If you are looking for an easy, fast, and no-nonsense way to add some style to your desk and your office space, then you might need to get a desk mat. They can protect your desk from imprints and scratches, can provide a comfortable surface for you to rest your forearms on, and can make sure that you will be able to work on a non-stick surface that won’t cause all your items to roll off your desk.
If you’ve decided that you want the usefulness of a desk mat without losing the beautiful look of the desk surface, then a clear desk mat could be very helpful to you. However, even by narrowing down the desk mats to that, you’ve still got a lot of options to pick from. So here are some of the best clear desk mats that you can use for your home office.
The Best Clear Desk Mats
LovePads 1.5mm thick 12 X12 Clear Desk Cover
This pad from LovePads acts almost more like a tablecloth than a desk pad as it is quite large. However, it more than does its job well when protecting your desk. The clear plastic allows you to see everything underneath the desk without squinting, and the 1.5 mm thick cover is heavy enough to stay in place no matter what happens. Whether the fan is blowing or you are shifting around in your seat, you will be able to know that this is secure.
It is also heat resistant as well, and can protect your desk and any items underneath from scratches, scuffs, stains, and spills! If the pad does get dirty, then you can just wipe it down with a damp cloth and then remove all the stains as if they were never there.
Finally, if you find that 12 x 12 is a little big for your desk and the company doesn’t have a correct size that you can order, then it is very easy to just cut out the size you need for your desk. Just take a pencil, ruler, and some scissors and just cut up what you need.
Pros:
- Easy to clean
- Able to fit on any desk (with adjustments)
- Waterproof and durable
Cons:
- Not made specifically for desks
Oterri Clear Writing Desk Pad
This desk pad comes in all sizes from 24 inches to 14 inches, all the way to 36 inches by 60 inches, so no matter what you need to cover up your desk, you will have it! It is waterproof and oil-proof, and all you need is a simple washcloth to scoop up any spills. It’s also very durable and made from strong PVC to protect your desk from scratches and scuffs.
It also has a round edge design that prevents you from cutting your hands or pricking yourself on the corners, which always seems to happen whenever you are writing with normal desk pads. Also, you won’t need to worry about this desk pad shrinking, curling, yellowing, or otherwise causing problems for you as you use it more and more. It even has high heat resistance, so you can place your hot cup of coffee on top of it
Now, it isn’t just a thick sheet of plastic like some other desk pads and is instead a desk pad that is a rolled-out sheet of plastic. It comes with 4 adhesive disks that allow you to stick the corners down over your desk, and by leaving it out in the sun you can also encourage it to lie flat.
Pros:
- Comes in various sizes
- Smooth and often barely noticeable
- Curved edges to avoid injuries to your hands
Cons:
- Can be hard to make flat as it can roll up
- Some mice don’t work on it and need a separate mousepad
Awnour Clear Desk Pad Blotter
The Awnour Clear Desk Pad Blotter is a desk pad that comes with a lot of benefits. It comes in both 32×16 and 34×17 sizes, and both sizes are made from premium quality PVC material. If you want to protect your desk from scuffs, marks, scratches, and stains this is the best desk protector to work with.
It comes in a textured and frosted design that is anti-slip, giving you a stable pad to place things on or under while not having to worry about the pad flying out from under you! It also has a rounded edge that keeps your arms safe from injury as well, and the more comfortable you are at your desk the more you are going to work at it!
Also, in some cases, people try to use these clear desk mats as mousepads, which can give you mixed results as some of them can be very good and others can mess up the mouse’s signal and mess things up for you. With this desk pad, you get the pad itself as well as a mousepad for free. The mouse pad is a simple and small black mouse pad that will rest beside the desk mat, and it is a pretty good mouse pad.
It is textured on one side to help with the anti-slip coating, but if you place photos or other lists underneath the mat to see them, the texture won’t mess them up. You might find that they are a bit blurry, but it won’t impact anything.
