Just like the way you care for your gaming PC or console, it’s important to properly clean and maintain your gaming chair not just to make it look spick and span but also to improve its life. Similar to regular office chairs or orthopedic chairs, gaming chairs do accumulate dust and dirt in easily reachable as well as hard-to-reach areas.
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Gaming chair parts that often need cleaning
Some parts of gaming chairs get frequently dusty and dirty than other components. Many gaming chairs, especially high-end models, have more parts than a standard office/desk chair which makes them prone to accumulate dust frequently.
If you own a gaming chair, it’s likely that these parts get frequently dirty and often need cleaning:
Armrests
There’s no denying the fact that armrests are one of the most used parts of office/desk chairs. This is true for gaming chairs as well. You may not be aware but the constant arm movements you make when using your console controller or PC keyboard and mouse can make the armrests dirty with skin grease.
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Headrest cushion
Rocking your head backward in excitement or anger, leaning back on the chair for long hours, and putting your hands behind your head – there’s no reason why the headrest cushion of your gaming chair doesn’t get frequently dirty with scalp grease.
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Backrest
The backrest of your gaming chair is where you lay back the most. As such, it frequently gets dirty in several possible ways, including the formation of black grime. If you just wear a t-shirt when gaming, there’s a higher likelihood of skin grease making the chair’s backrest dirty.
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The rear portion of the backrest
If you are someone who rests the backrest of the gaming chair on the wall, the odds are high that the rear portion of the backrest will get dirty or even bear finishing damage. At times, you may rapidly move the chair in excitement which, in turn, can cause the rear part to get dirty by rubbing against the wall or chipping wall paint.
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Are you the partial cleaner or the complete cleaner?
When you clean your prized possessions, including your gaming chair, you either do it partially or completely. Both partial cleaning and complete cleaning have their own place. At times, you may just be fine with partial cleaning while at some point, complete cleaning can be a must for you.
Here, we’ve listed the steps to partially or completely clean your gaming chair.
Partial cleaning
It’s best to partially clean your gaming chair when you are in a gaming time crunch or when you need to do the last-minute preparations before live streaming your gameplay and yourself to Twitch. Partial cleaning also comes in handy if your gaming chair is quite new.
Step 1 – The first step is to find the dirty spots on the chair as you’d only want to clean those specific spots to save time.
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Step 2 – The next step is to identify the type of dirt that’s on your gaming chair. If it’s dry-type dirt, such as dust or dry food particle, you can simply dust it using a dusting brush.
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If your gaming chair has a soft finish, it’s best to use a microfibre cloth.
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Step 3 – If the dirt or stain doesn’t go away, use a vacuum cleaner to quicken up the cleaning process. After cleaning, use a dry cloth to give the chair an unmistakable finish.
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Complete cleaning
All chairs, including gaming chairs, require complete cleaning every once in a while. It goes without saying that complete cleaning is rigorous than partial cleaning. Therefore, it’s best to take out some time, probably during weekends, to completely clean your gaming chair.
Follow the steps listed below to make sure you get the cleaning right.
Step 1 – To make sure that the comprehensive cleaning task becomes easy and hassle-free for you, disassemble the gaming chair. Doing this will help you get easy access to hard-to-reach areas.
Most gaming chairs have a similar assembly and disassembly process. Follow this assembly guide from AKRacing to disassemble your gaming chair in a structured way.
Image credit: AKRacing
Step 2 – Before you start the cleaning process after disassembling the major components, it’s important to choose the right cleaning solution. If you don’t have a deep cleaning requirement, a cleaning solution with neutral soap content will work just fine.
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However, if you plan to deep clean your gaming chair once and for all, use a cleaning solution that has vinegar content in it.
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Step 3 – It’s good to start with cleaning the base of the chair as it often is the component that gets the dirtiest.
Image credit: AKRacing
Step 4 – Armrest is another component that needs a deep cleaning. Make sure to clean all sides of both the armrests.
Image credit: AKRacing
Step 5 – It’s highly likely that your gaming chair has contour padding on the bottom seat as well as the backrest. For this reason, use a small-sized cleaning brush (or a toothbrush) to reach the seams of the contour padding.
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Step 6 – Remove the headrest cushion and the lumbar cushion to clean them separately. Doing this makes it easy for you to reach all sides of both the cushions.
Image credit: AKRacing
Step 7 – Clean the rest of the chair. Make sure to cover all the parts, including the glide system, variable stop, headrest adjustment knob, height adjuster, footrest, gas cylinder, and base wheels (castors).
Make the cleaning task easier and more result-oriented
With the right cleaners and tools, it becomes easier for you to make the most out of your gaming chair cleaning routine with the best results. Check out the list of cleaning products below to make your clean task more fun and effective.
Handheld vacuum cleaners
Blackdecker dustbuster – Check it out here
CICMOD handheld vacuum cleaner – Check it out here.
Upholstery wipe
Tub O’ Towels 40 wipes – Check it out here.
Leather conditioner
Weiman Leather Cleaner and Conditioner – Check it out here.
Heavy-duty cleaning brush
Chemical Guys Induro 7 – Check it out here.
Drill brush attachments
Drill Brush Power Scrubber – Check it out here.
Clean your gaming chair less often
It’s not fun to clean your gaming chair every now and then. To save yourself from the hassle of frequently cleaning your gaming chair, we recommend using a chair slipcover. Go for a chair slipcover that also includes armrest covers such as this one.
Simple yet effective maintenance tips
Properly caring for and maintaining your gaming chair doesn’t necessarily mean you have to take the technical approach of changing the gas cylinder, casters, and screws. This is because taking simple steps will go a long way in helping you improve your gaming chair’s life.
Condition leather upholstery
If you have a gaming chair that has genuine leather upholstery, invest in a good leather conditioner and use it when cleaning your chair. The conditioner will prevent the leather upholstery from getting dry and brittle.
Avoid direct sunlight
Regardless of the type of upholstery your gaming chair has, make sure not to keep the chair in direct sunlight. This is because exposure to direct sunlight can lead to color fading, brittleness, and cracking of upholstery materials over time.
Wipe off spills immediately
If you accidentally spill drinks or foods on your gaming chair, it’s important to wipe them off immediately. Doing this helps in preventing the spills from turning into stubborn grimes which can be difficult to clean. Stubborn grimes can also cause patches of color fading.
Protection from sweat stains
If you live in a hot region, the chances of your gaming chair getting dirty from sweat stains are high. To avoid this, keep a bath/body towel on the backrest (including the lumbar cushion) of the chair before sitting.
Lubricate the movement joints
Similar to office chairs and orthopedic chairs, there are several movement joints in gaming chairs, including back sway hinge, gas cylinder, height adjuster, and armrest pivots. Apply lubricating oil on these parts to make sure your gaming chair functions as new.