Cleaning a playmat

[Picc]

Anyone know if you can wash a playmat in the laundry machine.

[cdr]

Terrible idea. Unless it's specifically made to be machine washable, you'll do some combination of:

- Separate the front from the rubber
- Wear the edges of the front
- Fade or destroy the printing on the front
- Destroy the rubber
- etc

I'd start with a damp cloth, maybe with some mild dish detergent if it's bad.

[Dan Turner]

depends on what the top material is made of and how its printed. I took my plain black one to a dry cleaner and she charged me $10 to clean it and to re attach part of the fabric to the rubber where I pick at it when I am nervous and had pulled it loose.

[Oiolosse]

Sandpaper and cat urine. Ammonia + abrasive circular motion. It works nevery time.

[Mark Sun]

Depends on what's on the playmat and how much you care about it.

I own a Source playmat and a regular black playmat, and I have no problem putting the latter in the laundry. I also use the random GP playmats as large mousepads and it's been fine.

[Sloshthedark]

water+soap+brush

[dsck]

Terrible idea. Unless it's specifically made to be machine washable, you'll do some combination of:

- Separate the front from the rubber
- Wear the edges of the front
- Fade or destroy the printing on the front
- Destroy the rubber
- etc

I'd start with a damp cloth, maybe with some mild dish detergent if it's bad.

This.

When its so bad above isnt enough its time to buy new one. Though if you spent $100+ on a playmat I can understand wanting to try just putting in a washing machine.

[Tammit67]

Depends on what's on the playmat and how much you care about it.

I own a Source playmat

Mine's getting all dusty, and I sure as hell don't want to ruin my source mat. I fear any sort of water/soup will distort it. Irrational? Probably.

[hi-val]

Remember: dyes bleed and fade in hot water. Fabrics soften in hot water. Things remain colorfast but stiff in cold water. I'd suggest gentle hand washing in your kitchen sink with something like Woolite, which is formulated for use with cold water. Use cold water, minimal agitation, long soaking, and a gentle rinse and dry.

I'd imagine that since Sharpies are waterfast, you won't have any bleeding from signatures, either.

[MarcoBriggs]

Terrible idea. Unless it's specifically made to be machine washable, you'll do some combination of:

- Separate the front from the rubber
- Wear the edges of the front
- Fade or destroy the printing on the front
- Destroy the rubber
- etc

I'd start with a damp lingerie (http://www.robustbuy.com/womens-clothes-lingerie-sets-c-1083_1085_1088.html) cloth, maybe with some mild dish detergent if it's bad.

it seems very terrible idea. It will only cause damage to playmat and washing machine. I am saying these rough words with my own personal experience:frown:

[lsho]

Sandpaper and cat urine. Ammonia + abrasive circular motion. It works nevery time.

what the f... is wrong with you? :D

[SBGpinas]

what the f... is wrong with you? :D

You fail to realize he is merely trolling and being sarcastic

[lsho]

You fail to realize he is merely trolling and being sarcastic

... of course I got that, hence the laughing smilie at the end of my sentence hehe.
I just wanted to stress the point that his answer was awesome by "going with the flow".

:)

[bfeingersh]

I spilled coffee on one of mine (my beautiful goblin platypus egg heist GP Columbus mat :frown:) and I was told they're pretty much all machine washable.

[thecrav]

I just washed one of my playmats for the first time. It was a clean it or trash it situation, so I figured what's the harm!

I used Dawn dish liquid - not because I thought it'd be good, because it's what I had at hand.

A little water and a little soap, and then just kinda softly knead the fabric portion of the mat against itself. I repeated three times until it looked relatively good and then rinsed. To dry, I laid it flat in the sun for a couple hours.

It doesn't look new, but it also doesn't look nearly as destroyed as it did before.

[hena]

It is generally not recommended to wash a playmat in a washing machine, as it can damage the mat and cause the colors to fade or bleed. Instead, it is best to clean a playmat by hand using a mild detergent and warm water. Gently scrub the surface of the mat with a soft brush or cloth, then rinse thoroughly and allow it to air dry. If the mat is particularly dirty or stained, you can try using a stain remover specifically designed for fabrics, but be sure to spot test a small area first to make sure it won't damage the mat.



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