How to clean a computer printer

Level of difficulty: Easy

Cleaning of electronic components is very important as it can solve many problems and with this one can maintain the print quality and can also prolong the time period between professional cleaning. Whenever thin white lines appear in printouts this indicates that ink nozzles need to be maintained and cleaned.

Materials Needed:
- Plastic cleaning solution
- cleaning cloth/s.
Step 1
Gather all the materials required for cleaning like soft cloth and the cleaning solution. Plain water can also be used which is appropriate in many cases.
Step 2
One needs to find out and go through the printer’s manual. It is important to go through the guidelines as it ensures that cleaning is done properly without damaging any of the parts.
Step 3
Turn off the printer. Make sure that the power supply is disconnected.
Step 4
Moisten the dry cotton cloth with cleaning solution. One needs to wipe this cloth over the outer cover of the printer. Make sure that the liquid does not flow inside the printer.
Step 5
It is important to disconnect printer from surge suppressor. Take out the internal paper trays also. Remove toner cartridge and place it on the piece of paper.
Step 6
One can use a brush if it is supplied with printer, lint free cloth to clean the toner cavity. Wipe off the dust and grime from the printer mirror by using brush. Make sure not to touch the mirror if brush is not provided. Clear the spilled toner and wipe off the dust. Remove the paper fragments too. Rollers also need to be cleaned (make sure that sponge roller is not touched). Replace toner cartridge (Visit the manufacturer’s website for detailed guidelines on interior cleaning or for cleaning manual cartridge).
Step 7
One can make use of cleaning buttons if the printer has it. One can also initiate to clean through software (printer software). One can open the software by double clicking any document and by selecting Print from File Menu or by clicking on the printer icon. Click Options-> Troubleshooting-> clean print cartridge/s->Toolbox->Printer utility (or something quite similar to this). This varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Step 8
Click option Head Cleaning-> Run Nozzle check->Clean print cartridge/s (The options can be different also as it varies for each manufacturer however it would be quite similar to this).
Step 9
Adhere to the instructions displayed on the screen. One can also repeat the steps if not satisfied with cleaning process.