Because a serger trims fabric as it sews, it creates more lint than a conventional machine and needs to be cleaned frequently. Use a brush or canned air to remove lint from the looper and throat plate area. Wipe off tension disks, needles, knives, and feed dog with alcohol.
To keep a serger running smoothly and quietly, oil it often. Sergers are lubricated by a wick system and can lose oil by gravity even when they are idle.