The Best Oils and Lubricants for Your Sewing Machine

Even the most experienced sewers will go far too long without oiling and lubricating their machine. If you have a commercial sewing machine or an older sewing machine, it probably needs regular care, including oiling. Now, if you have a home sewing machine, you’re not off the hook. 

Properly oiling and lubricating your sewing machine could dramatically extend its life by keeping it in top shape. These oils and lubricants shouldn’t present any harm to your machine as long as you apply them correctly. 

Quick-Guide on Oils and Lubricants for Sewing Machines

But why? It’s a common question, “Why do I need to oil my machine?” and usually, “it works just fine.” Imagine the oil in your car. You don’t wait for it to start acting up before changing the oil, right? If you do wait that long, then you probably have various other parts to repair too. 

Oiling and lubricating is preventative maintenance. These lubricants will work to keep your machine working properly. It reduces friction between moving parts of the machine. Over the years, some machine parts may become brittle from temperature changes and wear and tear. Parts of the machine may rust with time, but applying oil can prevent or slow down that deterioration.

There are three types of oils:

• Natural - Usually coconut or jojoba oils
• Synthetic 
• Petrochemical - Mineral-based oils 

Oil your machine according to how frequently you use it. Sewers who are needling away every day of the week should oil their machines three times per week. However, those who sew once a week or every now and then won’t need to oil up so often. Do take caution; you can over oil your machine, which can lead to oil getting on the fabric of your next project. 

Top Oils 

Goldstar Sewing Machine Oil 

Goldstar Sewing Machine Oil is a synthetic lubricant that is white to clear and won’t damage materials or your machine. This recipe prevents oxidation and rust, and it works well on home and industrial sewing machines. Because of the easy-to-use design, affordability, and high-quality, this is a top pick!

Genuine Juki Defrix Sewing Machine Oil

Juki Defrix Sewing Machine oil is the stuff of legend. Well, most experts recommend this oil for sewing machines whether the machine is a Juki or not. It’s well used in industrial settings and is suitable for commercial and domestic machines. 

The high-quality certainly speaks for itself, but it’s the lightweight and colorless-ness that sewers love. The only downside is that the bottle itself is hard to handle. You should have a funnel handy when you’re pouring this into an oiler. 

Zoom Spout with Oiler

Zoom-Spout works well for most sewing machines. If you’re not convinced that oiling your sewing machine will have an impact, this is the best budget oil. It uses mineral oil, and it’s well known as the best mineral oil lubricant available. It is highly-refined and is easy to apply because it comes in its own oiler. 

Sewers love Zoom Spout because it is colorless, and the formula is very pure, so if it does get on the material, the result is not disastrous. This is simple, functional, and affordable!

Which is Right for You?

Mineral oil is a favorite because it is affordable and can be very pure. Zoom-Spout made a name for itself because it was pure and high-quality while still affordable. As a mineral oil, it’s safe to keep around the house; it is colorless and doesn’t smell. The downside is that it doesn’t protect metal pieces from oxidation. 

Initially, natural seems like the way to go. But your sewing machine isn’t worried about having an all-organic, no-GMO diet. The fancy jojoba oil and overpriced forms of ester or silicone can actually harm your machine. If you don’t mix everything just right, they could become thick or sticky and jam the sewing machine. 

Synthetic oil is typically expensive, but it does protect from oxidation. Additionally, synthetic oils won’t damage any projects that they might drip onto. Synthetics are the most costly because they’re generally the best choice. Some are better than others, and some are outright bad. 

Which is right for you? Consider your machine and how often you use it. If you’re frequently oiling, then consider mineral oil until you’re ready to invest in synthetic oils. If you can, purchase an oil designed for your machine’s manufacturer. Be sure that you only apply sewing machine oil and lubricant and stay away from any suggested at-home alternatives.

GoldStar Tool

At GoldStar Tool, we understand that you will want to have options. If you are still struggling with picking the right oil for your machine, reach out to our customer service team, and we can help you.