Can I Dry a Desk Mat in the Dryer?

In this blog, we are going to talk about the biggest concern of gaming enthusiasts: can you put your desk mat in the dryer? – Especially when we clean the desk mat every time, many people will throw it directly into the dryer to save time. Do you think this is the best approach? We think not! Remember that most modern desk mats we use nowadays combine multiple materials – usually a soft cloth top bonded to a rubber or silicone base. Interesting fact: these materials react very differently to heat!

OK, now back to our original topic, what is the biggest problem if you put your desk mat in the dryer? The rubber base is basically the foundation of your desk mat, just like a house, you don’t want the foundation to be damaged. The high temperature of the dryer can cause the rubber to deform or even separate from the fabric top – which is definitely not what we want because this prevents the mouse from moving smoothly! Who wants their mouse to glide on uneven surfaces? (I’ve experienced this, believe me! It’s terrible)

Does heat damage deskmats?

For cloth desk mats, the high temperature of the dryer will also damage our desk mats in addition. In my opinion, when I used the dryer to dry it, I found that the high temperature caused my desk mat to shrink and harden. In addition, it also caused the optical sensor of the mouse to be unable to accurately capture the movement trajectory, resulting in malfunction. Therefore, using a dryer to dry a desk mat is definitely not a good choice. How should we dry a desk mat instead?

It just so happened that when I took the desk mat out of the box today, it smelled a bit strange, and the smell was slightly worse than before. So I decided to wash + dry it. Let’s take a look at the methods I use to dry my desk mat.

 How to dry your desk mat

Especially when we clean the desk mat, many people will put the desk mat in the dryer as soon as possible. No, this is not correct. I suggest that we need to absorb the moisture on the desk mat first. This is when paper towels or absorbent cloths come in handy. Deskmats are often made of rubber or fabric – materials that soak up water easily. Using an absorbent cloth helps remove moisture fast, cutting down total drying time. If you don’t have a special cloth, paper towels can work too (optional but I recommend them since I don’t usually buy the clothes). This method takes a bit longer, but if you have time, give it a try! After blotting up the water, set the pad on a balcony. The sun’s warmth will dry it naturally, no gadgets are needed. Paper towels get the job done if you don’t have a special cloth.

With a hair dryer

But if you, like me, need to air dry your desk mat as quickly as possible, there is another option – that is to use a hair dryer

When you first learned about this method, it was from a friend. I tried it according to his method and it worked really well. Before using the hair dryer, I gently wiped any visible water stains on the desk mat with a towel. Then I set the heat to low so that we can keep the airflow between 40-50°C. This temperature can effectively evaporate moisture without deforming the rubber of the desk mat

But I still need to remind you that it is best to keep the hair dryer 15-20 cm away and move it evenly and slowly across the entire desk mat to ensure that the hot air can blow anywhere on the desk mat. At this stage, you also need to keep touching the desk mat to check its temperature and dryness.

Towel

Isn’t it interesting that something that seems unrelated can dry our desk mat well? First, we prepare a clean, large, dry towel. Place the desk mat on it and cover it with another towel to make a “towel sandwich”. Use your hands or a heavy object to evenly press the towel to quickly absorb the moisture on the desk mat. Change the position while pressing to ensure that all areas are dry.

Then we just need to flip or replace the towel and repeat the operation until there are no visible water stains. Next, you will find that the desk mat treated with the towel, combined with natural air drying or fan drying, can greatly shorten the overall drying time.

I usually apply the above methods to customized desk mat. These methods can effectively avoid damage to the desk mat.