Hand salsa

Hand salsa is a slang term used to refer to the skin oil, sweat, and dirt that accumulates on computer peripherals. According to Word Spy, an online dictionary, it is "the grimy substance that accumulates on a mouse or other input device after extended use."

The first PlayStation gamepads were created with rubberized grips to reduce the amount of hand salsa. Some peripherals may accumulate more of it than others, requiring regular cleaning; as it is difficult to clean, some computer users prefer to buy new peripherals that accumulate the substance less easily. Mice are the most commonly affected hardware, though gamepads, keyboards,—on which hand salsa is sometimes called "keyboard plaque"—and joysticks

Although the term hand salsa is nearly only used in reference to the dirt collected on computing peripherals, musical instruments are also susceptible; however, when on instruments, it is usually called by the more general terms, grime or dirt. Piano keys, in particular, become dirty rapidly, causing a player's fingers to slip or stick when playing.

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