There’s a nifty trick to mend frayed wire cables that can make your gadgets look as good as new.

A Reddit user by the name Koi0Koi0Koi0 turned to the community for assistance after receiving “a good mouse” with some peculiar dents in the cable.

The r/lifehacks forum users quickly chimed in with advice on how to smooth out the notches and restore the wire’s pristine condition.

Sharing pictures of the snagged mouse wire, Koi0Koi0Koi0 asked: “I inherited a good mouse, but the cable has a lot of spots like this, any way to get rid of them?”

Tech enthusiasts quickly jumped in with tips on how they managed to straighten their own mouse wires. It is crucial to ensure that any wired device is unplugged before you start repairing it.

One contributor advised: “Cut the centre [of the frayed material] so it loosens the pinch point, straighten it out and wrap it with tape or something so that material doesn’t fray.”

A different user recommended applying “cable shrink wrap or electrical tape”. Another referred to the technique as a “patch job”, commenting: “Cut fabric, heat shrink. This is not a hack, this is a patch job.”

Yet another user advised: “Cut the braided part so you can straighten the wire then take a lighter to the loose ends so it doesn’t keep fraying off… Then if you want, tape it up or heat shrink it.” Specially designed heat-shrink sleeves can be purchased online as a safer alternative to using tape.

In true Reddit fashion, not all comments were constructive, with some users bemused by the inheritance of a computer mouse. “You inherited a mouse?,” questioned one member.

Another joked about the condition of the wire, saying: “I think your mouse is chewing on the cord.”