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Computer mice have evolved significantly from their initial days when they had physical balls inside. The best gaming mice today have sub-millisecond latency and surprisingly high sensitivity. With that, the mouse’s best buddy, the mouse pad, has also seen some upgrades. Be it the glass-based ones like the Wallhack 4.0 Glass Gaming MousePad, or metal-based ones like the Vaydeer Hard Metal Aluminum mouse pad, mouse pads continue to evolve beyond just old, cheap, floppy squares. And with mouse pads being around so long, chances are you might have a number of mouse pads lying around the house taking up space.
The most common thing people might do with old mouse pads is simply toss them out, or maybe keep one or two around as a spare just in case. But what if there was a way you could get more out of them? Thankfully, you’re in luck because we’ve scoured the internet to find some of the most clever and ingenious ways to repurpose those old mouse pads you might have. From being used as drawer protectors to pet food mats, there’s a lot that a mouse pad can do in its second life.
Create cabinet and drawer protectors
One of the most annoying sounds in the world is that wood-on-wood smacking that happens when a kitchen cabinet or drawer is slammed shut. This is only more aggravating when you are trying to take a nap and are suddenly being jolted awake by the sound of a kid trying to snag the last juice box in the pantry.
Sure, you could always replace all the hinges in a home with fancy slow-close mechanisms, but that’s time and money you probably don’t want to spend. Thankfully, there is a simple solution if you have an old mouse pad lying around. Even a small mouse pad can serve to outfit most every cabinet and drawer in your house, and all you need are a pair of scissors and some double-sided tape.
Simply cut the mouse pad into small squares or rectangular strips and tape them to the inside corner of a cabinet or the back of a drawer. The soft rubber of the mouse pad will help to deaden the impact and sound of closing a drawer or cabinet. You get the benefit of saving your ears, but also saving your cabinets and drawers from excessive damage.
Use them as pet food place mats
If you have multiple pets, you’d know how dinnertime can often become a bit of a mess. Bowls of food and water can get bumped about, and everything can end up all over the place. Sure, purchasing some food mats from Amazon can help fix this issue, but you don’t really need to spend an extra dime if you have old gaming mouse pads lying around.
Because most modern mouse pads have a rubber or neoprene bottom to prevent slipping, they don’t slide around. This is perfect for keeping pet food and water bowls in place when they are being used. It’s a very cheap alternative to buying expensive food mats that serve the same purpose.
In my case, I used an old desk-length mouse pad to place all the cat food bowls and water fountains onto. This also makes cleanup easier with loose kibble staying on the mat and not being flung all over the kitchen. I also used a couple of small square mouse pads as place mats for food and water for the outside cats. It’s a very clean look, with the all-black mouse pads complementing the nearby space surprisingly well.
Use them to protect your countertops
The last thing you want to do when cooking is to burn or scratch your table or countertop surface with a hot metal pot or pan. Even a mildly warm pot or pan can cause heat damage to a surface if left to sit for an extended period of time, especially on wood-based surfaces. There exist a number of companies that make pads to protect those surfaces, but if you have a couple of old mouse pads lying around you have a free alternative.
Simply keep an old mouse pad rolled up in a kitchen drawer, and when you’re ready to serve dinner you can just flop it down on a table to keep your surfaces protected like a makeshift trivet. This is also an effective way to keep pots and pans from sliding around on slick surfaces like tile when cooking.
And if you keep a mouse pad nearby while cooking, it can also double as a makeshift handle grip for your all-metal cookware. Simply wrap the mouse pad around the handle and you have a fast and effective heat guard that will save your hands from getting burned. If you have the budget, investing in a detachable pot handle like the Yunlnny Removable Handle could also be a smart way to make your kitchen more efficient and safe.
Create custom drink coasters
Mouse pads come in all sorts of designs. A stylish mouse pad can be an instant upgrade to your home office, as much as it is a functional part of your setup. But just because you’ve moved onto a new mouse pad, it doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of an old mouse pad design you once loved.
Mouse pads are incredibly easy to cut. This makes them perfect for creating custom drink coasters from. You can simply take the lid of a jar to draw a circle on the back of a mouse pad, and then cut it out with a pair of scissors. You’re then left with some fun drink coasters that will continue to match your aesthetic while also continuing to be functional on your desk.
A simple pair of scissors will do, but the cutout might be rough around the edges. Something like the MyLifeUNIT Circle Cutter can help you cut circles to the exact size that you need. Moreover, you can use it for all sorts of crafting projects when your coasters are finished.
