20.5 Cleaning a Mouse
No,
we don't put mice through the dishwasher, although
we may try that someday. Optical mice are sealed units, and so
require little more than an occasional wipe with a damp cloth. How
often you need to clean a mechanical mouse depends on your working
environment. When we still used mechanical mice, Barbara, who is a
true neatnik, needed to clean her mechanical mice only every few
months. Robert, who smokes a pipe, needed to clean his mechanical
mice every few days.
The best sign that a mechanical mouse needs to be cleaned is when
mouse movement suddenly becomes jerky or intermittent, particularly
if the problem is limited to one direction. A mouse has two
cylindrical rollers, one each to capture horizontal and vertical
movement, and may also have one or more idler wheels designed to keep
the ball in position. Dirt on these rollers and wheels is normally
the cause of jerkiness and other movement problems. The best way
we've found to clean a mouse requires only a soft
cloth, an old toothbrush, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Take the
following steps:
Dampen the cloth with alcohol and use it to wipe down the mouse cord
and the exterior of the mouse. Remove the plate that retains the ball and allow the ball to drop
into your hand. Use the damp cloth to clean the ball and plate
thoroughly and set them aside. With the mouse upside down and using a strong light, look down into
the hole normally occupied by the ball. Blow or shake out any large
fluff balls or other accumulated trash. Dip the toothbrush in alcohol and use it to scrub the rollers and
wheels thoroughly, making sure to get them clean from end to end and
all around their circumference. Because of the rolling action, hair
and fibers can become knitted in a mat around the rollers, to the
point where they're almost welded to the roller. If
the toothbrush won't remove the mat, use the edge of
a sharp knife gently to break up the mat without
scratching the roller and then use the toothbrush to remove the freed
junk. If the mouse has a wheel, the bottom of the wheel is probably
accessible from within the mouse housing. Use your finger to press
the dampened cloth against the bottom of the wheel while you rotate
the wheel from the top to remove accumulated grunge. While you're at it, use the damp cloth to clean the
mouse pad and the desk immediately surrounding it.
But before you spend much time cleaning an old mechanical mouse,
consider replacing it with a modern optical mouse. Good red-eye mice
are available for less than $20. They're durable,
provide more precise pointing than a mechanical mouse, and need only
an occasional wipe with a damp cloth.
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