Cleaning your printer may not be something you’ve ever thought about before. However, anyone who’s dealt with the annoyance of a malfunctioning printer will understand how important it is. But how exactly do you go about cleaning your printer, and how often are you supposed to do it? Here are a few of the biggest tips on cleaning your printer:
Clean It Regularly
Regularly cleaning your printer is a vital part of printer maintenance that can enhance its performance, prevent wasted ink, and provide you with better print quality. The more high quality paper you use, the less frequently you will need to clean the inside your printer. This is because it contains less lint and dust that will clog the printer. Regardless, you should wipe down the outside of your printer about once a week to remove dust.
The inside of your printer should be cleaned every 6 months or every 300 hours of operation, depending on which comes first. If you’re using a shared printer in an office, you’ll likely need to clean it once a month. If it’s a home printer that doesn’t get much use, it will probably be closer to once every 6 months. However, if you see smearing on the page when you print something, this is a sign that it needs to be cleaned.
Consult The Printer’s Manual
The first thing you should do before cleaning your printer is read the printer’s manual. This will tell you about which cleaning products are recommended as well as any warnings about the cleaning process. If you don’t know where the printer’s manual is, you can contact the manufacturer to find out what you can use.
Cleaning Your Laser Printer
Cleaning a laser printer is going to be a little bit different from cleaning an inkjet printer. Be sure to unplug the printer from power and let it cool off before you clean it in order to prevent the risk of injury. Then, use canned air or a blow dryer to blow the dust off from around the corona wire and the drum. You can clean the corona wire with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to remove toner and dust.
Cleaning Your Inkjet Printer
For an inkjet printer, you’ll want to clean the print head contacts and the nozzles. Before you begin, unplug the printer and remove the ink cartridge. Then, use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to clean the print head contacts. You can clean the nozzles by using a clean cloth to wipe off the extra ink. To ensure you’ve properly cleaned your inkjet printer, test it by printing something out and checking for streaks.
By regularly cleaning your printer, consulting the manual, and following these tips, you can keep your printer in excellent working order. Not only will this ensure that all of your pages come out clearly and without streaks or fading, but it can also greatly extend the life of your printer.
