That slow spot is permanent.

Probably not.

It’s a mix of wrist oils, dead skin, and constant friction from your mouse glides. That stuff gets embedded into the fibers, and over time the surface gets matted down. You can try washing it with warm water and mild soap—scrub gently, let it air dry—but if the fabric is physically compressed, it won’t recover. Hard pads (plastic or glass) don’t have this problem as much, but they develop their own uneven wear.

If you want to squeeze a few more months out of it, cleaning is worth a shot. But in my experience, once a cloth pad has a distinct slow spot, it’s already dying. The texture is gone, and no amount of scrubbing brings it back.

Buy a new one. Your aim will thank you.