Over months of dragging across your mousepad, the Teflon (PTFE) feet on the bottom of your mouse experience friction wear. They get scratched, thin, and begin collecting sticky grime, making mouse movements feel sluggish or rough.

Replacing your worn mouse skates is a cheap and highly effective modification that restores a smooth, frictionless "out-of-the-box" glide. Here is how to replace them.

1. Choose Your Replacement Skates

When purchasing new skates, choose from the following materials:

• 100% Virgin Grade PTFE: The industry standard (like Tiger Ice, Corepad, or Hyperglide). Offers a highly consistent, smooth, and controlled glide.
• Glass Skates: Extremely fast, frictionless glide (like Superglide). Great for tracking games but can wear down cloth mousepads quickly and suffer from humidity changes.

2. Remove the Worn Skates

Use a hairdryer on medium heat for 20-30 seconds to warm up the skate adhesive. Use a plastic pry tool or a wooden toothpick to gently lift the edge of the old skates and peel them off.

**Important:** Ensure you remove the double-layer black adhesive residue left behind in the skate pocket. The plastic mouse bottom must be visible before placing new skates.

3. Clean the Skate Pocket

Dip a cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol and scrub the skate pocket to clear any remaining adhesive residue. Let it dry completely for 1 minute.

4. Apply the New Skates

Peel the backing off the new skates and press them firmly into the pockets. Apply uniform pressure with your thumb for 15 seconds to ensure the adhesive binds. Many PTFE skates have a thin, protective plastic film on the glide surface—remember to peel this film off before placing the mouse on your pad!