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LukeAP88 Author

Level 1

5 points

Solution to Dirty Trackball on Mighty Mouse -- NO DISASSEMBLY REQUIRED!

I too have been plagued by the dirty trackball on the Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse. Although I love the mouse, cleaning the trackball as per Apple's instructions had done nothing. I have found a simple way to remove the lint/dirt etc... from inside the trackball WITHOUT disassembly of the mouse!

First, clean the mouse and trackball as according to Apple's instructions.

Next, take a piece of bright white paper, turn the mouse upside down on it, firmly press down on the ball, and vigorously run the mouse quickly up and down, left and right, AND in circles over the paper. After a while (it took me about 1-2 minutes), the lint and dirt that's been building up will break free of the sensors and when you take the mouse off the paper, you'll see everything that you cleaned on the paper -- and the scroll ball will work just like new.

I finished by cleaning it again with a damp, lent-free cloth.

Let me know how this works for you!

iMac 24", Mac OS X (10.5.1)

Posted on Nov 26, 2007 12:34 PM

Top-ranking reply

edopardo

Level 1

5 points

Posted on Dec 9, 2007 3:24 AM

Man I was plagued by dirty trackball... but your tip worked great!

you're a genius

Edoardo

View in context

44 replies

Dizzy D

Level 1

42 points

Mar 21, 2009 1:00 PM in response to LukeAP88

Luke,

I've tried cleaning my mouse a few times to no avail. Saw your post. I guess I wasn't being patient enough. After 2 or 3 minutes, the roller started working again, and all of the junk was visible on the white paper. Sweet tip. Thanks x10!

-Diz.

Anakonda

Level 2

340 points

Mar 29, 2009 3:26 PM in response to LukeAP88

THANKS!!!
Never suspected that much dirt being inside the mouse.

Anakonda

loekie

Level 1

8 points

Jun 6, 2009 5:31 AM in response to Anakonda

I'm on my second mighty mouse. I disassembled the first one and kept doing that every time it got stuck cleaning it alcohol and a small brush. I feared having to do the same with the second one. I rolled it vigorously on my clothes several times but to no avail. The paper solution is a charm, is so stupidly simple. What ever made you think of thia?

:-)))))))) etc.

Paul Delcour

S1 Rob

Level 1

0 points

Jul 20, 2009 5:29 AM in response to loekie

Awesome tip. Been boiling my mind trying to clean this mouse for AAAAAGES, and this fixed it in about 1 minute.

Much e-respect is due 😉

pputnam

Level 3

623 points

Jul 21, 2009 8:00 AM in response to LukeAP88

This upside down trick is very cool. I learned it from an applecare tech a couple of years ago.
Saved me lots of cleaning time.

Jul 22, 2009 2:19 PM in response to LukeAP88

I'm sitting here at Starbucks, wondering if I'll ever be able to use this Mighty mouse reliably. I said, let's try and search Apple discussions one more time. I came across this post.

I grabbed my Starbucks latte receipt, turned it over to the blank side and rubbed the Mighty mouse upside down over it for only 30 seconds, until one small speck of dirt came out. Wow! That was the culprit. I knew the mouse had very small sensors, as the ball itself is so small, but a speck of dirt the size of the point of a needle caused my issues.

Remember the days of cleaning mouse balls, brushing out huge dust balls from the insides? My things have changed!

mikeyz54

Level 1

0 points

Jul 28, 2009 9:21 AM in response to LukeAP88

Simply awesome.
I'm on my 4th or 5th mouse from apple, and it started playing up yet again, after about a month of use.
I decided to see if I could do anything about it without taking it back to the apple store, and voila, I stumbled across this post.

I followed the instructions, and after about a minute, a large chunk of dirt popped out of the mouse.
Switched it back on, and it now functions perfectly!

Thanks!

Sep 19, 2009 2:00 PM in response to LukeAP88

Did it all short of taking it apart or buying a new one.

Then my son read online about using a lint-free microfiber cloth sold for cleaning LCD's and I remembered receiving one with my new iMac for the screen.

My Son placed the microfiber cloth on the wall and rubbed the tracker ball in all directions on it, for about 1 - 2 minutes, and it worked perfect!! Just like new.

Sep 19, 2009 7:18 PM in response to mark1123

Everyone reading this might look in the knowledge base articles for Apple's guidance on how to clean a scroll wheel.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1537

Barry

enahs

Level 1

1 points

Oct 30, 2009 2:34 PM in response to Barry Hemphill

IMHO, there's an easier and quicker approach to cleaning the mouse. Get a can of electrical cleaner spray at your local auto parts store. It won't harm plastic. Use it to wet a few square inches of a thin, lint-free towel. Run the mouse ball around on the wetted area — every way. Now, you are ready to go. Works every time.