How to Clean a Mouse Ball

Remove the plate that retains the ball. Just twist it in the direction of the arrow.

Remove the mouse ball.

Keep it dust-free. The enemy of the mouse is dust. Over time, dust and lint spin into fairly solid strings that eventually gum up the mouse motion. Some mice use more spring-loading ticks than others to keep the rollers in contact with the ball, so keep an eye to see if any springs are popping out. In most cases, mice are built to be very rugged and there's nothing to hurt during a cleaning. The cup shape in the center is just to help position the ball in the mouse.

Typically you don't need to clean the mouse ball, only the little wheels you see inside. Usually a paperclip will do, but if it's really dirty you can use a knife. Or, you can moisten the tip of a Q-tip (cotton swab) with rubbing alcohol to clean off the dirt. Use tweezers to remove any strands of hair near the wheel rollers. If there appears to be gunk on the ball, a rag and a little rubbing alcohol will take it right off.

This step is optional but will drastically reduce the amount of dirt that the mouse will pick up. Take a Philips screwdriver and remove the screw on the bottom of the mouse. Some models will have the screw under the label. Gently lift off the top of the mouse by pulling it up and back. The inner parts are now exposed. Clean all of the hair and dirt that has accumulated inside the mouse. Now get some white grease or silicone grease, the kind used on garage doors or other hinges. Take a Q-tip and spray this grease on it. Gently apply this grease to the edges where the rollers meet the plastic casing of the mouse. This creates a more snug fit for the rollers which prevents uneven dust buildup and delays buildup. All ball mice have grease installed when they are new but as they are used, the factory grease dries up or slips out of where it was placed.

Put it back together. After you're done, put the mouse ball back and lock it.

If you find that the mouse still sticks/jumps, the problem may be that the rubber ball has become too smooth due to age. You can rough up the ball for better traction by using a kitchen scouring pad. Remove the ball from the mouse. Moisten a kitchen pan scouring pad(usually a dark green coarse pad) and place it on the counter. Then rub the ball on the scouring pad, hitting all sides. Rinse the ball, dry it, and place it back in the mouse.