How To Clean a Desk Pad – Cleaning Methods For Every Desk Pad Type

A desk pad is an item you can lay down across your desktop to organize supplies like keyboards, a mouse, or notepads. Although not necessary, it does offer a cleaner desk area and keeps everything looking professional. 

Unfortunately, overused desk pads can become dirty when you don’t attend to them regularly. Simply wiping debris from your workspace can be a great way to clean off your pad. 

Some desk pads require deep cleaning, but not all require the same cleaning methods.

Cleaning your desk pad may require cleaning with a damp cloth, putting it in the washing machine, or washing with soapy water.

The cleaning method differs according to the type of material the desk pad is made of. 

Cleaning a leather desk mat is one of the easiest methods. For how to clean a leather desk mat, all you need to do is dampen a towel and wipe the leather off. 

Thankfully you don’t need to purchase a particular type of cleaner. Still, you may want to consider a leather conditioner for natural leather desk pads. These conditioners help keep the leather fresh and free from cracking.

A silicone desk pad is made from a rubber material. You can clean this with soap and water. Here are the detailed steps.

1. Fill a tub with warm water and a tiny amount of dish soap.
2. Lay the desk pad flat in the tub.
3. Let it soak for a few minutes.
4. Scrub with a soft brush. Don’t use anything abrasive because it’s harsh for this type of material.
5. Rinse the desk pad with warm water until it’s free of soap.
6. Hang the pad over a hanger (or something similar) and allow it to drip dry fully before using.

For how to wash Novelkeys desk mat, you would use this same method.

RGB pads are similar to silicone pads except for one addition, the RGB lights. Each type has a different cleaning method, meaning there may be a battery pack to take apart or a cord that hooks up to the computer. 

If yours has a detachable battery pack, you can unplug the battery pack from the desk pad and then follow the instructions for cleaning a silicone pad. 

For how to clean RGB desk mat, follow these steps, taking extra care of the electronic elements. 

1. Unplug the mat.
2. Fill a bowl with warm water. Drizzle about ten drops of soap into the water and mix.
3. Use a towel to dip into your soap and water mixture.
4. Make sure to ring out the towel so it’s damp.
5. Rub down the RBG mat with your damp towel.
6. Hang the mat to dry.

Whichever RBG pad you have, I recommend you dry it for 24 hours before plugging it back in. 

Washing your desk mat will help make the white pop out to match your white office chair. You would clean a white desk mat the same as a silicone mat. If it has electrical components, follow the cleaning steps for the corded RBG mat.

I wouldn’t recommend using bleach, even though it’s white. These types of harsh cleaners can damage any kind of mat you use.

Plastic desk mats are rigid and don’t bend as much as silicone rubber mats. These are also less sensitive than a silicone mat. 

You can still wash these by wiping them down with a damp cloth and some soap. You can also use rubbing alcohol to get tougher stains out.

You can put a full desk pad in the washing machine as long as there are no electrical components attached to the pad. 

The spinning component can be harsh, so I recommend putting the mat in with some towels to break up the spin. Also, ensure you use cold water when running the mat through the machine.

Never place the mat in the dryer. Instead, drip dry for at least 24 hours.

The best way to keep your desk pad clean is to prevent it from getting dirty, which may mean eating and drinking away from your office.

The process of how to remove stains from desk mat is a bit harder, but following these tips for these specific items will help avoid them. 

Coffee is essential to anyone’s work day, but not for a desk pad. Instead of using your desk pad as a coaster, place your mug on an actual coaster or drink it before you get to the office. Coffee stains are hard to get out of light-colored desk pads.

Food is another item you should keep away from your desk pad. Things like chips or sauces can be abrasive and stain your mat. 

Take a break from the office and eat away from your desk to keep things clean.

Desk pads are great organizers that compliment your office decor. Leather pads are a classy desktop decoration and a great way to pull your office together. I would recommend leather pads because they are the easiest to clean. 

Meta description: “Do you like a clean office space? How to clean a desk pad, whether made of silicone, plastic, RGB, or leather.”