Tip: How To Clean The Apple Mighty Mouse Ball

January 22nd, 2008

Mighty Mouse

I have a love-hate relationship with Apple’s Mighty Mouse. When I first bought one, my right hand literally started cramping up from the multi-directional mini track ball. But a few months ago my Kensington mouse died, and I now can’t be without a scroll wheel, so I’ve been using the Mighty Mouse again.

However it recently began acting not-very-mighty as the tiny track ball started only scrolling up and not down, and then refused to do anything at all. Most likely some dust or fuzz got stuck in there. And due to the closed nature of the mouse, there is no clear way to clean it.

The tip that got things going is very simple: Just turn the mouse upside down so the ball is facing the floor. Then rub it vigorously in one direction, then the other, with a lint-free cloth. While doing this you can also blast the track ball hole with a can of compressed air.

Here’s a video from Apple:

After a minute of this, my Mighty Mouse was back to scrolling nirvana.If this doesn’t work for you, try sticking some Scotch tape in the ball hole or you can also just take the darned thing apart. But due to the time-consuming and invasive nature of the latter — please try the upside down cloth rubbing air blasting method first.

8 Comments

  1. […] biztechnow wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt […]

  2. […] webomatica wrote an interesting post today on Tip: How To Clean The Apple Mighty Mouse BallHere’s a quick excerptI have a love-hate relationship with Apple’s Mighty Mouse. When I first bought one, my right hand literally started cramping up from the multi-directional mini track ball. But a few months ago my Kensington mouse died, and I now can’t … […]

  3. kat says:

    OK fine, that is how you clean the mighty mouse. But I shouldn’t have to do it EVERY DAY! I absolutely hate this piece of crap and I will definitely replace it.

  4. […] feel the current Mighty Mouse with its little trackball is one of the worst Apple products ever — I got cramps using it, and then the ball jammed up and I couldn’t keep it clean. I eventually gave up and am now using a much better Logitech mouse. So, I’d be totally […]

  5. Tired of whiners says:

    Too much Cheeto particles can do that.

  6. […] such a solid product line, Apple can focus on the little stuff. I’ve never been a fan of the Mighty Mouse; the tiny ball kept clogging with dirt. So Apple’s new Magic Mouse is button-less touch with multi-touch features. It looks cool and […]

  7. […] better than the previous, Mighty Mouse, which I disliked, specifically that dirt-prone track ball. The Magic Mouse eschews the ball for a glassy, flat touch surface, intentionally similar to the […]

  8. […] just might kill the venerable mouse. This may be the ultimate solution for Apple’s difficulty in creating a decent mouse - replace it with something better, like touch, or waving hands in front of an […]