Years ago, I forget how many, my sister somehow came into possession of one of your mouse rugs. I remember visiting her apartment and seeing that magnificent mousepad on her desk (it was the first time I'd seen one), and talk about coveting...boy, did I ever covet! Finally, years later, my aunt sent me one for Christmas (a purely unsolicited gift! How she knew I wanted one, I don't know). This had to have been about four years ago. I enjoyed the rug for a few years, then tragically spilled a drop of hot wax on it. I was convinced it was destroyed, because I would pick at the wax with my fingernail and it would only behave the way wax does on a real rug...it turned white, and it flattened, but it did not come out of the fiber. I refused to get rid of my rug, though, and would position the mouse in such a way that you couldn't really see the wax. Eventually, I had to break down and buy a new mouserug. The wax spot was driving me nuts. It arrived today, and I didn't order it from you, but that was because I hadn't seen the bottom of my mouse rug in all the years I owned it! Keep going, though - there's more. Attracted anew to the idea of a mouserug upon arrival of the new one I ordered, I picked my old one up from the desk and, for no reason, really, looked at the bottom, and this is where I finally found your website. After poking around and looking at your options (so beautiful and varied, by the way), I discovered the "winning comments" page. It was there I learned I could actually wash my mousepad in soap and water! Who'd have thunk it? So, I got up, brought my mousepad to the sink, and ran some warm water and hand soap over it. Cleaned it like new! The best part is that the wax slid right off in a sort of goopy mess. WAX! Completely, you-would-never-know-it-was-ever-there OFF. Wax that had been picked at for over a period of months, pushed by my insistent nail deep into the mousepad in my vain efforts to make it go away! Truly amazing. The colors are now back to their vibrant hues (I recommend rinsing/washing the dust off more frequently than once every four years or so, if only to be able to see the bright colors without a dust cover) and the pad is still as soft as ever, with none of the typical, unremovable dirt and oil patches from hands that seem to stain all other materials. Wonderful, wonderful product that absolutely deserves all the coveting it receives. I wish I had come across your website before I ordered this other mouserug (cast into a spare room now that I know the simple trick of washing my favorite one). I don't think this new one could stand up to the same kind of abuse!