How to clean your bed?

If your 3D print is sticking poorly, your bed is probably dirty. Luckily this is really easy to fix!

Why do you need to clean your bed?

Filament only sticks well to a clean surface. If you touch the bed with your fingers, you leave behind a tiny bit of grease. You can't see it, but it's there. Leftover bits from old prints, or dust can also cause problems.

You'll notice this when your print lets go during printing for example, or sticks in some spots and not others. Or that your 3D prints suddenly stop working out.

Which bed do you have?

Not every 3D print bed is the same. The cleaning process is the same for every printer bed though. But what you can and can't do differs per bed.

The types of beds are Textured PEI, Smooth PEI, Glass, or Sticker sheet.

What do you need?

You only need two things:

• Isopropyl alcohol (also called IPA, super easy to buy at for example the Etos)
• A clean cloth like a microfiber cloth, or a paper towel. Note that a paper towel can leave some traces.

Step by step: cleaning with isopropyl alcohol

This is for a regular cleaning and works for every bed type.

1. Make sure your bed is at room temperature.
2. Remove the 3D bed from your printer, this makes it easier.
3. Dab a little of the isopropyl alcohol on your cloth, and wipe it over the plate.
4. Let the plate dry properly!
5. Done! And WATCH OUT, do not touch the surface anymore now!

Deep clean: warm water

Is alcohol no longer helping? Then it's time for a thorough clean. This only needs to happen every now and then.

1. Remove your 3D bed from your printer.
2. Rinse the bed under warm water.
3. Gently scrub over the bed with a clean, soft sponge.
4. Rinse very thoroughly with warm water.
5. Dry the plate with a clean cloth and then let it air dry for a bit.
6. Finally try once more with isopropyl alcohol.

How often should you clean your bed?

There are no fixed rules for it, but it's smart to clean your bed with isopropyl alcohol every few 3D prints.

Only do the deep clean when alcohol no longer seems to work.

A clean bed already solves most adhesion problems.