Is your mouse not moving as precisely as it used be a couple of months ago? If yes, you need to give your mousepad a thorough cleaning. But, do you know how to clean your mousepad?
Cleaning a mousepad may be trickier than you think. In this article, we are going to explain the best way to clean mouse pad. Similarly, it will also provide you with some tips to clean certain types of mousepads such as an RGB mousepad, Corsair or a HyperX mousepad.
The article will also contain the following sections, making it easier for you to obtain your required information.
- Diagnosing the Problem
- How to clean your mousepad in 6 easy steps?
- How to clean your mousepad with hard surfaces?
- How to clean your mousepad with electronics?
- How to clean RGB mousepad?
- How to clean Hyperx mousepad?
- How to clean Razor mousepad?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Your mousepad may be a safe sanctuary for all kinds of hideous and nasty creatures. In fact, even a new mousepad will become dirty after a few weeks of use. It does not only affect the performance of your mouse but it can be extremely deleterious for your health as well. Therefore, it is imperative for you to clean your mousepad regularly, ideally after a couple of weeks to keep it clean and free of repulsive organisms. The frequent cleaning will also result in your mousepad looking brand new all the time. Besides, it will also help you improve your performance no matter you are playing a game or just working on Photoshop.
Diagnosing the Problem
You have to diagnose the real problem before finding its solution. Some people don’t experience any decline in their mouse performance even if they don’t clean the mousepad for years. Others, however, want to clean their mouse every single day. The best approach is to find a middling ground. How much you use your mouse determines when you need to clean it. In general, your mouse is in pretty bad condition if you can draw sketches on it. Similarly, if you leave traces of dirt when you scratch the pad, it is a telltale sign that your pad is currently full of junk and repugnant little creatures. It is high time you clean your mousepad.
Read also: Best gaming console for kids
How to Clean Your Mousepad in 6 Easy Steps?
The following lines explain how to wash a mousepad in 6 easy steps.
1. What Fabric Your Mousepad is Made of?
How much you need to clean your mousepad depends on its fabric. For example, you may be using a rubberized mousepad or perhaps it is neoprene. Depending on the fabric, you can also wash some mousepads in the washing machine. However, we recommend following our guide as it is the quickest, safest, and best method of cleaning a mousepad.
Our guide applies to all mousepads. Therefore, you don’t have to bother determining the fabric of your mousepad. You just have to follow the steps to the letter. The guide even works for mousepads with hard surfaces such as plastic. However, all a plastic mousepad needs is wiping over with a damp cloth and it will start shinning like a new one.
2. Fill Your Bathtub with Hot Water and Soap
You can use everything ranging from your bathtub to your kitchen sink or even a bowl. Fill the bowl to the capacity with hot water and add some hand soap. Fully mix the soap in water by giving your bowl a hard swirl. You can also swirl the water with your hands or a rod if you are using your kitchen sink or bathtub. You can also use dish soap in place of the hand soap. However, we prefer hand soap just because it is softer and gentler to the fabric.
3. Put Your Mousepad in the Water
Submerge your mousepad in the hot water. Always ensure that the mousepad goes to the bottom of the bowl or sink by pushing it down. Leave the mousepad in the water for a while and wait patiently. It is necessary to completely dissolve any dirt or grease that has accumulated on the mousepad over months.
4. Rub Your Mousepad Ever So Gently
It is time to get your own hands wet and dirty. Remove the mousepad from the bowl after it has been soaking for a while. Now, rub your mousepad with your hands ever so gently otherwise you will inflict serious damage to the surface fabric. It is particularly true in the case of a sensitive and soft mousepad. You need to take extra precautions if your mousepad has a graphic or illustration on the surface. Rubbing vigorously can damage the design or erase it altogether.
Ensure that you have cleared the layers of fabrics of all the stains and dirt. If you are still doubtful, give it another round of deep massage until you are fully satisfied.
5. Rinse Your Mousepad
Cleaning mouse pad also requires you to rinse the mousepad under hot water real good. Keep rinsing until water starts running fully clear. It is an indication that all traces of soap on your mousepad are now gone.
