Mousepad cleaning—how do you do it?

[Brian Boru]

I have a rubber-based pad with a fabric top on it. It's this exact model, except size is ~11" x ~9".

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G23H8OU/

I have it over 7 years, so it's …ahem… a little dirty now—probably time to clean it, since it occasionally costs me a snap headshot

I'm thinking face up on a towel, rub fairly gently with a microfiber cloth I use on my glasses soaked in warm water, and leave it face down on the towel overnight to dry.

You got a better suggestion?

If it's still a bit grimy or greasy after that, have you a recommendation for a cleaning solution that should work—eg dish soap, shampoo, …?

 

[Colif]

This is how I should clean mine - https://steelseries.com/blog/how-clean-cloth-fabric-mousepad-191
lucky its fabric as I don't have a sink big enough otherwise, it can bend.
its due for one, its my lack of close sight that means I can't tell how dirty it is unless I take a photo.
I might read that link tomorrow and clean it.

I have been known in past to just buy a new mousepad instead.

 

[Brian Boru]

how I should clean mine

Hmm:

• Mild dish soap
• Cleaning brush
• Towel

I wonder what they mean by a "cleaning brush"—there are so many variations. If it's those plastic bristles types, I would've thought that could gouge the surface.

Thanks

 

[Colif]

Not a toilet brush, probably the type you use for washing dishes.

I hadn't thought that far ahead, probably take me a few days to get around to it.

 

[ZedClampet]

I have a rubber-based pad with a fabric top on it. It's this exact model, except size is ~11" x ~9".

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G23H8OU/

I have it over 7 years, so it's …ahem… a little dirty now—probably time to clean it, since it occasionally costs me a snap headshot

I'm thinking face up on a towel, rub fairly gently with a microfiber cloth I use on my glasses soaked in warm water, and leave it face down on the towel overnight to dry.

You got a better suggestion?

If it's still a bit grimy or greasy after that, have you a recommendation for a cleaning solution that should work—eg dish soap, shampoo, …?

I did what @Colif linked because the problem with mine, I suspected, was oils from my hand and arm, so the dish liquid was a must. I didn't use a brush though, just rubbed it with my hands. Still seemed to work for me. Probably not as good as with a bottle brush or something, though.

 

[Colif]

bottle brush

A shrub is hardly useful

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callistemon

I expect it would make things worse

runs away

 

[redmark_]

Well as for me, I don't have a mouse pad that's too expensive, so it's a rubber bottom, with a fabric top desk mat too.
aaaaand it's from china. 🤣

So what I do is just:

• plonk it on the bathroom floor
• pour water on it
• wait 2 minutes.
• Pour dishwashing soap on it.
• Lather it up with a sponge.
• Rinse it off after 2 minutes.
• Add dishwashing soap again.
• Start scrubbing the dirty looking parts with an old toothbrush.
• When I'm satisfied, rinse with a sponge.
• Then I air dry it on the towel rack.
  
  Profit. 😁👍

 

[Colif]

that sounds too much like work... buys a new mouse pad. Adds old one to pile

 

[redmark_]

I might read that link tomorrow and clean it.

I have been known in past to just buy a new mousepad instead.

that sounds too much like work... buys a new mouse pad. Adds old one to pile

holy... are they disposable paper towels to you? 🤣

anyway, I went looking on google for a "mouse pad stack" and found this.
you might need one. 😁

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1_w4wVpEJU

 

[Colif]

its not as thick as those, my last one was.

it will roll up and be pretty easy to clean.

I think most of stains are just food. Should wash off

 

[Brian Boru]

shrub

Toilet brush nixed, no shrubs either—good stuff guys, we're zeroing in on it!

buys a new mouse pad. Adds old one to pile

Colif reads instructions for installing new CPU & GPU. Buys new PC, adds old one to pile.

mouse pad stack

Oh hey, now we're suckin' diesel!

 

[redmark_]

Toilet brush nixed, no shrubs either—good stuff guys, we're zeroing in on it!


Colif reads instructions for installing new CPU & GPU. Buys new PC, adds old one to pile.


Oh hey, now we're suckin' diesel!

reboot PC? instructions unclear.
buy a new one.

Found @Colif s pile...

I think? 🥴

 

[Colif]

No..... those are all dell and HP. You couldn't pay me enough to use one.

One job I worked at had rooms like that and I would have to look through them for asset numbers. I was happy when they started leasing PC and got rid of so many old PC. We would still find them a few years later, PC that people forgot were there.

The only way some staff got new computers is if a boss got a new one and it was a game of hand the (I can't call them computers) refuse down that chain. My 1st PC there would run out of memory just starting. One guys PSU fan would just turn off, and PC would overheat every day. IT couldn't fix it... me and another guy just replaced the PSU. PC would actually stay on all day then.
My home PC was always better than the things they used at that job. Even my 1st two PC that I prefer to ignore existed now.

 

[redmark_]

No..... those are all dell and HP. You couldn't pay me enough to use one.

One job I worked at had rooms like that and I would have to look through them for asset numbers. I was happy when they started leasing PC and got rid of so many old PC. We would still find them a few years later, PC that people forgot were there.

The only way some staff got new computers is if a boss got a new one and it was a game of hand the (I can't call them computers) refuse down that chain. My 1st PC there would run out of memory just starting. One guys PSU fan would just turn off, and PC would overheat every day. IT couldn't fix it... me and another guy just replaced the PSU. PC would actually stay on all day then.
My home PC was always better than the things they used at that job. Even my 1st two PC that I prefer to ignore existed now.

what's wrong with Dell? 😀 there are tons of dell OptiPlex SFF's from the japanese worlplaces that exist as secondhands, they work great as dedicated retro gaming machines. 😁

also, great story BTW. 😊

 

[Colif]

if all you want is a retro gaming PC, they fine. If you understand limits.

