<p>I have started printing about a month ago on an Ender 5 (using mostly PLA but recently also PETG) and it seems it's about time to give the print bed a more thorough cleaning than what I usually do after most prints. I'm using the flexible magnetic mat that came with the printer which has a slightly rough surface, but all of the cleaning suggestions I found so far either did not mention the bed material or were specifically for glass beds.</p>

<p>Can/should I use stuff like acetone or rubbing alcohol on this? Or should I stick to warm soap water?
I have had some fairly decent results with spectacle cleaning tissues but that will only remove grease, not filament residue.</p>

<p>Also, I am occasionally having some first layer adhesion issues (especially with the PETG or when printing things with a circular base) and I was wondering whether common suggestions like glue sticks or hairspray to prepare the bed for printing  can also be applied to the flex mat?</p>

[{'answer_id': 10511, 'author': 'CrossRoads', 'author_id': 16523, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/16523', 'pm_score': 2, 'selected': False, 'text': '<p>I have the WhamBam system which uses a PEX layer over flex steel (which sticks to a magnetic sheet on the printer bed). To clean old material off, I use a "brass sponge" intended for cleaning soldering iron tips to remove the old plastic, then give it a wipe with a paper towel with some isopropyl alchohol (I have 99.99 anhydrous on hand as I use that for cleaning printed circuit boards as well).</p>\n\n<p>The brass sponge is fairly soft, does a good job of grabbing the old plastic without tearing up the PEX layer.</p>\n'}, {'answer_id': 10519, 'author': 'fred_dot_u', 'author_id': 854, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/854', 'pm_score': 2, 'selected': False, 'text': "<p>Just about every reference I've seen for non-glass beds is to stay away from acetone. Denatured alcohol is likely a safe bet for beds with surfaces that are not impenetrable. If you can identify the bed material, you'll have a better shot at getting a definitive answer.</p>\n\n<p>If you have filament residue, you won't get it clear without some mechanical effort, unless you had an adhesive layer between the bed and the filament. Even a plastic scraper can be effective in clearing the debris.</p>\n"}]
['https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/10509', 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com', 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/16962/']