6. Place Your Mousepad in Open Air
Air drying is the best method to dry your wet mousepad after cleaning. You can dry it inside or even better, place it directly under the sun outside. Similarly, a hairdryer can also come to your rescue if you cannot wait for the mousepad to air dry. However, you must not take the hairdryer too close to the mousepad. Similarly, keep it at the lowest heating to avoid any damage to the mousepad. Proceed with caution because you will only damage the surface by blasting the mouse with extra heat.
Follow the above-mentioned steps and you will never miss a single gaming session due to a filthy mouse.
How to Clean Your Mousepad with Hard Surfaces?
You can easily clean mousepads with hard surfaces by wiping them using a damp cloth or liquid cleaners. Always use only those liquid cleaners that are hypoallergenic and harmless to not only the mouse but your skin as well. Any good liquid cleaner will remove all the stains on your mousepad. However, it is better to wash the plastic mousepad with warm water just like a fabric mouse if it is very dirty.
How to Clean a Mousepads with Electronics?
Some of the modern mousepads are not only mousepads. They also have features in the likes of Bluetooth adapters, USB ports, and others. Such mousepads become a very good gift for someone. However, they also require cleaning if you put them on the table for a couple of weeks.
Similarly, some mousepads are made of unusual stuff such as leather, glass, and bamboo. Therefore, you cannot wash them using hot water or damp cloth.
Remember that water is the biggest enemy of the mousepad with electronics. Fortunately, most of them come with their own special cleaning tools such as sprays, wet napkins, or foams. Similarly, you can also purchase all these items from the market quite easily and cheaply.
When it comes to a glass surface, you must use a dilute solution of ammonia to clean them. The best thing about the ammonia solution is that it does not leave any streaks on the glass.
Bamboo mousepads will swell and bend if you clean them with hot water or damp cloth. Once again, you have to use the gadget special napkins to clean such mousepads.
How to Clean RBG Mousepad?
You have already learned how to clean your mousepad. The steps we have discussed can clean any kind of mousepad. However, we have also got you covered if you specifically want to know how to clean RGB mousepad. RGB mousepads are mostly made of fabric. Therefore, you can gently rub them with a wet napkin or rag. On the other hand, it is also possible to wash them by hand using a little shampoo. However, you should never throw an RGB pad in the washing machine.
How to Clean HyperX Mousepad?
Most HyperX mousepads have extremely smooth surfaces thanks to seamless stitches and non-abrasive edges. These mousepads feel very silky to touch as they are made of dense soft fabric. They also have a textured vegetable rubber base which makes them a lot different from other kinds of mousepads.
When it comes to cleaning HyperX mousepads, you should never throw them in the washing machine, to begin with. The best way to clean them is to take a liquid soap and wash them with your hands. Similarly, you need to keep them straight while drying them.
How to Clean Razor Mousepad?
You can wet-clean all the Razor mousepads. Moisturize a sponge or rag with soapy water. You can use any ordinary laundry detergent, soap, or shampoo to mix in the water. Gently wipe the sponge over the contaminated area. Once cleaned, rinse the mousepad under hot water until all the soap is gone.
Frequently Asked Question
We have discussed how to clean your mousepad in detail in the above lines. It is also appropriate to answer some frequently asked questions about cleaning a mousepad in this article.
- Can you put a mouse pad in the washing machine?
No, you cannot clean any of the mousepads in the washing machine. There are some machine washable models but they tend to be expensive and rare.
- How often should you clean your mousepad?
Ideally, you should clean your mousepad every two weeks. Not cleaning your mousepad for months can make it extremely dirty and a home to all kinds of gunk and revolting little creatures.
- Can you iron a mousepad?
Yes, you can iron your mousepad but it is not recommended. For example, always iron a mousepad with a towel over the top. However, you can damage the mousepad even if you iron it through the towel.
- How do I make my mousepad flat?
The mousepad flattens with time and therefore, you don’t need to do anything. However, you can always put it on the flat surface and stack some books over it if you want to have a straight mousepad in a couple of days.
Final Thoughts
Summing up our article about how to clean your mousepad, we have to assert that you must clean your mousepad every two weeks. It will not only enhance your performance but will also increase your comfort. Therefore, give your mousepad a good long washing at the earliest if you haven’t done so for a long time.