Don't buy them for modern games machines. the Aurora cases this year are not new. they are based on an old chassis.
Everything about Dell is cost cutting.

Alienware get dragged along for ride.

 

[redmark_]

if all you want is a retro gaming PC, they fine. If you understand limits.

Don't buy them for modern games machines. the Aurora cases this year are not new. they are based on an old chassis.
Everything about Dell is cost cutting.

Alienware get dragged along for ride.

true, true. like in game dev...

know your project scope, and no feature creep. 😂

also, dang that alienware machine again 🤐😝
better to just build your own, even a second hand GPU would be better.

 

[Colif]

Buy an I9 and a 3090 and get performance equal to an I7 for $500 more. Bonus.
Put a 120mm AIO on an I9 that has infinite boost speed... who do I hit?
Thanks Dell.

Amazed they don't have a proprietary connector on the GPU power just to stop people buying their stuff and being able to use GPU later. Most of rest of PC is unusable in a non Dell PC.

So good Dell didn't make the 1st PC or it would have ended badly

Not all prebuilts are bad, just a vast majority of them. Small companies who care about reputation might do a better job than any corporation will.

 

[Brian Boru]

only way some staff got new computers is if a boss got a new one and it was a game of hand the (I can't call them computers) refuse down that chain

Oh yeah, I remember that—we'd all try to find something which wouldn't launch/work on boss's PC, and then stand around tut-tutting as he walked in. "You need a new one boss, let me take this crap off your desk"

what's wrong with Dell?

Dozens of my old workmates went to work for Dell—which was easy for them, since Dell took over the building my old company used to occupy —so I'm familiar with their methods and approach. Their bread and butter PCs are fine, as good as any brand, but made for general work like business and casual home use. So not for specific demanding uses, such as modern gaming—that's why they bought the Alienware company.

Everything about Dell is cost cutting

No, not everything, not by a long chalk. Dell didn't arise due to cost cutting, and aren't still in business because of it. That said, like any responsible company in any industry, they always seek to reduce costs, which benefits everyone—they stay in business, we get better quality or cheaper prices or more performance.

Dell is probably the #1 company responsible for the very low prices we've paid for PCs for ~25 years. It introduced the concept of make-to-order to the industry—ie parts customization for the masses, previously it was buy pre-built from store—and also made JIT manufacturing practices a major part of its strategic approach.

dang that alienware machine

Only laptop I used for over a year was Alienware—superb machine, worked as a complete desktop replacement while I was on the ru moving around a lot. Currently enjoying my 5yo Alienware desktop, which has been flawless—but a real mess to work inside, not made for an upgrader.

So good Dell didn't make the 1st PC or it would have ended badly

Why would it have been worse than Réalisation d'Études Électroniques or Computer Terminal Corporation or Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems?

Not all prebuilts are bad, just a vast majority of them

Bad for us, sure. Bad for 95% of people, no. All depends on purpose, otherwise all Ford and Toyota cars would be bad too.

 

[Colif]

Pre built gaming PC are pretty bad, in general. There are exceptions and they are what Gamers Nexus was trying to find, who you should go to if you insist on buying one. It was tough going and I hope they do more of it as it keeps makers on their toes. They never know who might make a video about their next PC.

We had bosses that were clueless with computers, so we didn't have to wait long for them to do something dumb. Get new laptop, it put XP on it as that was standard OS, silly boss installs win 7 anyway... um, you don't own that laptop. Another one put one of those mini cd's into a floppy drive as slot was right size. As I said, idiots. They were accountants, not computer technicians. It showed.

 

[JarlBSoD]

I have logitech powerplay mousepads so i can only speak for those but, warm water in the shower, some cleaningsoap and a dish brush, som medium scrubbing, rince, dry the worst of with a towel and then let it air dry. When that dosn't work anymore i replace them.

 

[Colif]

i forgot i was going to clean my mousepad.
maybe I will if it ever stops mouse moving over it.

 

[Brian Boru]

Are you stout of heart?
Do you crave adventure?
Are you a (wo)man or a mouse?
Do you live in/on your own (wo)pad?
Want to be at the soapy edge of cleansing discovery?
If 'yes', then…

Throw your mouse mat in the washing machine, and see what comes out!

Found 2 grungy ol' mats with nothing left to lose but their scummy personalities. In a spirit of scientific adventure and gay abandon, launched a gentle cycle—without pedals, not that kind—and here's what emerged from the re-entry module:

One trashed mat, layers separating;
Mat I've been using since, bigger than my recent one—which is in a similar state to Colif's. Current is a deep clean black, and is your standard thin cloth mat on rubber backing. If you're wondering what that means for you, read on.

I have no idea what that means for you!

But if you did answer 'yes' to 3 out of 5 above, then go for it. When you've surveyed the results, and returned from buying a new mat, please tell us all about it. Things we'd like to know:
♣ How many separately identifiable layers did you end up with?
♦ How many different colors can you identify in the layers?
♥ What words, which would get you banned from the forum, did you use when you saw the result?
♠ How's the new mat?

 

[ZedClampet]

i forgot i was going to clean my mousepad.
maybe I will if it ever stops mouse moving over it.

My mouse basically stopped functioning when on the mouse pad. Would work everywhere else.