Clean Gunk Off of an Optical Computer Mouse

Is your optical mouse not working correctly? Your optical mouse may be dirty. Although this process is different from that of a trackball-mouse, it has some similarities to them. In this article, you'll find out how to clean one of these mice.

Steps

  1. Grab all needed things. Keep these items nearby.
  2. Take your mouse off of the mouse pad (if present) and unplug it from the computer.
  3. Turn your mouse over, so the bottom is facing up.
  4. Dip a cotton swab/Q-tip into rubbing alcohol, to clean each of the mouse's little "feet". You'll see how there are (or should be) thin, rubbery feet on the mouse. These rubbery feet collect dirt and dust over a few days/weeks of use time.
  5. Use a toothpick to clean the area around these rubber feet. Try to keep to the advice to always use 1 new toothpick for every "foot" of the mouse. Be very careful. If you need to, have someone else hold a magnifying glass above the rubbery foot, while you clean the foot with the toothpick. Remember that the tip of the foot will also have dirt and dust, so check there as the most-important portion of this process.
  6. Clean the center "eye" of the mouse with another cotton-swab/Q-tip. Make sure to get into the groove of this eye, but do not press too hard or rub on this eye too much, as this will scratch the eye, and cause the shield to shatter over-time. A few light swipes every few weeks will effectively clean this mouse, and keep it working for it's working time.
  7. Use a cotton-like (like Kimberly-Clark 's Viva) paper towel, soaked in water to clean the rest of the bottom of the mouse.
  8. Use a hair dryer to dry the bottom of the mouse.
  9. Take another toothpick and clean the groove in between the two/three mouse buttons. Do not press too hard, as pieces of the wooden toothpick will shatter, and cause the mouse to falter to an early death.
  10. Clean the mouse-wheel using toothpicks around the edges, along with the exterior of the mouse-wheel itself. Wipe from left to right.
  11. Place the mouse to the side.
  12. Clean the mouse pad with another paper towel and water (if a mouse pad is currently present).
  13. Return the mouse to it's normal position on the mouse pad.
  14. Take a wet cloth with a little bit of rubbing alcohol and clean the cord (if a cord is present). Rub the cord from the mouse all the way towards the cord's end that should be connected to either the computer's mouse port, technically called a "PS/2 socket", or one of the computer's USB ports. If the mouse is a USB model (most newer ones are), it does not matter which USB port it is connected to.



Tips

  • If the mouse button does not depress at any point, and stays depressed, it's time for a new mouse. Optical mice are becoming cheaper, as wireless mice become more-available to the marketplace.

Warnings

  • Do not open the mouse's back-shield. This will not only void the warranty, but also cause the interior workings to become dusty from airborne dust particles, which will thereby cause the circuit boards from working correctly, when reassembled.

Things You'll Need

  • optical computer mouse that needs a cleaning
  • several cotton swab/Q-tips (brand is irrelevant)
  • 6-7 toothpicks
  • 91%-based rubbing alcohol
  • paper towels
  • hair dryer
  • water

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Sources and Citations

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