Today, reader Ash has a simple question. His mouse pad is dirty as all buggery, and he wants to clean it without ruining the material. Let’s help him out.
What is the best way to clean my mouse pad with the least amount of downtime? It’s one the expensive side ($20+) so I don’t want to ruin it or replace it.
Thanks, Ash
Dear Ash,
Most mouse mats are designed to be wipe-friendly. Unless you’re having a picnic on it, it should be relatively easy to remove most stains by combining baby wipes with a hard application of elbow grease.
Baby wipes are designed to gently eradicate sticky, tacky and runny substances (eew) and should also remove most germs at the same time. As an added bonus, they’re not too wet which means you can clean at your desk and go straight back to gaming. Just keep a pack next to your computer desk and the problem is solved.
If any readers have solutions of their own, let Ash know in the comments.
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This article originally appeared on Lifehacker
Comments
14 responses to “What’s The Best Way To Clean A Mouse Pad?”
I steam clean it with an iron and a damp cloth.
If you have access to one of those laundry bags girls put bras and stuff in when washing use that. Will protect the material from getting beat up and make sure it gets perfectly clean.
Exactly what i do.
i just throw mine in the washing machine, doesn’t seem to do it any harm at all.
I haven’t cleaned mine in the better part of a decade, aside from some feathering around the edges it is still in above average condition. That said, cloth mousepad with rubber back, just wash it and hang it out to dry.
Wash your hands more often and don’t eat/drink near the mouse mat.
should still be washed – doesn’t matter how clean your hands are it would still need to be washed from time to time.
Mouse pad?
Only eat cheetos with your left hand.
Then it gets all over the keyboard.
I didn’t know mousepads were still a thing. Don’t think I’ve used once since mice had trackballs.
Still use one at work and at home, some surfaces do not work well with optical mice. On the upside the have wrist rests for added support.
Sure lasers will read on just about anything, but they still slide way better on mouse pads then on wooden desks.
I keep mine clean by not eating doritos and drinking mountain dew at my computer your flabby prick.
Use soapy warm water and a sponge and lather up the surface. Rinse and repeat until it looks as clean as possible. Stroke gently in circles. Then dry it with a source of hot air, like a blow dryer or space heater (be safe). Hanging it overnight will dry it perfectly with no abrasive cloth action.
If you have one, microfibers are excellent at cleaning mousepads.