How to Clean Pool Table Felt (and Get Stains Out)
Clean pool table felt dry first and damp last. Brush the rails and then the bed in one direction with a soft billiard brush, lift what's left with a low-suction vacuum or a chalk-dust cleaner, and only then touch the cloth with anything wet: a barely damp microfiber towel or a cleaner made for billiard cloth. Simonis, the cloth mill, gives that order for a reason. Water on a dusty table turns chalk into paste.
Spills are a separate job, and speed matters more than product. Blot straight down with a dry towel, never rub, and let the cloth dry completely before anyone plays or the cover goes back on. Below is the full routine, a stain-by-stain table, what to keep off the cloth, and an honest look at the Quick-Clean spray.
How to clean pool table felt, step by step
This is the deep clean. Most weeks you only need steps 2 and 3.
- Clear the table. Everything comes off the bed and the rails. Check the cloth for tears or lifted edges before you start, because a brush or vacuum can catch a loose flap.
- Brush the rails and cushion faces first, so the dust you knock loose lands on cloth you haven't cleaned yet.
- Brush the bed in long, straight, overlapping strokes, all in the same direction, and collect the dust at one end or corner with a cloth or a small dustpan. No circles, no scrubbing back and forth. The technique and the brush to buy are in our pool table brush guide.
- If the break area looks hazy or the cloth plays slow, vacuum: suction turned down, a soft brush head with nothing spinning, held just above the cloth. Our pool table vacuum guide covers which machines are safe.
- Damp-wipe only if you need to. Wring a clean microfiber towel until it's barely damp, or use a cleaner made for billiard cloth, and work in sections with light pressure.
- Let the cloth dry completely, then give it a few light brush strokes. Simonis notes that moisture makes the fibers stand up and a quick brushing smooths them again.
Step 5 is the one people do first, and it's the one that makes things worse. Simonis compares wetting chalk dust to adding water to dry clay: it clumps and smears into the weave. Get the dust off dry, then decide whether you need anything wet at all.
What's safe on billiard cloth, and what isn't
| Use freely | Use with care | Keep off the cloth |
|---|---|---|
| Soft billiard brush (horsehair or a soft nylon blend) | Vacuum with a non-rotating brush head on low suction | Any vacuum with a beater bar or spinning brush |
| Clean microfiber towel, dry | Microfiber barely damp with plain or distilled water | A soaked towel, or water poured on the cloth |
| Simonis X-1 or a similar chalk-dust cleaner | Spray cleaner made for billiard cloth, tested on an edge first | Household cleaners, ammonia, bleach, strong detergents |
| Lint or sticky roller for pet hair | One or two drops of mild dish soap in distilled water (sources disagree, see below) | Steam cleaners, irons, hair dryers and heaters |
| A drop of rubbing alcohol on a cloth for an oil spot, after a hidden-spot test | Stiff scrub brushes and household brooms |
The WPA's equipment specification lists three cleaning tools for tournament tables: a soft horsehair brush, a cloth cleaner made with billiard fabric, and a vacuum without a rotating brush. Brunswick's care page tells owners to avoid household cleaning products because they can damage the cloth, and Seybert's adds ammonia, bleach, strong detergents and steam cleaners to the list.
On soap, the advice splits. Seybert's says a drop or two of mild dish soap in a spray bottle of distilled water is fine for spot cleaning. Sawyer Twain says plain water only and never detergents. Our take: start with plain water every time, because most fresh spills come out with it, and only reach for diluted soap on a stain water didn't move. If the table has good worsted cloth, call a pro before you experiment (see the stain table).
How to clean stains off pool table felt
For a fresh spill, the method is the same whatever the liquid:
- Blot straight down with a dry, absorbent towel or paper towels. Press, lift, move to a clean patch of towel, press again.
- Don't rub. Rubbing pushes liquid deeper into the weave and spreads the ring.
- When the towel comes up dry, dab the spot with a clean cloth barely dampened with plain or distilled water, then blot again. This lifts sugar and dye that would otherwise dry into a dark patch.
- Leave it to air dry. Keep heat away from it, and keep the cover off until it's dry.
| Stain | What to do | Don't |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh drink spill (water, beer, soda) | Blot at once, then dab with distilled water and blot again | Rub, or leave it for later |
| Dried soda, juice or sweet drinks | Dab with distilled water to soften, blot; repeat a few times. A billiard cloth cleaner next if it stays | Scrub the sticky patch |
| Chalk marks and blue haze | Dry methods first: brush, vacuum, X-1. Seybert's suggests a soft eraser on a stubborn chalk mark | Wet it while dust is still on the cloth |
| Oily hand marks or a greasy spot | Seybert's suggests a drop of rubbing alcohol on a cloth, dabbed. Test on a hidden edge first | Pour anything on; use solvents |
| Food crumbs and sauce | Lift solids off with a card or spoon edge, then treat like a drink spill | Press solids into the cloth |
| Pet hair and lint | Lint roller or a reusable sticky roller, then brush | Vacuum at high suction to chase hair |
| Old or unknown stain on worsted cloth (Simonis and similar) | Simonis's advice is to contact a local dry cleaner and tell them the cloth is worsted wool | Experiment with chemicals first |
| White streaks along shot lines | Usually ball burns, not dirt. See below | Scrub them; they won't wash out |
Some stains won't come out, and Seybert's says as much. If a mark has survived water and a cloth cleaner, more scrubbing only roughs up the cloth around it. Live with it, or plan the next refelt around it.
