# Optical mouse rubbing on desktop - problem? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-mouse-rubbing-on-desktop-problem/381102 "2006-11-20T03:54:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-mouse-rubbing-on-desktop-problem/381102/1 "2006-11-20T03:54:26Z")
So, my Logitec optical wheelmouse (a very nice mouse, BTW) has lately started making “rubby” sounds as I move it around on my desktop, and indeed, feels like it’s rubbing on something every once in a while. When I look on the bottom, there seems to be a layer of some kind of easily-scraped off black stuff. Is there a way to get the mouse to stop doing that, and is it a problem if I don’t fix it? Would just using a mousepad fix this whole thing? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-mouse-rubbing-on-desktop-problem/381102/2 "2006-11-20T04:09:22Z")
Logitech optical mice typically have four small glide pads on the bottom that slowly accumulate dirt. Gentle scraping and cleaning with alcohol pads or alcohol on a cloth should take care of your problem. What is the surface of your desk? I have a hard surface that can be cleaned with alcohol and I do so as needed. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-mouse-rubbing-on-desktop-problem/381102/3 "2006-11-20T05:14:28Z")
[QUOTE=Raguleader] …there seems to be a layer of some kind of easily-scraped off black stuff. [/QUOTE] Easily scrape off said black stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-mouse-rubbing-on-desktop-problem/381102/4 "2006-11-20T05:47:40Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Logitech optical mice typically have four small glide pads on the bottom that slowly accumulate dirt. Gentle scraping and cleaning with alcohol pads or alcohol on a cloth should take care of your problem. What is the surface of your desk? I have a hard surface that can be cleaned with alcohol and I do so as needed. Jim [/QUOTE] If the glide pads are still there, they appear to have been worn down. My desk is a wooden desk, doesn’t seem to be all that dirty (but then, I’ve only been using it for a few months now, and anything on the mouse might predate that. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-mouse-rubbing-on-desktop-problem/381102/5 "2006-11-20T05:58:24Z")
[QUOTE=Raguleader] If the glide pads are still there, they appear to have been worn down. My desk is a wooden desk, doesn’t seem to be all that dirty (but then, I’ve only been using it for a few months now, and anything on the mouse might predate that. [/QUOTE] A wooden desk is not an ideal surface for a mouse, nor is it a good idea to alcohol wash a wooden desk. You might wish to use some sort of mouse pad. I prefer no mouse pad for optical mice, but I do not use a wooden desk. I found a [picture of the bottom of an optical mouse](http://static.flickr.com/9/11604392_9c74086b13_m.jpg) similar to my own. Note the four glide pads are small and very shallow. My pads pick up dirt and require cleaning often at home where I have kids and cats. At work I have cleaned my mouse less than once per year. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-mouse-rubbing-on-desktop-problem/381102/6 "2006-11-20T07:13:10Z")
The pads will just fall off before they wear down, so if you can’t recognize them, they’re gone. My mouse here on my office computer has been missing one of its pads for rather a while, such that that corner of the bottom of the mouse has worn smooth, and checking just now, I see that another one has gone, and that corner is starting to wear now, too. The black grunk is a mixture of sweat and dust. It won’t hurt anything, unless it accumulates to the point that it covers the little window on the bottom (and even that’ll be fixed easily). It used to be a much bigger problem back when mousen had balls; the grunk would be carried up into the body of the mouse by the ball, and accumulate on the rollers inside, resulting in very erratic response of the mouse (it wouldn’t move in one direction, or not past some line in one direction, or the like) until you took the thing apart to clean it. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-mouse-rubbing-on-desktop-problem/381102/7 "2006-11-20T14:03:31Z")
The ‘pads’ on my Logitech mouse are also worn off. To the point that it did not glide very well. ---- Easy solution. Take a small sticky note, fold it in half and stick it to the bottom of the mouse (of course don’t cover the lazer). This makes the mouse glide much better, and is easy to replace every few day’s or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-mouse-rubbing-on-desktop-problem/381102/8 "2006-11-20T17:38:34Z")
Or you can buy replacement teflon pads for the bottom of your mouse… [Link](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817114179)