Pros:
- Anti-slip and slightly textured
- Comes in two sizes and with included mousepad
- Round edges keep your hands comfortable
Cons:
- Doesn’t always come flat in the packaging, so it can be hard to make flat
Glacier Mat Reinforced Glass
Finally, while these mats are typically made from PVC and plastic, this Glacier Mat is made from glass, but it will hold up just as well as plastic and is very durable. You don’t need to worry about it being broken, scratched, discolored, or otherwise damaged as you work on it. It does have robust corners to make sure that you are not hurt while putting your hands onto it, and it is not only durable enough to be written on but written on!
You can use markers and sharpie to write on the glass to give yourself reminders and it won’t slip underneath you. Additionally, along with its regular stability, you can use silicone pads as well, which will also keep it stable as you are working. The glass is also very heat resistant as well, protecting your desk from heat damage as well.
This allows you to have a beautiful covering for your desk as well, and it is also very easy for you to clean. Whether you want to wipe off stains or spills or erase what you have written on the glass, you will be able to do so. Additionally, it won’t leave any marks on the wood as well, and for most people, it is very well packaged so it won’t break in transit.
The Best Features Of Clear Desk Mats
One of the best things that any clear desk mat needs to do is it needs to be protective. Whether you want to protect the wooden or metal surface of your desk from the hazards of your day-to-day life, or if you want to place something underneath these mats to protect them, you need something to be very durable.
So make sure to take a look at the durability of your desk mat as well. Also, look at the corners of your desk mat. You might not think that the rounded corners that every desk mat is praising are such a good idea, but whenever it comes down to it, you need to try them out. Trust those mats, because rounded corners make a real difference whenever you need to rest your forearms on a sheet of plastic for however many hours you happen to be working!
The size of the mats is also a factor you need to consider. Do you want a mat that is going to cover your entire desk, or do you want a mat that is going to just cover a small portion of your workspace? Depending on your needs you could need more of a mat to cover your space.
Ease Of Setup And Use
One of the biggest features is that you need to have the desk mat be easy to set up. No one likes constantly having to fiddle with their desk mats over and over again throughout the workday, so if you can you should try to get mats that are clear blocks of plastic. Mats that are rolled up or folded up pieces of plastic are often hard to get perfectly flat and they can be a little bendy or rolled up during your workday.
So look at formats that are going to be very easy to use. You can just place them down, set your items on top of them or behind them, and then get started with your work instead of fighting to keep them down.
Best Clear Desk Mats FAQ
Answer: The only reason you would need a desk mat is to make sure that your desk and the things on top of it (but under the mat) remain protected. If you are a messy person and your desk is littered with crumbs, spills, and debris, then you probably need a desk mat. If you have a beautiful desk that you want to have kept free from coffee rings, pen marks, and debris then you probably need an easily cleanable desk mat.
However, if you are not a messy person and do not hold any great love for the cleanliness of your desk, then you can simply forget about using a desk mat unless you decide you want one because it makes your forearms feel good. Keep in mind if you need one or not because it is a truly optional feature.
Answer: Some people like to just have their desk mat defend their desk, but for others, they like having their desk mat act as a form of lamination to protect items from stains and dirt. People might slip their family photos, their to-do lists, their important notes, and other items behind a desk mat to keep them safe. You can if you want to as there is no wrong or right way to do this, and it might even help you hit your to-do list items because you are staring at them all day.
If your mat is frosted or has any sort of texture to it you might notice that a few of the items you place behind the mat can be a little blurry or frosted over, but for the most part, you should be fine with this as it shouldn’t stop you from seeing what is on the text anyway. Keep that in mind if you are getting a frosted mat.
Answer: After a while, your desk mat is going to get a little filthy, and you might be wondering how on earth you should clean it. For most dry crumbs and dirt, you can take the mat outside or over a trashcan and just shake it off. For stains, you should use a wet paper towel or washcloth to wipe them off. Then it doesn’t cause any harm to just rinse the entire desk mat in the sink and then either dry it or leave it out to dry.
Other than that simple maintenance, you don’t need to do too much to maintain your desk mat. If it is made out of very durable material (which nearly all desk mats are) you shouldn’t have to worry about them ripping or getting damaged otherwise. Keep it well maintained and you won’t even need to worry about it losing its charm for several years. You might even be able to pass it down to your kids!