Drying the cloth after any wet cleaning
Press fresh, dry microfiber towels onto the damp area and lift them off. Don't drag them. Swap towels until no more moisture transfers. Seybert's suggests running a room fan for air movement but not aiming it at the table, which is sensible: you want the room to dry the cloth, not a blast of air on one spot.
Heat is the mistake. Sawyer Twain warns that hair dryers and heaters can shrink the cloth, and shrunk wool on a stretched bed pulls unevenly. Leave the cover off until the cloth is completely dry; our pool table covers guide explains why a waterproof cover over damp cloth invites mildew. Brush lightly once it's dry and the nap lies flat again.
Do felt cleaner sprays like Quick-Clean work?
Quick-Clean is a dry-foam spray: you mist it on and wipe it off with a microfiber towel. Its listing says it cleans a table in under 60 seconds, is safe on all types and grades of cloth, and brings older cloth back toward its original color and speed. EverythingBilliards, a table dealer, says it uses Quick-Clean with a microfiber cloth on the Championship Invitational tables it sells and that the cloth is ready to play in about 10 minutes.
Two of the seller's claims deserve a raised eyebrow. The listing pitches the spray as a replacement for brushing and vacuuming and says it extends cloth life by 40 to 50 percent. We found no independent test of that number, and every cloth maker and table maker we read still recommends brushing. Simonis, which sells its own X-1 dust cleaner, says the opposite of Quick-Clean about brushes, and it's selling something too.
Where the spray earns its place: picking up the fine film of chalk dust after the brush and vacuum, and wiping rails. Use it on a table that's already been brushed, mist lightly from a distance rather than soaking one spot, and try it on the rail cloth near a pocket before the whole bed. WPA's specification lists a cloth cleaner as a legitimate tool, so you're not breaking any rule by using one.
Can you wash pool table felt?
No. Don't pull the cloth off to launder it, and don't wet the whole bed. Billiard cloth is mostly wool, it's stretched tight and stapled (or glued) at installation, and a soaking can shrink it, loosen it on the slate or leave it rippled. Once cloth is off the table it rarely goes back on as tight as it came off.
If the cloth is so dirty that only washing seems like the answer, it's usually worn as well as dirty: shiny paths, pilling, bald spots near the break. That's a refelt. Our refelting cost guide covers what it runs, and best pool table felt covers what to put on next.
Worsted or woolen cloth: does the method change?
The routine is the same. What changes is how forgiving the cloth is.
Worsted cloth (Simonis 860 and 760, and similar) is smooth and tightly woven, so chalk sits on top and brushes and vacuums out easily, but marks show on it. Treat stains gently and go to a dry cleaner sooner, as Simonis advises. Woolen cloth (Championship Saturn II, Invitational) is fuzzier, holds chalk deeper in the nap and pills with wear, so it needs the brush more often. Many woolen cloths are Teflon-treated, which makes spills bead for a short while. That buys you time to blot; it doesn't make the cloth waterproof.
How to clean the rest of a pool table
People searching how to clean a pool table usually mean the whole thing. The order that keeps dust moving away from cleaned surfaces is rails, pockets, bed, then wood.
- Rail cloth and cushion faces: brush along each rail and under the cushion nose, where chalk piles up. A rail brush with longer bristles reaches the gap; Pool Table Portfolio suggests wrapping a microfiber cloth over the brush to catch the dust.
- Pockets: by hand, with a slightly damp microfiber cloth. Skip the vacuum crevice tool; it concentrates suction on a small patch and snags liners and netting.
- Wood rails, aprons and legs: a dry or barely damp microfiber cloth, dried right away so no moisture creeps into the rail cloth. Use the wood cleaner your table's maker recommends, and spray polish onto the rag, not the table, so none drifts onto the cloth.
- Balls: dirty balls put grime back on the cloth, and Simonis notes that residue on balls eventually leaves marks. Our how to clean pool balls guide has the method.
When cleaning won't fix it
White marks along the shot lines are usually ball burns, not dirt. Simonis says loose cloth bunches up in front of a rolling ball and makes burns much worse, and that polyester balls leave marks as their own surface breaks down; it recommends harder phenolic balls. No cleaner removes a burn.
