It is interesting to note that most computer users don’t bother with simple maintenance tasks. I find it difficult to believe that these are the same folks that get disgusted when it rains and they get mud on their car...but it’s true! When working in the world of the GUI (Grapical User Interface), we do have to use certain tools. These tools, if dirty, do not work well. The keyboard is one of the abused items. It usually contains more cookie crumbs that we have in our cookie jar! This is because most of us eat around our computers, whether it is at home, at work, or at school. In all cases, this is a problem. Computer input devices don’t need to be fed, even if we THINK they do. What follows are my simple fixes for what I like to call Dirty Old Nasty Trash Syndrome or DON’TS for short. The keyboard is the easiest to fix. With the computer OFF, disconnect the keyboard. Go over to the trashcan. Turn the keyboard upside down (keys facing the trash can). Shake vigorously (the keyboard, not your body). You may gently tap on the back to help to dislodge stuff from the keyboard. Place the keyboard on a table or other flat surface and wash off the keys with a LIGHTLY dampened cloth. DO NOT use a wet cloth as (water + junk in keyboard + electrical circuits)=dead keyboard. Take freshly cleaned keyboard back to the computer, plug it in, power up and resume computing. Repeat this process at least once every two months to insure trouble-free keyboard operation. The mouse is one item that suffers from DON’TS worse than any other and it can drive you near insanity - especially if you don’t know what is wrong. The big culprits are dirt, oil, hair and sugar. There are more types of pointing devices, such as mice with a tracking ball, trackballs and optical mice to name a few. I will address the three types I have mentioned, and leave care of other types out for simplicity. External Cleaning For virtually every mouse out there, wipe down with a paper towel moistened with rubbing alcohol. You can also use a MOIST washcloth with mild detergent on it as well. Old Style Mouse The old style mouse has a rubber ball in it. The rubber ball is what rolls and turns two small wheels and an idler around to tell the computer where you want to point. The biggest culprit for this type of mouse is hair. Long human or animal hair are the worst, but little short hairs, like eyelashes create unique problems of their own. The symptoms are erratic cursor movement across the screen, or having to roll the mouse around a LOT just to get it to go anywhere. The solution for this problem is to flip the mouse on its “back” and open the ball cover - it is usually marked with an arrow and can easily be opened by turning the cover one-quarter turn. After the cover is opened, pull the ball out and inspect it. The hairs usually are stuck to the ball - long hairs often wrap themselves around the ball multiple times. Be patient and careful removing these and you will be happier for it. If the hair has worked its way up into the wheels, pull it out carefully to avoid breaking it. You really don’t want to have to take the mouse apart unless you have to. If your mouse still has trouble after removing the hair, go to “The Brady Method of Mouse Cleaning.” Trackballs With most trackballs, you just have to lift the ball out of the center, then manually remove any hairs. Be careful of long hairs that are wrapped around the wheels. Be careful removing these and you will be happier for it. If the hair has worked its way up into the wheels, pull it out carefully to avoid breaking it. You really don’t want to have to take the mouse apart unless you have to. To get the oil and dirt out of the wheels, see my note just below the “Brady Method” of Mouse Cleaning. Optical Mice These are relatively trouble-free, but they sometimes get junk on the bottom of them. Use the “Brady Method” to clean off the junk on them and you should be good to go. The optical mouse can get hairs up in it. Clean it by removing them by hand, just like the other mice. The “Brady Method” of Mouse Cleaning I came up with this idea one day and I have never heard ANYONE else that has given this method, so I named it after me! It is based on one simple principle - why not clean the mouse the same way you got it dirty? Take a full size paper towel and fold it into half lengthwise, then in half by width. The towel should now be one quarter its normal size. Place the towel on your desk. Place one capful of rubbing alcohol in the middle of the towel. Place your mouse on the towel and move your mouse around on it in a circular motion. This should remove the dirt and oil in the same manner that they got on the ball. Note: This method removes grit from the bottom of the mouse, so it works well for optical mice, too Note: This method only works for moderate dirt. If there are balls of dirt and oil on the wheels, you will HAVE to pull the mouse ball and scrape the worst of the stuff off with a small standard screwdriver. Then put rubbing alcohol on a q-tip and roll the wheel by twisting the q-tip. This may take several q-tips and a fair amount of time, but you SHOULD HAVE cleaned the mouse sooner!

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