Trackball Cleaning (REALLY cleaning it)

[pkopalek]

I was debating whether to append this on the other Trackball Cleaning thread from long ago, but I know no one will read all the way down. Not to mention the off topic banter on it. So here's a new one.

My trackball is now virtually BLACK in color. I didn't clean it at all for a couple of months, and didn't notice, until my GF got an Eris with a bright white trackball, that mine was filthy.

I clean her trackball once or twice per week with a cotton swab and some alcohol, and rub it the best I can with a quality paper towel, and it's stayed white for a month now.

Mine, however, is almost black. Cleaning it this way, at this point, seems like spinning my tires.

Has anyone come up with a good way to clean this trackball, which I assume implies _removing_ it?

I've used hot water + toothbrush, alcohol + cotton swabs, buffing with fiberless cloths, and using a very mild detergent solution for all of the above, and have had no success in making my trackball any cleaner.

I assume it's slightly stained at this point, but it has to get a LITTLE cleaner. This is a porous object. The toothbrush made sense to me, but I really feel like this trackball needs to come out for a good thorough cleaning. I'm considering it, but very worried to try it. Here's what OTD posted for me to try. I haven't been brave enough.

http://androidforums.com/htc-droid-eris/54173-trackball-cleaning.html#post449512

 

[meanm50]

Try denatured alcohol or tech grade alcohol. If those don't work, there is a product that I used when I was an electronic tech for a fire damage electronics company...it's called ink-be-gone. It is fairly powerful stuff, and it can discolor some plastics, but if you are super careful, and don't get any on the phone...you could clean the trackball with it.

Also, heat the phone up. Not like...put the phone in the oven, but the warmer you make the trackball, the more the pores in the plastic open up and release the grime they are holding onto. We used to cook our electronics at about 120 degrees to achieve this. If I can make a completely black Sony Vaio laptop bright grey again with this method, you can make your trackball pearly white as well.

 

[gruss]

I don't see this track ball popping out like a BB. How did you get it so dirty anyway? I work in a factory and my BB balls (tee hee) never turned black. wash your hands occasionally and try some contact cleaner. should be available in auto parts store or rat shack.