When the Mouse IS the Sticky Trap

January 31, 2009 5:39 PM

How to stop my mouse from feeling all greasy and sticky. (Despite the sound of the question, this is in fact SFW.)

My writing partner and I work all day on my computer. He uses the mouse. His nervous habit is to touch his hair. At the end of the day, my mouse has a revolting greasy, sticky feel to it. And rather than be a dick and ask my partner to never touch his hair again, I'd like to know if there's a way that I can simply and quickly clean the mouse when he's done.

It's a Logitech MX-510, so it has smooth plastic and rubberized parts. Both sections get like this, but the rubberized sections more so.

posted by Doctor Suarez to computers & internet (14 comments total)

rubbing alcohol on a paper towel. Evaporates quickly, no residue, smell goes away fast. Also great for getting rid of the gummy residue from adhesive stickers.
posted by jenkinsEar at 5:46 PM on January 31

Biore Daily Cleansing cloths. Made to remove oils from one's face but I've found they do an amazing job of cleaning mice/keyboards too. They are premoistened but not so soggy that they will flood your electronics. Available at just about any drugstore, comes in a discrete little plastic box that you can keep tucked away in a desk drawer and it won't be obvious that you are using them to clean up after his grease.
posted by jamaro at 5:47 PM on January 31

You should go to the drugstore and get some of those miniature packets of alcohol hand wipes (not triclosan but alcohol). Alcohol is a solvent and will dissolve oil. This thread suggests no real problems using alcohol, and if it's just a $15 mouse then I wouldn't worry much about it. The alternate idea is to get a second mouse and just swap yours in.
posted by crapmatic at 5:47 PM on January 31

Unless you want to wipe it down everyday with something like Lysol wipes, perhaps it may be easier to have your own mouse. If they're USB-based rather than PS/2, you should be able to even leave both plugged-in.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 5:47 PM on January 31

Gah, crapmatic beat me to it by seconds.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 5:48 PM on January 31

Might as well go anti-bacterial if you're getting hand wipes.

Remember what Mr Jinx says
'I hate greases to pieces.'
posted by artdrectr at 6:03 PM on January 31

great minds think alike!
posted by crapmatic at 6:33 PM on January 31

Baby wipes.
posted by mkultra at 6:37 PM on January 31 [1 favorite]

Microfiber cloth, like you use to clean glasses and screens.
posted by The Michael The at 6:51 PM on January 31

Be aware that alcohol-based cleaners may have a negative effect on plastic mice.
posted by paulg at 7:03 PM on January 31

Monitor wipes. Sold in most computer stores and Best Buy.
posted by Susurration at 7:30 PM on January 31

I would also suggest something like monitor wipes. Biore ones have stuff in them to treat the skin, too, that leave their own residue. They're also expensive. Alcohol wipes might eventually wipe off the coating of the plastic.
posted by fructose at 7:27 AM on February 1

Clorox wipes or alchohol. Isn't going to hurt anything as long as you let it dry/evaporate before using it again. Been doing this for 20 years... mostly harmless.
posted by zengargoyle at 7:34 AM on February 1

Seconding a second mouse. Even a really nice, quality mouse will run you less than 50 bucks, and now that we live in the USB age, you can connect them both simultaneously.
posted by qvtqht at 6:57 PM on February 20