… on how to clean a gaming chair.
So, how do you clean a gaming chair? How you clean your gaming chair depends on the type of chair you have. Your chair should come with the manufacturer’s instructions on how to perform regular cleaning and maintenance tasks. Typically, cleaning will involve vacuuming, wiping down the covers with warm water and an appropriate cleaning solution, and scrubbing the casters.
If you’ve lost your manufacturer’s cleaning instructions, don’t worry. We’re going to be showing you exactly how to clean different types of gaming chairs and guiding you through everything step by step. Let’s get started.
Step 1: Confirm the Type of Upholstery On Your Gaming Chair
Different types of upholstery require different cleaning methods. To make sure you don’t damage your gaming chair while cleaning it, you’ll need to check what type of upholstery is on yours first. This will help you in the subsequent steps as I’ll reference these different types.
The four most common types of gaming chair upholstery are:
Figure out which one yours has. You can usually find it listed on either the chair label, the manufacturer’s instructions, or the product listing.
Step 2: Vacuum/Dust the Chair Upholstery
Now that you know what upholstery you need to clean, you can start by getting off any excess dust or debris by vacuuming or dusting it.
If you have a chair with mesh or fabric upholstery, you’ll need to vacuum it to bring out the dust that’s ingrained within the material. Run a regular vacuum attachment over your mesh chair. If it’s fabric, use the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner and gently rub it.
If your upholstery is PU or PVC artificial leather, you shouldn’t need a vacuum. Just dust it down with a thick microfiber cloth.
Vacuuming and dusting should be done regularly – at least once a week.
Step 3: Clean the Chair Upholstery With a Water or Solvent Solution
Next, you’ll want to clean the upholstery to get out any marks from spills or stains. Before you do this, you’ll need to check the care tag that should be on the back of the chair.
If the care tag has an ‘S’ mark, you should clean it with a solvent-based solution. If it has a ‘W’ mark, you should clean it with a water-based solvent instead. An ‘S/W’ mark means you can use either one. Most faux leather chairs are W-marked. For W-marked chairs, you can mix warm water with a little bit of dish soap.
You’ll need to be careful when applying your cleaning solution to not damage the chair. If you’re cleaning artificial leather upholstery, blot or gently wipe your solution onto the chair with a soft sponge. If you’re cleaning mesh, it’s important to make sure you blot it on very gently – never rub. If you’re cleaning fabric upholstery, scrub dirty spots directly with a brush.
Step 4: Hone In On stains
For tough stains, the above might not be enough. If you can still see some problem areas after cleaning it with a water solution, you might need to spot clean them.
To do so, apply a few drops of rubbing alcohol to a small cotton ball. Before you spot clean with it, you want to make sure it won’t damage your upholstery. Therefore, you should start by testing it on the underside of the chair somewhere out of sight.
Leave it a few minutes to see if it causes any damage. If not, you can use it to gently blot/rub stains to remove them. Be very gentle on mesh upholstery as the material can be easily damaged.
Step 5: Wash the Armrests, Base, and Frame
Ok, now that your upholstery is clean, it’s time to clean the rest of your chair.
This bit is pretty easy. All you need to do is grab a soft sponge or cloth and a bowl of warm water mixed with mild detergent. You can then wash the surface of the armrests, base, and frame and dry them with a paper towel or dry cloth.
Step 6: Tighten Any Loose Screws and Clean the Casters
The only thing left to clean now is the caster wheels. Unfortunately, these are also usually the most annoying part to clean as they typically gather lots of hair and debris that gets tangled in them and becomes tough to remove.
To clean them, you’ll need to turn your chair over first. Next, grab your vacuum and use the crevice tool to clean the inside. After you’ve got all the big chunks and hair out, you can use a surface use a cloth and surface cleaner to remove the dirt from the outside and wipe them down with rubbing alcohol.
To get deep inside the narrow parts of the casters, get a cotton swab and dab it in alcohol, then reach it inside the crevice.
Your chair should now be pretty much clean, but you should also take the time to retighten any screws that might have come loose since you started using it. You can also apply WD-40 or another lubricant to them if you’ve found that your chair has been squeaking.
Step 7: Enjoy a Comfy and Clean Gaming Session!
Now that your chair is feeling fresh and looking brand new, the only thing left to do is use it. Kick your feet up, relax, and reward your cleaning efforts with a long game of Fortnite.
Tips for Chair General Maintenance
Aside from cleaning your chair regularly, you’ll also want to make sure you’re executive good chair maintenance to keep it in good condition for longer. Here are some tips for doing that:
- Keep the cats and dogs away from your chair to avoid scratches
- Keep your chair away from the window as direct sunlight can cause fading and brittle upholstery
- Avoid getting sweat stains on your chair by staying cool or putting a towel down.
- If your chair is real or imitation leather, applying a leather conditioner weekly can help to prevent it from cracking.
- Wipe any spills off immediately to minimize staining
Related Questions
How do I get stains out of my gaming chair? The best way to get rid of stains is with rubbing alcohol or a spot cleaning solution. Make sure to check your manufacturer’s instructions first to be sure that neither of these solvents will damage your chair. If in doubt, contact your manufacturer and ask for guidance.
How do I repair a gaming chair? The best way to repair your gaming chair will depend on the nature of the damage. If it’s a rip in the upholstery, a quick DIY fix may be to simply patch it up with a sewing needle. If it’s damage to the frame or base, you’ll probably need to take it into a repair shop or back to the manufacturer for repairs. The repairs may be covered under your warranty, so make sure you check that first.
Founder of Topgamingchair.com and PC Gaming enthusiast, I review gaming chairs (and office chairs) since 2017. I have worked with some of the biggest brands in the industry: Secretlab, Noblechairs, Vertagear, DXRacer, AndaSeat to test new products and provide feedback.