I subscribe to an e-mail mailing list about Samoyed dogs. Not all the postings are about dogs, however. Sometimes people will ask various computer questions, since obviously anyone on an e-mail list must have a computer. In any case, recently a person was complaining about how her mouse had seemingly gone berserk. The cursor would dart all over the screen, freeze up, and do other bizarre things.
As it turned out, the cause of all this weird activity wasn’t Windows or the mouse driver. It was the all too common problem of a dirty mouse. After rolling around in a grungy desk for who knows how long, the innards of your mouse can get quite disgusting. After a while, the ball or the rollers get so covered with crud that the ball doesn’t roll smoothly and your cursor goes nutso.
As one who has four very hairy dogs, I can attest that a household with Samoyeds in it probably has a considerable level of dirt and hair about. I use a pen as my pointing device most of the time, but sure enough, when I opened up the back of my Microsoft mouse, it was filled with fuzz.
Fortunately, cleaning your mouse is easy. First, flip your mouse over and twist off the little cover on the back. You’ll find the ball in there, which is removable. The mouse ball can easily roll out of your hand and onto the floor and under your desk, so be careful with those little rascals.
Once you have the ball securely in your hand, wipe it clean using a lint-free cloth. If you are feeling really ambitious, you can also use water or alcohol to further clean it. The ball is generally rubber or plastic, so water doesn’t hurt it and it might help remove particularly gross crusties.
After the mouse ball is squeaky clean, be sure to dry it off completely before putting it back into the mouse. Liquid and electronics do not mix. If there is dust in the mouse ball chamber, you also can clean that area gently. Pay special attention to the rollers that hold the mouse ball in place. Often a ridge of grunge builds up on them, which can cause erratic mouse behavior as well.
And with that, okay, maybe your house is not a model of cleanliness, but at least your mouse is.