When the controller is in normal use youre always pushing on top of the thumb sticks so all that grime stays inside but given a chance to sit all this excess material starts to ooze out of the rubber sounds gross yes luckily oil and alcohol do not mix so wiping the sticks over with isopropyl alcohol removes all this grime. Clean sticky buttons on your ps3 controller it would be a good idea to attack the buttons on the controller first simply because these are going to be so dirty as they get used so much it is also a good idea to clean the buttons because the grime will also cause them to stick and you will have problems using them. In most cases parts of the controller have become damaged and your only option is to replace the controller in some cases you can extend the life of the controller by lubricating the sticks only non conducting lubricants should be used on the controller remove all five screws on the back of the ps3 controller. In most cases parts of the controller have become damaged and your only option is to replace the controller in some cases you can extend the life of the controller by lubricating the sticks only non conducting lubricants should be used on the controller remove all five screws on the back of the ps3 controller