How to clean dirt from an optical computer mouse

This wikiHow teaches you how to clean an optical mouse. An optical mouse has a light at the bottom that senses changes in position. Cleaning your optical mouse at least once a month will mitigate problems such as instability, failure to track, and click issues.

Steps

Clean Gunk Off of an Optical Computer Mouse Step 1

Step 1. Gather your supplies

To clean your optical mouse, you will need the following items:

Cotton swab or cloth: to clean dirt from the mouse. If possible, use a microfiber cloth, as it will not leave fibers like a cotton swab would.
Isopropyl alcohol: to clean and disinfect. No use a different cleaning agent (eg Windex). If you don't have rubbing alcohol, use water.
Clean and dry cloths: for dusting and drying.
Toothpicks: to clean dust and other matter from the crevices around the mouse.
Screwdriver: to open the mouse cover. Check your mouse manual or model number online for specific disassembly requirements.
Tweezers- Optional, but useful if you want to remove dust from sensitive places (for example, the mouse circuit board).

Step 2. Disconnect the optical mouse from your computer

This will prevent the mouse from causing a shock if you accidentally touch an electrical component, and it will also prevent the mouse from shorting out if you spill liquid near it.

If your mouse uses batteries, remove the battery before continuing

Step 3. Clean the entire mouse with a dry cloth

This is just to remove any excess dust or grime from the outside of the mouse. You can also dampen the cloth with water if the mouse is sticky or too dusty.

Step 4. Run a toothpick around any indentations in the mouse's body

Doing so will remove any gunk that may be causing problems.

For example, running a toothpick under the buttons may remove any dust that is preventing the buttons from pressing all the way down

Clean Gunk Off of an Optical Computer Mouse Step 5

Step 5. Flip the mouse over

You should see the following things:

Feet- Small rubber pads that are on the corners or sides of the bottom of the mouse.
Sensor: a red or green light covered with plastic or glass.

Step 6. Remove any residue

Using a toothpick, peel off anything that the cloth couldn't remove on the first pass.

Step 7. Dip the swab or cloth in rubbing alcohol

You will use this to clean the dirty parts of the mouse.

Step 8. Squeeze any excess alcohol from the swab or cloth

The cleaning tool of your choice should be slightly damp, but not dripping.

Step 9. Scrub any dusty or grimy areas

Places to clean include the following:

mouse feet
the sides of the mouse
any crevices that you have cleaned with a toothpick

Step 10. Apply rubbing alcohol to a clean swab or section of cloth

It is very important to use a clean surface every time you move from one component to another.

Step 11. Gently clean the mouse sensor

Don't hit the sensor. Instead, rub it with the tip of the cotton swab or a corner of the microfiber cloth. This will clean up any debris or particles that interfere with mouse tracking.

Clean Gunk Off of an Optical Computer Mouse Step 12

Step 12. Let the alcohol dry

It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes for the rubbing alcohol to finish evaporating. If it does, you can use a cotton swab or a dry microfiber cloth to remove the excess.

Step 13. Remove the mouse cover

This step will vary depending on the manufacturer of your mouse. Some mice have a cover that can simply be lifted and removed, while others require you to remove a screw. Check your mouse's manual or model number online to see exactly how to disassemble it.

Step 14. Apply rubbing alcohol to a clean cotton swab or cloth and then wipe the inside of the buttons

The inside of the mouse cover can easily collect skin cells, food residue, dust, hair, and more, so clean these buttons well to remove as much dirt as possible.

Step 15. Remove any foreign matter inside

You will likely find hair or dust spots in the following places:

mouse wheel
the top of the circuit board (use tweezers for this)
the front of the mouse body

Clean Gunk Off of an Optical Computer Mouse Step 16

Step 16. Put the mouse back together once everything is dry

Five to ten minutes after cleaning everything, put the mouse back together and give it one last inspection. By now it should be completely clean.

Step 17. Clean the mouse pad

No matter how clean your mouse is, if the mouse pad is dirty, you will have inconsistent performance and uneven mouse crawling. You can clean the mouse pad with a damp cloth, or you can use a lint brush or roller to remove hair and dust.

If you use a lint roller, you will probably need to clean the mouse pad afterward to prevent sticky residue from forming

Advice

If you have a cheap optical mouse that no longer clicks or tracks properly, consider buying a new one instead.
If you are using a high-end optical mouse (such as a Razer), you may want to take it to a technical service department to have it fixed instead of removing the cover yourself. High-end mice have more complex internal mechanisms than their simpler counterparts.

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