Mouse pads frequently curl after regular wear and tear. This is because the mixture of humidity, your own sweat, and pressure from your hand causes the mouse pad’s flat texture to warp over time. This warping can make the mouse pad annoying to use.
Sometimes, mouse pads can arrive at your home curled too. Some manufacturers think it’s a good idea to ship mouse pads rolled up. Although this saves packaging, it often causes mouse pads that are already prone to warping to curl before you even open the package.
To learn more about why mouse pads curl and what you can do to prevent this from happening, keep reading. This article also teaches you how to flatten the mouse pad that is already curled up.
What Causes Mouse Pads to Curl?
If you use your mouse pad frequently, which we’re assuming you do, it like we will begin curling up at the edges. These curls happened for two reasons.
Firstly, the corners and edges of your mouse pad get caught on your wrists, clothing, and other body parts while moving the mouse. Secondly, the problem worsens because the middle of the mouse pad receives the most sweat and pressure, causing the outsides to curl up.
Occasionally, storage can be to blame for a curling mouse pad. If you store your mouse pad in a rolled form, the mouse pad is almost guaranteed to have curled edges since its storage placement forces the edges to curl.
How to Prevent a Mouse Pad From Curling
To prevent a mouse pad from curling, the most important thing to do is to never store it in a curled position. Rolling your mouse pad up is a guaranteed way to damage the mouse pad and force it to curl up, even when you want it to lay flat.
Something else you should do to prevent your mouse pad from curling is to sit heavy objects on it when not in use. In other words, set books or other heavy flat objects on top of the mouse pad whenever you aren’t using your mouse. This will help to apply even pressure to the mouse pad, allowing it to take a flat shape once again.
How Do You Flatten a Mouse Pad?
If you have tried to keep your mouse pad flat but it is curled, there are ways that you can flatten it back out. Here are the most common ways that other gamers flatten out their mouse pads:
Flatten Your Mouse Pad with Books
The easiest way to flatten your mouse pad is to lay heavy, flat books over top. This method works if there is only minimal curling. This method also works as a preventative measure in that it will help your mouse pad to retain its flat shape longer. If your mouse pad is super warped, books alone might not be enough.
Heat the Mouse Pad Up
If you try to flatten out your mouse pad with books and it did not work, you can try to heat the mouse pad up first with a hair dryer. Put the hair dryer on a low setting and direct it towards the warped areas of the mouse pad. While the mouse pad is still warm, place the books over top and let the mouse pad rest there overnight.
You might need to repeat this a couple of nights in a row. Depending on the severity of the warping, a hair dryer might not be enough to flatten the mouse pad, but this works in most cases.
Iron the Mouse Pad on Low Settings
For the most severe mouse pad curls, you can try to iron the mouse pad out flat. You will need to put the iron that you select on the lowest setting for synthetic or sensitive materials specifically. Be very careful when doing this because you might accidentally burn the mouse pad.
After you iron the mouse pad, lay books over top again while the mouse pad is still warm. This will help the mouse pad retain the flat shape you tried to create using the iron.
Buy a New Mouse Pad
If none of the above methods work, you will, unfortunately, need to buy a new mouse pad. That’s because if these methods don’t work, no method will. Just acknowledge that it’s been a good run for your mouse pad and buy a new one if you must.
Is It Bad To Use a Mouse Without a Pad?
If you decide that you need a new mouse pad, it might be too late in the night to run to the store and get a new one. Using your mouse without a pad for a little bit is not a problem, but you should not use your mouse longer than you have to if you don’t have a mouse pad.
The reason for this is that using a mouse without a pad will actually damage the computer mouse. Not only will your mouse not pick up movements as easily, but it will get scratched at the bottom, forcing you to buy a new mouse prematurely.
In other words, it is bad to use a mouse without a pad. Although using a mouse without a pad once won’t make a huge deal, you need to buy a new pad ASAP if you are currently using your mouse without one.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, mouse pads end up curling where your hands rub and touch the material. This is an unavoidable part of mouse pad ownership. Luckily, you can try to fix the problem.
You can try to flatten a mouse pad by using books, hair dryers, or irons. If none of these methods work, it might be time to buy a new mouse pad outright.
Once you buy a new mouse pad, make sure you do everything you can to avoid your mouse pad curling again. Never roll it up and lay books or other heavy objects across the mouse pad at night so that it will retain its flat shape for as long as possible.