Freedom, If the cooling fins inside the laptop are covered in dust and/or hair, the cooling pad will not work. Many Acer's have an access panel on the bottom thaat will expose the cooling assembly for the processor and the GPU if it comes with a discrete GPU. If you know someone who can do it, the best way is to remove the cooling assembly, clean the radiator, then repaste the pad back to the processor. If you don't have someone to do that, then simply use can air to blow out all the dust. Be careful not to damage the fan by spinning it up. I would not recommend using a vacuum cleaner due to static. Also, once you do open the bottom, just momentarily touch the chassis to discharge any static.
Most laptops are designed to run fine without a laptop cooler although those are great to keep the intake vents clear when using them on your lap or any other uneven soft surface. Cleaning out the dust from the radiators will drop your temps considerably.
Google your model number for a manual if you don't have one and it will say if there is an access panel. Simply blowing can air into a vent from the outside of the laptop just pushes the dust back into the laptop and the fan will just send it back to the radiator.
Hope this helps.