remove button vomit

November 6, 2007 5:08 PM

I got a little residue UNDER the mousepad button of my black MacBook! Now there is an annoying resistance and slight scraping sound whenever I click on anything. Is there a way to clean under the button? Maybe a way to remove it, then replace it?

Believe it or not, I actually threw up right next to my MacBook yesterday - and a little got on the mousepad and button. I've found all kinds of articles about cleaning the mousepad externally, but I need to get under the button. This click sound and extra resistance is driving me nuts. Thanks for your suggestions.

posted by crapples to computers & internet (4 comments total)

Mine did this a few weeks ago.

In a surprising twist on the usual way these sort of things go, losing my temper and clicking the crap out of it repeatedly every now and then has cured it.

Life can be strange, I hear...
posted by Brockles at 5:35 PM on November 6, 2007

I have also had success with getting really irritated and clicking the crap out of it repeatedly.

If you live near an Apple store and have AppleCare, you could also take it there and see if you could get a sympathetic Genius to fix it. Worth a try, anyway.
posted by streetdreams at 6:45 PM on November 6, 2007

This happened to my macbook after 7-8 months of heavy use. Keep clicking through it and it'll go away.
posted by tylermoody at 7:27 PM on November 6, 2007

This is not by any means an expert solution. But I know that Nature's Miracle is used to clean up cat vomit, and it's just enzyme stuff. For all I know, it could make things worse ... but I wonder if trying to put a little of the Nature's Miracle stuff (which you can pick up at any local pet store) in the same spot where the vomit is (perhaps via a Q-tip) might dissolve the vomit that's causing the problem?
posted by WCityMike at 10:05 PM on November 6, 2007