Things You'll Need:
- Water or cleaning solution suitable for plastic
- 2 or 3 soft, clean, non-shedding cloths
- Cotton swabs
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Step 1
Turn off and unplug the printer.
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Step 2
Place cleaning fluid or water on your cleaning cloth. Make sure not to use so much that it drips from the cloth or gets inside the printer.
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Step 3
Wipe down all external surfaces of the printer carefully with the cloth.
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Step 1
Turn off and unplug the printer.
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Step 2
Open the printer cover, as you would to install an ink cartridge.
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Step 3
Use a few drops water on the cleaning cloth, and gently wipe down the surfaces inside the printer. Look for built up dust or pieces of paper that may have been caught inside. Use a damp cotton swab to remove dust or build up from areas you can't reach with the cloth.
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Step 4
Remove each ink cartridge, and using a different damp cloth, wipe down the surface of each cartridge, removing any excess ink that the automatic cleaning left behind. This will leave some ink on your cleaning cloth, so be sure to put it aside when you're finished cleaning the cartridges.
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Step 5
Remove any parts you can of the basket or drawer that holds the paper, and wipe these down with a damp cloth. Check under the printer for dust and paper shards.
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Step 6
Use a damp cotton swab to carefully clean dust or ink off any other areas of the printer that are hard to reach.
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Step 7
Use a dry cloth to make sure all parts of the printer are dry before turning it back on.
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Step 8
Run the cleaning utilities that come with the printer software. Plug the printer back in and turn it on.
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Step 9
In the Printers folder, you should see an icon for your printer. Double-clicking it will bring up the printer options screen, where you should find a button or tab labeled "Head Cleaning", "Clean Printer", or a similar name. Run the cleaning process, which will clean the heads of the ink cartridges and some internal areas of the printer where ink may have built up. This will also ensure that ink cartridges are ready for printing after you've cleaned them. If you still see streaks and smears on your prints, try running the cleaning utility again.
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Step 1
Turn off and unplug the printer. Again, before cleaning your printer, consult the manual or manufacturer's website for specific directions. This is especially recommended with laser printers.
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Step 2
Remove all paper trays, and wipe these down with a clean, damp cloth.
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Step 3
Remove the toner cartridge. You might want to have some newspaper out to put the toner cartridge on, as it can mark surfaces.
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Step 4
Using a dry cloth, wipe inside of the toner cavity. If your printer came with a cleaning brush, use it to clean the toner cavity as well.
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Step 5
If a brush was provided with the printer, use it to gently clean the mirror. Unless you are following directions in the manual, don't touch the mirror if a brush wasn't provided.
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Step 6
Use a lightly damp cloth to gently clean all other areas of the inside of the printer, removing any dust or paper that might have built up. Use a damp cotton swab to carefully clean any other areas that are harder to reach.
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Step 7
Use a dry cloth to make sure all areas of the printer are dry before closing it up and replacing the paper trays.
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Step 8
Turn the printer back on, and run the cleaning utilities that are part of the printer software. (Consult your printer manual or manufacturer website for specific directions on how to activate the cleaning process.)
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Step 9
In the Printers folder, you should see an icon for your printer. Double-clicking it will bring up the printer options screen, where you should find a button or tab labeled "Head Cleaning", "Clean Printer", or a similar name. Run the cleaning process, and you should have a very clean printer when it is complete. If you still experience issues, such as poor print quality, try running the cleaning utility again.
