How to clean a 3D-printed fidget (without ruining it)
The right way and the wrong way to keep your fidget looking and feeling new.
Printed fidgets pick up grime fast. Hands, pockets, desks — everything leaves a little residue. Cleaning one takes about 30 seconds and there's a wrong way to do it that we want to talk you out of.
Materials
You need:
- A bowl of warm water
- A drop of dish soap (Dawn, generic, whatever)
- A soft toothbrush or microfiber cloth
That's it. Specifically:
- Not acetone, isopropyl alcohol over 70%, or any harsh solvent — they can cloud or soften PLA
- Not the dishwasher — too hot
- Not boiling water — also too hot for PLA
- Not abrasive scouring pads — they'll scratch the surface
The 30-second clean
- Dip the fidget in the soapy water
- Scrub gently with the toothbrush, especially in the seams and around any moving parts
- Rinse under the tap
- Pat dry with the cloth, or just air-dry on a paper towel
That's it. Do this once a month if you carry it daily, once a quarter if you don't.
For switch-based fidgets (MX Blue, Brown, etc.)
The switch itself is mostly sealed, but you should still avoid getting water inside the switch. Quick wipe of the keycap, soapy toothbrush around the edges, dry quickly. Don't submerge the whole assembly.
For magnetic fidgets
Submerge away — magnets don't care about water and you're not going to demagnetize them. Dry thoroughly though, because corrosion on the steel parts of the housing (if any) is real.
For bearing-based spinners
This is the one to be careful about. Soap and water in a bearing means you've washed out the lubricant, and the bearing will run rough until you re-oil it. Don't submerge a spinner. Wipe the outside, leave the bearing alone. If the bearing is gritty, a single drop of light machine oil (sewing-machine oil, Tri-Flow, Boca Bearings lube) cleans it up.
What about the smell?
PLA can pick up smells from whatever it's been near for long enough. The dish-soap clean usually fixes it. If it doesn't, leave the fidget in a sealed container with a pinch of baking soda for a day or two — it pulls out lingering odors without damaging anything.
What if it's stained?
PLA in light colors can pick up dye stains from denim, leather, or some inks. We're sorry to report there's no good fix once it's stained — that's why we recommend dark colors for EDC carry. Pine green, charcoal, and black hide everything.
If the fidget broke or arrived damaged, that's a different conversation.