Poker tables come with a variety of cloth types on the surface of the table. They range from inexpensive felt to the more expensive suited speed cloth. Suited speed cloth is a material that is smooth and allows the cards to glide across the surface rather than to get hung up on high naps of some cloths such as felt. During your poker game, there are bound to be times when someone spills a drink or touches the cloth surface with greasy fingers. It is not too much of a fun night when you make your poker-playing pals move away from the table to eat and then wash and dry their hands thoroughly before coming back to the table. Then again, you do not necessarily want your guests to think your poker table is a free-for-all food fighting table either. There must be a compromise. There is! You can have your regular poker night, have snacks and have fun just by learning what it takes to clean the cloth on the poker table.
Make Cleaning Your Poker Table a Routine
After every game of chance, make sure that you brush off your table of crumbs and small particles of food or other debris. You might consider using a soft brush or a microfiber towel. You can also use a pumice stone to reduce the pilings of felt that will accumulate on the surface. Take great care, though not to remove too much of the surface at it will ultimately deteriorate.
First Step: How to Clean a Poker Table
Vacuum off the surface with hand held a vacuum to remove crumbs and other loose debris. Do not use a powerful vacuum because you will lift the speed cloth or felt right off the table’s surface. If you do not have a hand held vacuum, use a brush attachment on a regular vacuum. If you feel more comfortable staying away from a potentially damaging vacuum, pick up crumbs with folded low tack masking tape. Do not use an overly sticky tape because it will pull up the fabric fibers and not let the card smoothly glide over the surface.
How Moisture Can Damage Your Felt Poker Table
Do use coasters. Speed cloth is usually coated with water resistant chemical and the beverage will not soak into the fabric, but why take chances. Felt is not coated and sweating beer bottles or mixed drinks can penetrate through the felt. The moisture can damage the poker table, especially if there is pressboard or particleboard under the felt. The pressboard or particleboard will absorb the water and create an uneven playing surface.
Remove stains from speed cloth with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Rub the eraser gently until the stains are gone.
Do not let fellow poker players eat messy foods like pizza or hot wings on the poker table because these types of foods will lead to messy stains and may up ruining your poker table.
Feed your guests away from the table or give them foods like pretzels or unbuttered popcorn. Stay away from greasy chips, dips and salsa.
