Although modern mice have developed to the point where a mouse pad is not necessary, this is not true for gamers. When playing competitive games, it is absolutely necessary to have maximum accuracy, and a mouse pad is essential for this.
However, a good mouse pad is also almost sure to get dirt and grime stuck on its surface over time.
Mouse pads are not as easy to clean as gaming mice. In fact, the difficulty of cleaning a mouse pad is quite similar to the difficulty of cleaning a mechanical gaming keyboard.
This is because if you fail to clean a gaming mouse pad properly, you will most likely end up damaging the surface, and you will not be able to track the mouse accurately over the mouse mat.
Below, I’ll show you how to clean a mouse pad in the proper manner.
What You Will Need
Before we move forward, it is important to note that there are quite a few ways to clean your mouse pad properly.
While all of them are viable methods, some of them require a little too much hassle. Here, we have listed the simplest, easiest method to clean your mouse pad. One important thing to remember is that for ideal results, you will need to let your mousepad dry properly, which will take between 24-48 hours. As such, make sure you have the time at hand to dry your mouse pad before you begin.
Here are all the items that you will need to clean your mouse pad properly:
- A bowl of warm water
- A towel
- A brush with soft bristles
- Dish soap or shampoo (dish soap is ideal, although shampoo will suffice as well)
- Towel
Cleaning a Mouse Pad
Once you have everything, you can begin cleaning the mouse pad. Here is how to do that:
- The first thing that you need to do is to soak the mouse pad in the bowl of warm water. It is important that you get your mouse pad completely wet. As such, leave the mouse pad in the bowl for a few minutes to soak.
- Now, take the mouse pad out of the bowl and put a few drops of dish soap on it. Remember to not put too many drops as it will be difficult to get the dish soap out of the fabric otherwise. You can also use shampoo if you do not have access to dish soap.
- Rub the dish soap on the pad using the brush with soft bristles. If you are unable to find a soft brush, a clean microfibres cloth will also suffice.
- Spread the dishsoap onto the pad properly and keep on rubbing for a few minutes. Rub gently and slowly remove all the dirt and grime from the fabric. Even if you have a plastic pad, the same process should clean the pad properly, although you will not need to rub the pad nearly as much.
- Wash the soap off the pad using warm water. You may need to repeat the entire process if your pad is too dirty.
- Once all the dish soap has been washed off, leave the pad to dry in a cool place. Remember to not expose the pad to direct sunlight.
How to Clean an RGB Mouse Pad
The method outlined above can be used to clean both a cloth/fabric and a plastic pad. However, an RGB pad is different because it has electrical components. Luckily, the method is largely the same.
The major difference is that you will not use a bowl of water. Simply unplug your mouse pad, apply a little bit of dish soap to the pad, and use the brush to spread it around. Make sure that none of the dish soap comes anywhere near the electrical components.
Once you have applied the dish soap, leave it to soak for a few minutes before using a slightly damp towel to clean the mouse pad. After that, let the mouse pad dry before you use it again.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to clean all of the areas of the mouse pad this way. The best thing you can do is to use a dry microfibre cloth on the areas that cannot be cleaned with dish soap.
What Not to Do When Cleaning Your Mouse Pad
It is a good idea to follow the method outlined above when cleaning your mouse mat. While there are other methods that can clean a pad effectively, there are certain things you should never do.
For one, you should never dry (or even leave) your mouse pad underneath direct sunlight. While the sun will not damage the pad or its performance in any way, it will cause the pad to fade. Unless you really do not care about the aesthetics of your pad, it is best to let it air dry in the shade.
When it comes to washing the mouse pad in a washing machine, you should consult the manufacturer. There are some pads that are machine washable, but most of them will suffer from the suds and the heat.
If you do wash your pad in the machine, make sure that it is the only item in the cycle, the water is clean, and only a tiny amount of detergent is used.
Lastly, and this only needs to be said because people have done this before, do not put your mouse pad in the dishwasher or the microwave. Obviously, there is no point in us explaining why you should not do this, just don’t!
Conclusion
By now, you will have a good idea about how to clean your mouse pad. Cleaning regularly will enhance your pad’s performance and allow it to last a longer amount of time.
You should clean your mouse pad every 4-6 weeks.
In general, cleaning different parts of your PC will ensure that it runs optimally. For example, cleaning a graphics card may solve many of the problems that are common for PC owners such as sluggish performance and instability.
