How to Clean Your Gaming Mousepad
One of the biggest challenges with mousepads is how to clean them. If you own one with a wrist rest it’s even more complex. In fact, the other day I checking reddit and one gamer said they gave up trying to clean their mouse pad.
Instead, they now buy cheap ones and throw them when they get dirty. This is not applicable to ardent gamers whose pads get dirty after one week.
Since this is a big challenge, I thought its time I researched on what are the best ways to clean a mouse pad. And it’s interesting what I found out.
I started by asking our staff, they all have different ways of doing it. I also took time checking what redditors and youtubers are saying. I also checked what manufacturers are saying at the end of it I am sure I have solved the mastery somehow.
The first thing I researched was why is cleaning a mousepad hard, while it sounds simple?
Many mousepad are made from a wide range of materials. Most of them have a natural rubber base which sticks on the surface and then have a different material on top where you place the mouse. The reason for rubber base is mostly because its skid proof and it’s solid.
Others we found have another layer between the rubber base and the top surface, which make it even harder to clean.
Other common materials you’ll find include memory foam, lycra material, micro textured surfaces, micro woven cloth like the SteelSeries QcK Gaming Surface and other wide range of cloth surfaces provided they have smooth gliding and are highly responsive.
Why do mouse pads get dirty?
Think of your sweaty hands, dust and those unavoidable spills if you love to game or work when enjoying a cold drink, coffee or snacking. After a week or so your mousepad will feel grimy and sticky and this will affect tracking precision of your mouse.
Let’s get into 2 of the best ways to clean most mouse pads today
Method 1:
1. Find out the fabric of your mouse
As I said at the beginning of this article, the type your mousepad and the material used is a great consideration. If yours is made of fabric this is the best way of cleaning it. This also applies to plastic mousepads which are easier to clean.
The best thing about this method is it’s the safest way without risking your mousepad to damages.
2. Put warm water in a bowl and add soap
Depending on how large your mousepad is you can use your sink or a bowl. Put a substantial amount of water in your bowl and add several drops of hand soap and mix them thoroughly.
3. Dip and spread the mousepad inside the water.
Put the mousepad inside the bowl or sink and ensure it’s fully submerged. Don’t fold it. Let it stay there for 20 to 30 minutes. The reason we used hot water and soap is to facilitate oils, grease and dirt to dissolve in the water.
4. Gently wash the mousepad
Here we recommend using your hands and a piece of cloth to gently rub the mousepad. You should start seeing the water getting dirtier and the patches on the surface disappearing. We don’t advise using a brush or hard surfaces to keep the fiber top intact. If you want to use your fingertips be gentle and don’t have long nails.
Be careful not to destroy any graphics on the surface.
5. Rinse it
Wring the piece of cloth and now slowly rub the excess dirty water. Like the way you would remove water spillage on top of a couch. Then head to warm water tap and remove any dirt. Using another piece of cloth try to rinse excess water.
6. Air dry it inside or outside
If you are not in a hurry hang the mousepad inside. If you want it quickly, fold a towel and put it in between to soak out more water. This will make it dry faster. You can also use a hair dryer but be careful or put a fan next to it.
And there we have it. 6 easy steps to give your mousepad a thorough cleaning. These steps applies to most mousepads we have on the market.
Method 2: Best for RGB, Plastic and Mousepads with wrist rest
For this method, we shall not be dipping the mousepad in the water. This makes it the best way for a regular cleaning. This is also what we recommend for RGB mousepads that you cannot dip in water and also mousepads with wrist rest like 3M 5120 Precise With Gel Wrist Rest
Warm water and hand wash soap
Put warm water in a basin or sink and add a few drops of handwash soap. While you can use the regular dish wash soap we found hand wash is gentle on most fabrics.
Get a piece of soft cloth
Look for a piece of cloth that you will use to wash the mousepad. It shouldn’t be very rough or big. It should hold water well and should also wring easily.
Place the mousepad on a flat surface and give it a gentle cleaning
Here we don’t want a lot of water getting on the mousepad. So make sure you wring the piece of cloth until no water is coming out. Then gently rub the surface. You should start seeing the surface get its original look.
This method will take longer and doesn’t guarantee a thorough cleaning but is the best for regular cleaning.
If your mousepad has wrist rest clean the wrist rest but make sure the piece of cloth is well wringed to avoid water getting inside the memory foam or gel filling.
Another bowl of hot water.
In this step there is no need of adding soap. Use another piece of cloth to give it another gentle rub. Here you should see real transformation.
Air dry it inside or outside
If you are satisfied with how your mousepad looks now, spread it inside or put it under the sun outside. Since you did not use a lot of water, it will dry faster than when you washed it under running water.
How do I clean my RGB mouse pad?
For any RGB mouse pad use a damp cloth to gently clean any dirt on the surface. These are the steps:
- Unplug the mousepad from your desktop
- Wipe dust and debris off using a blower
- Get a soft piece of cloth that you will use it to clean the surface
- With warm water in a bowl add a few drops of hand wash soap.
- Put the piece of cloth in water and wring it well
- Spread the mousepad on a flat surface and slowly give it a gentle cleaning starting from one end. You can repeat this process until you can see it looking better and cleaner.
- Air dry it either inside or outside
How often should you clean your mousepad?
This will depend on your dirty mouse pad gets and how often and long you game. For the Ninja and Shroud protégé this will be often. So be on the lookout when your pad becoming smelly or when it has rough patches.
How do you clean a mouse pad without water?
If you don’t want to use water first. You can first try using a vacuum cleaner to blow up any debris or dust. However, this won’t remove sweat, oil and embedded dirt. You also try rubbing using a dry microfiber cloth regularly preferably after a day or two. This will probably minimizing accumulation of dust, sweat and oils.
Can you machine wash a mousepad?
We could not find any mouse pad which the manufacturer recommended machine washing, many people on gaming forums use this method especially the fiber ones. However use the least speed and warm water to avoid melting the glue underneath. We don’t recommend this.
How can I clean my Goliathus mouse mat?
The manufacturer recommends using warm water and a piece of soft cloth. The manufacturer also advices not to put it in a washing machine or cleaning it under running water.
How can I make my mouse pad dry faster?
If you only have one mouse pad, I know this is one consideration before cleaning it. Luckily, there are a few ways out.
- Use a blow dryer but make use of the lowest setting to avoid melting the glue that sticks the rubber base and the top surface.
- If you have dipped the mouse in a water, put it the mouse pad between a towel and press it gently so that the towel absorbs the water. Do this with several dry towels and then leave it under the sun or near a window.