Other things a clean won't touch: tears and holes (see how to fix pool table felt), ripples and bubbles from loose cloth (same guide), and cloth that plays slow because the room is damp (our pool table humidity guide). For the full care calendar, from after-session brushing to yearly checks, see how to maintain a pool table.
Sources
- Simonis: cloth care and maintenance (dry before damp, dry cleaner for stains, ball burns)
- Iwan Simonis: Simonis X-1 cloth cleaner
- Brunswick Billiards: table care (no household cleaners)
- Brunswick Billiards: guide to billiard table care and maintenance
- WPA Recommended Equipment Specifications (section 14, cleaning tools)
- Seybert's Billiards Supply: how to clean pool table felt
- Sawyer Twain: billiard table cleaning tips
- Quick-Clean claims: the maker's Amazon listing, checked October 15, 2026.
Our picks
Links open the current selection and price on Amazon so you can compare real reviews before buying.
Mizerak Soft Bristle Pool Table Brush
The dry pass that comes firstA 9-inch brush with soft bristles that the listing says are safe on worsted, woolen and synthetic cloth. Brushing is the step that decides whether the rest of the clean goes well: get the chalk off dry and any damp wipe afterward has nothing to smear.
Check price on Amazon
Quick-Clean Pool Table Felt Cleaner Spray
Lifting the last film of dustA dry-foam spray you mist on and wipe off with microfiber, sold as safe on every type and grade of cloth. It works best after brushing, not instead of it, whatever the label says. Try it on rail cloth near a pocket before the bed.
Amazon price: $19.50 as of 1:24 PM EDT. Price and availability can change; Amazon’s price at purchase applies.
Check price on Amazon
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, 24 Pack
Blotting spills and damp wipingLint-free, non-abrasive 16 by 12 inch cloths that the maker says soak up eight times their weight and wash for reuse. A stack of clean, dry ones is what you want within reach when a drink goes over, because blotting with fresh cloth is most of spill cleanup.
Amazon price: $10.38 as of 1:24 PM EDT. Price and availability can change; Amazon’s price at purchase applies.
Check price on Amazon
Fitted Pool Table Cover
Less cleaning in the first placeMost of what you brush and vacuum off settled there while nobody was playing. A cover keeps dust and pet hair off between sessions. Put it on only when the cloth is dry.
Check price on AmazonFrequently asked questions
What is the best way to clean pool table felt?
Dry first, damp last. Brush the rails and bed in one direction with a soft billiard brush, vacuum lightly with a non-rotating brush head if dust has worked in, and only then wipe with a barely damp microfiber towel or a billiard cloth cleaner. Let it dry fully before play.
Can you wash pool table felt?
No. Don't remove it to launder it and don't soak the bed. Wool cloth can shrink and loosen on the slate. Spot-clean with a barely damp cloth instead, and refelt if the cloth is worn out.
How do I get a stain out of pool table felt?
Blot at once with a dry towel, pressing straight down, then dab with a cloth barely dampened with plain or distilled water and blot again. If it stays, try a cleaner made for billiard cloth on a hidden spot first. Simonis advises taking stains on its worsted cloth to a dry cleaner.
Can I use dish soap on pool table felt?
Sources disagree. Seybert's allows a drop or two of mild dish soap in distilled water for spot cleaning; Sawyer Twain and Brunswick say to avoid detergents and household cleaners. Try plain water first and use diluted soap only on a stain water didn't move.
Can you vacuum pool table felt?
Yes, carefully. Simonis says to use a non-rotating brush head that doesn't build too much suction and to test it off the table first. Never use an upright with a beater bar.
Which direction do you clean pool table felt?
One direction, the same every time, in straight overlapping strokes. Makers differ on which end: Brunswick says toward the pockets, while Seybert's and Sawyer Twain say head to foot. Consistency matters more than the end you pick.
Does Quick-Clean pool table cleaner work?
It does a good job on the fine dust film left after brushing, and one table dealer uses it on the cloth it sells. Its claims to replace brushing and extend cloth life by 40 to 50 percent come from the seller and we found no independent test.
Can I use a steam cleaner on pool table felt?
No. Seybert's lists steam cleaners among the things that damage cloth, and heat plus moisture can shrink wool and loosen it on the bed.
How do I get chalk marks off pool table felt?
Brush and vacuum first, since chalk is a dust and comes off dry. For a stubborn chalk mark, Seybert's suggests a soft eraser. Don't wet chalk while dust is still on the cloth, because it smears into the weave.
How often should I clean pool table felt?
Brush after each session, add a low-suction vacuum pass every week or two on a table that gets regular play, and do a damp clean only when the cloth looks hazy or plays slow. No cloth or table maker we read publishes a fixed schedule.
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