Can you put a mousepad in the washer

Mousepads are high-traffic surfaces that get dirty and need cleaning, just like your keyboard and mouse. Not only does a dirty mousepad look gross, but it may also affect tracking and make your movements less accurate. Here’s how to clean one.

Table of Contents

How to Clean a Rubber and Plastic Mousepad
How to Clean a Fabric or Cloth Mousepad
How to Clean a Wired/RGB Powered Mousepad
Can You Wash a Mousepad in a Washing Machine?

RELATED: How to Clean Your Dirty Smartphone (Without Breaking Something)

How to Clean a Rubber and Plastic Mousepad

If you have a basic rubber or plastic coated mousepad, cleaning is surprisingly easy. Most of the time a damp cloth will be enough to dislodge any grime and oil, though you can use a small amount of dish soap to help things along if need be.

You can then dry the surface with a clean, soft cloth and get back to playing. If your mousepad has a fabric backing, you’ll probably want to let it air dry for a few hours. Most non-porous mousepads, though, should be good to go almost immediately.

How to Clean a Fabric or Cloth Mousepad

Fabric and cloth mousepads are generally favored for their superior feel, but they can take a little more work to get clean. This is because oil and dirt can become embedded in the fabric, making it harder to remove than non-porous surfaces.

First, fill a sink or container with enough warm water and submerge your mouse pad fully. When wet, apply a small amount of dish soap to the surface of the mousepad. Dish soap is great because it can cut through the sort of grease that builds up, without damaging it like harsher cleaning chemicals.

Jim Barber/Shutterstock.com

Take a soft cleaning brush and scrub at the surface, working the soap into the fabric and dislodging any oil and dirt trapped within. If you have a stained area you may need to repeat this a few times.

Rinse the mousepad in the water to get the soap out of the fabric. If you added too much soap, you might need to change the water and repeat this step. Once your mousepad is clean give it a good shake and pat it with a dry cloth to get it as dry as possible.

Now air-dry the mousepad until it is completely dry. Set it down on a flat surface for best results, and avoid pegging the mousepad in such a way that it may deform when drying. It could take a day or two to completely dry before being ready to use again.

RELATED: How to Thoroughly Clean Your Dirty Desktop Computer

How to Clean a Wired/RGB Powered Mousepad

Some mousepads have RGB lighting, while others supply wireless power to peripherals like mice. You must take care when cleaning these so that you don’t damage the electronic components within. Unlike a fabric pad, you should avoid submerging this type of mousepad.

First, unplug the mousepad then take a soft (ideally microfiber) cloth and soak it in warm water. Apply a small amount of dish soap to the cloth, then remove as much excess water from the cloth to avoid applying too much moisture to your mousepad.

SteelSeries

From here, scrub at the surface of the pad with the cloth to remove as much dirt and grease as possible. Repeat this step until your mousepad looks clean again, keeping in mind to avoid dripping excess water onto the pad. Once you’re done, rinse out the cloth thoroughly and use it to remove the soap from the surface of your mouse pad.

Now allow your mousepad to dry in a way that prevents any moisture from dripping onto the electronics components. For example, in the case of the QcK Prism, SteelSeries recommends placing your mousepad “right side up” so use your best judgment for your own model.

Can You Wash a Mousepad in a Washing Machine?

Some fabric mousepads will survive a spin in the washing machine just fine, but it might be safer to hand wash as per the instructions above to be safe. Glorious has instructions for cleaning its mousepads in a washing machine which involves using dish soap rather than washing detergent, running a cold cycle, avoiding a heavy spin cycle, and then air-drying (not tumble drying) for around a day.

Don’t forget to disinfect your mouse and filthy keyboard too. And if your mousepad has a stain that just won’t budge, it might be time to consider shopping for a new mousepad.

And, just like how it’s a good idea to clean the other components and peripherals in your system, it’s also a good idea to give your mousepad a good cleaning every now and again.

So, in this guide, we’re going to go over a few different methods that you can use to clean off your mousepad, ranging from simple and quick methods, to washing them in your sink or your washing machine.

