You might even enjoy the added benefit of better mouse accuracy. With some elbow grease and a little bit of luck, your mousepad should look as good as new. Step 4: Dab dry, then let sitĭab your fancy mousepad dry with a towel then let it sit for a few hours, and you’re done! Clean Mousepad, Clean Plays Dab and scrub until it’s clean, being careful not to soak any electronic components. Run a new, clean cloth with warm water and use it to “rinse” your mousepad of the cleanser. We recommend using shampoo as the cleaning agent as it’ll be much more gentle on your mousepad than laundry detergent or dishwashing soap. Apply a small amount to your damp microfiber cloth and begin scrubbing away at problem areas. Start with a clean microfiber cloth dampened with warm water. You’ll be using the bowl to dampen and rewet your cloth throughout the cleaning process. You’ll want to take a more gentle approach than the “scrub in the shower” method above if your mousepad has a nicely printed design, gel wrist rest, or electronics embedded.
Leave your mousepad to air dry which shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes, and that’s pretty much it! How to Clean a Delicate Mousepad Step 2: Wipe Away and Let Dryįocus on the gunky spots with the area of your cloth with rubbing alcohol and they should melt away. Adding a splash of rubbing alcohol to your cloth will also help break down oils and grease. Warm water works better than cold to loosen up those clumps of dirt and debris. Over time, gunk builds up into little raised clumps on hard mousepads that add extra friction to your mouse movements. Luckily, hard mousepads are fairly straightforward to clean. And whatever you do, don’t put it in the dryer afterward. If you want to use a washing machine anyways, throw your cloth mousepad in with some towels and don’t set the water temperature too high. Plus, we think we humans could do a more thorough job. That violent spinning machine could fray the edges of your pad or damage it in other ways. Some mousepad manufacturers say you can machine wash your cloth mousepad but we wouldn’t recommend it. Then leave it on a flat surface (the floor works) for a couple of hours to dry.Ĭan you clean your mousepad in a washing machine? Step 5: Dryĭab your mousepad dry as best as you can with a towel. Turn the water back on and continue scrubbing until no more soapy bubbles come out. You might be surprised how much dust and cloudiness comes out. Using a clean microfiber cloth, scrub in circles and focus on those problem areas you identified earlier. Just make sure it doesn’t contain bleach or fabric softener. Since your mousepad is made of fabric, regular laundry detergent will work great.
Don’t use hot water though because it could warp the bottom rubber layer of your mousepad or cause it to separate. Throw your mousepad into the shower or kitchen sink and run warm water over it until it’s completely soaked. A quick scratch test reveals just how filthy it is and the areas to focus on.
Follow the instructions below for your type of mousepad and it’ll look brand new again in no time.Ĭloth mousepads are notorious for getting dirty.
Luckily, learning how to clean a mousepad is easy and you likely already have all the supplies you need. A dirty mousepad also creates unnecessary friction for your mouse which can impact gaming performance. It’s a combination of sweat, oil, and dead skin. If your mousepad looks anything like the “before” picture, it definitely needs a cleanin’.