It’s important to clean all of your tech devices regularly. This may be obvious for PC cases and keyboards, which attract a lot of dust and affect performance, but perhaps less so for things like desk pads and smartwatch straps.
However, some things are just hard to clean. I can use soap, water, and Clorox wipes on my desk pad and wrist rest all day, but they never look better (though that’s partly my fault for choosing pastel-colored accessories). Other things, like headphone pads, can just be difficult to clean in general.
The solution? Throw them in the dishwasher!
Washing in the dishwasher is simply more efficient
It sounds ridiculous to put PC accessories in the dishwasher to clean them, but it works well as long as you keep a few things in mind. Dishwashers are good for cleaning dishes and cutlery thoroughly, but unless you set them on a high heat or strong setting, they are more gentle than a washing machine when cleaning.
However, every dishwasher is different, and I first tested it with a wrist rest that I was going to throw away anyway. My biggest concern was that the heat from the water would damage or melt the rubber on the bottom, but when I checked, everything was intact. It was also noticeably cleaner, although I did have to wait a day or two for it to dry completely.
All the mouse pads and wrist rests I threw in the dishwasher came out flawless and visibly cleaner—although with light-colored accessories, there’s not much you can do to keep them looking bright and clean, even after years of use. My pink desk pad still had marks from my mouse after cleaning.
The pads for my headphones also came off easily, but it was only then that I realized that maybe I shouldn’t have taken them off in the first place, because the delicate plastic that held the pads in place broke when I tried to put them back on. This wasn’t the dishwasher’s fault, though.
Ultimately, all of those accessories I threw in the dishwasher would have ended up in the trash anyway, but now I can give them more life before they look too damaged or dingy to save.
But don’t put everything in there
This may go without saying, but you can’t throw all your stuff in the dishwasher. Anything with real electronic components can be ruined by exposure to that much water – although you can try it with components like motherboards if you’re brave. Alternatively, you can take something like a keyboard apart and put all the plastic components inside, but at that level of hassle, it’s easier to clean it by hand.
However, if you own a non-electronic tech accessory and are looking to replace it, see if a quick wash can restore its good looks.
