how to remove the Cricut Blades from the housing and insert your new blade.
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Step 1: Remove the Blade Housing From Your Cricut
The first step is to remove the blade housing from your Cricut. Every Cricut uses a clamp system to keep the housing in place. Undo the clamp and pull the blade housing out.
Step 2: Remove the Blade from the Housing
To remove the blade from the housing first depress the plunger on top to push the blade farther out. Next grab your needle nose pliers or tweezers and grab the end of the blade. Pull straight out.
The blade is held in with a magnet so it pulls out easily.
Step 3: Put New Cricut Blade in the Housing
Now grab your new cricut blade on the end without the blade and grab the blade end with your pliers so the blade is sticking up. Depress the plunger on the blade housing again and insert the new blade into the housing. You should feel the magnet catch it and pull it into place. Release the plunger and you’re ready to try out your new Cricut blade.
Step 4: Put Blade Housing Back into Your Cricut
The final step is to put the blade housing back into your Cricut. Slide the housing into it’s place and close the clamp. Do a test cut with your new blade before jumping into a big project.
How to Store Your Cricut Blades
Most people are surprised to find out that their Cricut has some built in storage. The bottom tray of Cricut Explore and Maker machines opens up and allows you to store some blades and small tools right in your Cricut.
If you no longer have the littler rubber blade protector that comes with new blades you can wrap the blade end in some foil to keep in protected while in storage.
The downside to Cricuts nifty little storage compartment is the Maker QuickSwap blades don’t fit in there well. If you have a Maker and all of the fun blades you can use with it, you might want to get a storage container that will hold them like the one below.
You can find various blade holders and organizers on Amazon here
Want to make the most of your craft time and learn how to all the things with your Cricut? Grab my best selling guide here -Conquer Your Cricut and have everything you need to know right at your fingertips.
How to Change Cricut QuickSwap Blades
The Cricut Quickswap blades include the debossing tool, the wavy blade, the engraving tip, perferation blade, and scoring wheels. Once you own one of them with the housing assembly you can save a ton of money by just buying the tips for the others.
To switch back and forth between the tips depress the plunger on the top of the housing. Next grip the tip between your finger and thumb and pull straight off. Again be careful if you are using one of the blade tips like the wavy blade, they are sharp!
Keep the plunger depressed and place the tip you want to use on the end of the housing. Release the plunger and your quickswap tip is good to go. Place your QuickSwap housing in clamp B of your Maker and your ready to start your project.
Now you have all the knowledge to care for, store and change your Cricut Blades. You’re well on your way to making great things! You may also enjoy:
👉Everything You Need to Know about Cricut Mats
👉When and How to Slice and Discover Why it Might Not Work
Chris Butler has helped thousands of crafters learn how to use their Cricut machine without feeling overwhelmed. She is a best selling author and an up and coming designer. For fun Chris enjoys designing SVG Files, hanging out with her family (preferably at the lake), traveling, and volunteering at her church. She is a wife and mom of two crazy fun kids.
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