Have you had any issues with your Photopolymer stamps? Problems like falling off of the acrylic block or not stamping a full image or (drum roll) staining? Trust me, there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with them that gentle cleaning or stamping won’t help.
I know that sometimes mine don’t seem to be sticking as well to their clear block. Lint from card stock often builds up on the back of your stamp and that causes it to lose its tackiness. Here’s an easy solution. Take your misbehaving stamps to the kitchen sink and gently wipe them with your fingers under warm running water. Place a drop of Dawn liquid dish washing soap (that’s the one that I read about as being gentle yet effective) on the back, rub it around, rinse and gently dry. Your stamp’s stickiness will be restored and it will stick to the acrylic block just like new.
I’ve even come upon an easier and quicker remedy, when I don’t want to get up and leave my stamp room, although it’s not quite as ‘elegant’. Lick your finger, or dampen your finger, and rub it over the back of the stamp until it feels smooth and free of lint and slippery-ness. Yes, these are my own technical words.
Now, for usage:
To prevent staining on your stamps, you can stamp first with the lightest color you have. The stamp will now be “stained” with that light color and will better resist darker colors – except for the two new archival colors (black and gray) and Staz-On (which I don’t use on my photopolymer stamps at all) – and will stay “clean”.
Also, for the larger, solid images I found that using the Piercing Mat *dramatically* helped create a better impression.

Do you have any other questions about your Photopolymer stamps? Ask me and I’ll come up with a valid, not speculative, answer. I love my photopolymer stamps and am so glad to find ways to keep them clean and functioning as designed. A little care goes a long way.