How can I reuse or recycle old mice?
No, no, not the things that run around causing women to stand on chairs and scream in 1960s sitcoms (to paraphrase Douglas Adams), but the computer ones.
From our transistions through the various ages of mice, we’ve got a number of old filthy-rollered mice lying in cupboards around the place. As I mentioned on the old mouse mats post, we usually use track pads these days or optical mice if we need anything a bit more precise, so those old clogged up ones are just going to waste.
Any ideas? For either the whole mouse or any of its parts?
(Photo by weirdvis)
You could use the old trackballs as cat toys – they’ll probably be a little bouncy so will keep moving when the cat hits them.
-SaraR
Clean the rollers and the trackball, and give them to other people that need them. Of course you could always just chuck them out, but this site is for reusing things, not binning them.
freecycle them – most non working mice just need the ball cleaned
I had a broken Apple one button mouse, and made it to a soap holder.
you can put the ball in one of those refillable easter eggs, and superglue it shut. Makes a good little wobble ball for a cat to play with.
Robotics hobbyists like to have the non-contact tachometers found inside mice, for measuring RPM and such. Optical mice have only one tachometer, for the scrollwheel; ball mice have two or three, for X and Y movement and for the scrollwheel if it has one.
WEEE, Computer & IT Equipment can be recycle at http://www.manga-fu.com
Fill the inside with wax, let cool and use as paper weight.
YAAAHHHHH
Paint it into something interesting and keep on coffee table as conversation starter.
Attach plastic or wooden handle and give as a toy iron to a child.
Cover in batting and fabric for a pincushion.
Glue sandpaper on a bottom and use to sand surfaces.
Hang it by the wire and let cats play.
Cut off the wires and display a bunch of mice in a large clear container.
Make a loop on a wire and hang the mice as the weights on the curtains.
You can also use them as pulls on a window shade, fan, etc.
You can make a mold off of it and then shape homemade soap like a computer mouse. Nice gift for a computer geek.
Paint it like a real mouse and plug it into the computer insted of the real mouse. It’ll make someone laugh.
How come I have a different symbol?