*NOTE: The second and third methods laid out in this guide are only intended for cloth-based mousepads.

1. Ultra-Quick Method: Use A Baby Wipe, Sponge, or Damp Cloth

I’ve had the same mousepad for quite a few years and it’s never gotten so bad to where I’ve become disgusted with it and had to do a full-on cleaning of it. (Although, I have had to fully clean past mouse pads and we’ll discuss those methods further down in the post).

Part of that is because I have been fortunate enough to not spill anything on it, and the other part of it is that I regularly wipe it off with a baby wipe/damp cloth so nothing too significant can build up over time.

For a quick method to clean your mousepad, use a baby wipe (if you have them), a wet sponge, or a damp cloth to give your mousepad a wipe down. If your mousepad isn’t stained or too dirty, this should do the trick.

And, really, if you’re just looking to get off the dust, dandruff, hair, tiny food particles, etc., all you really need to do is to give your mousepad a good wiping down. I use a baby wipe, but even a damp rag/cloth or a sponge will work to freshen up your mousepad if it doesn’t need a full cleaning.

Doing this quick-clean method on a regular basis will cut down on the need for full cleanings and it will work for both cloth mousepads and hard mousepads. However, if you’ve spilled something on your mousepad or there is an excessive amount of stains, grime, or debris on it, you’ll want to try one of the two methods below.

2. Wash Your Mousepad in A Sink

If you’ve spilled food or drink on your mousepad, or it’s just been too long since you’ve cleaned it and it’s not looking its best, you can simply do the following:

1. Start filling your sink with warm water
2. Pour some dish soap in
3. Throw your mousepad into the soapy water
4. Let it soak for a bit to loosen up the dirt/food/debris
5. Using a scrub brush or a sponge, lightly go over the mouse pad in the water
6. Drain the sink and rinse the mousepad
7. Let the mousepad air dry overnight or use a hair dryer to try and speed up the process

This method is simple, effective, and, aside from the drying time, won’t take too long. If you need an even deeper cleaning you can try the method outlined below…

3. Clean Your Mousepad in Your Washing Machine

If cleaning your mousepad in your sink with a bit of dish soap didn’t get all of the stains out, you can try throwing it in the washing machine and see if that does the trick.

1. Throw your mousepad into your washing machine
2. Drop in a bit of laundry detergent/soap
3. Change your washing machine’s settings to a lighter cycle and make sure it won’t be using hot water
4. Let your washing machine do its thing
5. Pull the mousepad out and air dry it overnight or use a hair dryer to try and speed up the process

While most mousepads are washing machine friendly, you might want to try cleaning it in your washing machine as a last result (unless you like to live dangerously). Running it through a washing machine is a bit rougher of a process and if any of these methods would have a chance to ruin your mousepad, it would be this one. However, as long as you don’t use hot water, the chances are that it will come out okay (and cleaner than ever) is pretty good.

Most washing machines will allow you to change the temperature of the water used in the cycle. To clean your mousepad, I’d recommend using cold water, or the warm-cold setting, to avoid damaging your mousepad or peeling the glue that binds the cloth-top to the rubber backing.

Also, for that matter, it’s important to note that you probably shouldn’t throw your mousepad in your dryer after you’ve cleaned it to try and speed up the drying process. Or, at least, if you do, make sure you turn the heat setting to low or even to the air dry setting. The excess amount of heat from the dryer could melt the rubber backing on your mousepad or cause the glue that holds the rubber backing and the cloth-top together to break apart.

Again, you could try and throw it in a dryer on a lower heat setting and that might be fine… but if you don’t like to live dangerously, air drying it will be the least likely drying method to ruin your mousepad.

How Do You Clean Your Mousepad?

In the grand scheme of things, cleaning your mousepad is a fairly straightforward and simple process. You can wipe it down if it isn’t too dirty and isn’t stained, or you can throw it in your sink or washing machine with some soap if it needs a more heavy-duty cleaning. And, for the most part, those three methods should help bring your mousepad back to life.

What about you, though? How do you clean your mousepad? If you’ve got some super top secret method for getting your mousepad looking brand new, share it with us in the comment section below!