Do you know if you should be oiling your sewing machine on a regular basis? No? Let me help you with that.

Sewing machines don’t always need to be oiled, so please don’t assume that this is the case with your machine. Always refer to your manual.

Should you Oil your Sewing Machine?

Modern Machines

There are many modern sewing machines that come with an enclosed tank of oil inside. This oil is distributed by the machine as needed. As a result, you do not need to oil your machine. If you did oil the hook in a machine that doesn’t require oiling, you could have excess oil within the machine which may soil your fabric. It is not easy to get oil out of fabric.

Please refer to your sewing machine manual, your sewing machine dealer or the machine manufacturer’s website to learn more.

There also continue to be modern machines manufactured, like my Bernina 770QE, that do not contain an internal oil tank. These machines require oil from time. A drop or two should be placed in the machine, often on the hook assembly. Please use the oil that came with your machine or review the manufacturer’s website for which oil to use. I oil when I clean out the bobbin case and needle plate area, as well as when my machine starts to sound like it needs oil. You will get to know that noise as you sew on your machine.

Vintage Machines

In recent years there has been a large swing back to vintage sewing machines. Many people pick them up at a Thrift Store for a fraction of the price of a modern machine. Vintage machines were made of metal, including the gears inside, and are very reliable workhorse machines.

Vintage machines do require you to oil them on a regular basis. In fact it is recommended that if you use your machine every day, then you should oil every day. You do not want metal on metal grinding down.

If you do not have the manual for your vintage machine, look online. You can often find the manual for free or only a few dollars.

My Final Thoughts

As you can see, all machines need oil, but not every machine requires you to add it. Always refer to your manual for more information. I hope this has helped you figure out if you should oil your sewing machine or not.

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