How to Clean Old Ball Style Computer Mouse

If your old computer mouse has a ball in the bottom of it cleaning it and the mechanism inside that it rolls around on can get rid if the jerkiness you may be experiencing with your computer. Give them a clean and you'll probably notice a significant difference.

Really you should get a new optical mouse. A cheap good quality optical mouse can be bought for $20.00. They are far better than the old ball mice. But in the meantime.

But first Clean your mouse's bottom!

It's probably best to turn your PC off before you do this, although I seldom do.

Turn your mouse over, if it has a ball you'll see a wee bit of it poking out the bottom or a round hole where it does. There is usually a disc around the ball that you twist a quarter off a turn or so to remove. The ball will then fall out and roll under the nearest piece of heavy furniture, head down to your nearest electrical shop and buy a new optical mouse.

If it doesn't give it a wash with a damp cloth. Now heck inside the hole in your mouse. You'll find two or three wheels and/or rollers that the mouse runs on. They are probably covered in gunk, the same gunk that collects on the bottom. Scratch it off, I use my finger nail, you probably want to use a thin flat blade off a small pocket knife or some other bit of small flat metal.

Invariably bits will drop off into the inner workings, give it a few sharp taps on your desk to clean them out, give it a shake and a few more taps.

You might find that after this it is actually worse to use. Open it up again and make sure you've got all the stuff off the roller/wheel from right around it and from both ends, and make sure you've shaken all the loose gunk out.

Better yet "Get a mouse with glasses".