Direct sunlight will wreck your mousepad.

Yes. Heat and UV rays will do three things: fade the colors, warp the rubber or foam base, and change the surface friction.

Those pretty designs? UV bleaches them in a few months of daily sun. The base — especially cheap rubber — softens in heat and cures into a warped, wavy mess. And the coated cloth or plastic surface can get sticky or brittle, making your mouse drag unevenly.

Keep it out of direct sun. If your desk faces a window, pull the blind in the afternoon, or just get a pad you don’t mind replacing every year.

A twenty-dollar mousepad is not worth babying, but it is worth keeping out of the window.