How to Clean a Copier
A copier is a vital piece of equipment in most offices today. Larger copy machines are quite complicated and require regular service to keep them operating smoothly. However, the costs of having a technician visit your site to service your copier can be very high. For this reason, if you can perform basic cleaning of the machine yourself you can potentially save your business a lot of money. Always take care when working inside of your copy machine, and remember that specific procedures will vary from machine to machine.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Shop vac
- Paintbrush
- Compressed canned air
- Glass cleaner
- Paper towels
- Isopropanol
- Cotton swabs
Instructions
-
-
1
Open the machine at its standard opening points. Consult your manual or a trained technician if you are unsure of where to open your machine for access to the interior workings.
-
2
Vacuum the interior of the machine. Pay special attention to spilled toner in addition to the standard dust and debris that can collect inside of a copier. Be careful not to knock anything loose or vacuum up anything that is vital to the machine while performing this step. Use a paintbrush to gently sweep loose debris and toner into the vacuum cleaner's hose.
-
-
3
Wipe areas covered in toner residue with a paper towel and isopropanol. Purchase the 99 percent strength mixture--not the 90 percent strength mixture that is commonly sold over the counter at drug stores.
-
4
Blow out small nooks and crannies with a can of compressed air. Be sure not to blow anything loose, and don't blow too much dust around in the machine. Vacuum up any dust or debris that is blown loose by the compressed air.
-
5
Dust electrical connectors and other small, potentially sensitive areas with a cotton swab. Ensure that you don't knock any connectors loose; immediately reconnect any that do become disconnected. Use the cotton swabs to dust in other small areas of the copier as well.
-
6
Close the interior of the machine. Clean the copying surface with a paper towel and glass cleaner. Use any general cleaner with another paper towel to wipe down the outside of the machine. Keep the machine free of dust and debris in order to ensure it remains in working condition.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Always unplug the machine when you are working on the interior.
Never do anything to your copier if you are not entirely sure what you are doing; the money you might save by cleaning the copier yourself will be lost if you have to call a technician to repair the machine.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
