Are there cleaning guides for printer heads? + Windex in the UK?

[OM2]

Can someone tell me if there are general guides for cleaning printer heads?

Should I just put small amounts distill water through the nozzles?
I've seen Windex mentioned a few times for cleaning - should I use this?

Windex: where to buy in the UK?
I've searched the net and don't find any good answers

there's a thread on this forum that gives a Halfords car window cleaner:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=27618#p27618

BUT: is this the ONLY Windex equivalent?
Surely not??

Windex in the US is a general windows cleaner - I think I'm right in saying?
Why is it that the only UK equivalent is specifically a car window cleaner?

Thanks in advance for replies


Omar

 

[The Hat]

OM2 BUT: is this the ONLY Windex equivalent?
Surely not??

Omar any window cleaner will do the job so try your local Market.
Windex is just another a brand name.

Does that make it any clearer (clean).

 

[OM2]

Omar any window cleaner will do the job so try your local Market.
Windex is just another a brand name.
Does that make it any clearer (clean).

oh... excellent
very clear thank u

just to confirm... i should open up the ink head, use some distill water and then windex equivalent?

thanks

 

[websnail]

OM2 BUT: is this the ONLY Windex equivalent?
Surely not??

Omar any window cleaner will do the job so try your local Market.
Windex is just another a brand name.

Bzzzt... Back of the class for you Sir!... Wrongo...


The Windex that's oft trotted out as a good printhead cleaning solution is the one that in the USA contains Ammonia... Here in the good old UK, we apparently can't use the stuff because we're too stupid to read the labels or realise that breathing it in too much could seriously damage us (eg: death). So, they went for less aggressive stuff that does ok for windows but won't touch stubborn ink clogs.


Such solutions are something of myth and legend and personally I fell back to my ink distributor for the blend he sells and have been reselling it for a bit (he's currently on holiday and I'm fresh out of supplies btw). But Art Entlich also provides a guide to proportions of "mix your own", or the worst form of DIY (Do In Yourself) if you have the appropriate workshop/ventilation and breathing gear.

There have been reports of a couple of possible alternatives here in the UK but I can't for the life of me re-locate them so I hope you have a bit more luck...

 

[Redbrickman]

One esteemed member here pointed me in the direction of Lidl and a purchase of W5 glass cleaner. I am currently soaking a MP640 head in the stuff prior to drying and storing it as a spare. So far it seems to be doing a good cleaning job, but no doubt the esteemed member will elaborate on his experiences using the W5

I tip my Hat to him for his guidance

Others have used Halfords screen cleaner.

I have no idea if either of them contain ammonia. The W5 has the usual blurb that tells us nothing, and suggests it is ECO friendly!

In the last few weeks I have amassed a pile of high quality gloss paper and a printhead cleaning kit for next to nothing courtesy of the Lidl emporium.

 

[OM2]

One esteemed member here pointed me in the direction of Lidl and a purchase of W5 glass cleaner. I am currently soaking a MP640 head in the stuff prior to drying and storing it as a spare. So far it seems to be doing a good cleaning job, but no doubt the esteemed member will elaborate on his experiences using the W5

I tip my Hat to him for his guidance

Others have used Halfords screen cleaner.

I have no idea if either of them contain ammonia. The W5 has the usual blurb that tells us nothing, and suggests it is ECO friendly!

In the last few weeks I have amassed a pile of high quality gloss paper and a printhead cleaning kit for next to nothing courtesy of the Lidl emporium.

hmmm... i think i'm edging closer to the solution - but still don't have it yet!

i'll try the lidl or the halfords cleaner...
but then... surely trying ANY old cleaner won't do any harm??

can you give a few lines of description what you mean by 'soaking'?
are you immersing just the bottom half?
are you immersing in JUST the cleaner or mixed with water

dumb question: how do you know if u have unclogged?
(erm is the answer u have a look and if it looks clean, then it is??)

thanks

 

[The Hat]

websnail
Ammonia isnt the only thing that gets windows clean, I use Vinegar in water
but I didnt want to bring that up just in case someone mentioned missing their fish&chips.

Windex is still only a brand name (a good one) just like Hover but we found an alternative to that in the UK Dyson
So ended the lesson..

 

[OM2]

advance apologies for being dumb: so u use vinegar to clean ink heads and cartridges?
that would save me a trip to halfords or lidl

+ would there be any danger in using standard cleaning stuff i find in the kitchen?

 

[Redbrickman]

OM2,

I think The Hat is referring to cleaning windows with vinegar, I would be surprised if he uses it for print heads, but then again who knows?

To correct my post above it is called Lidl Window and Glass cleaner, blue colour in a spray bottle.
As far as cleaning heads goes, please search through the forum as there are lots of posts on the subject and much information.

 

[l_d_allan]

but then... surely trying ANY old cleaner won't do any harm??

Do you really mean that? My impression is that a print-head is a very high precision, and rather delicate device. I've seen pictures of disassembled print-heads on this forum, but not in person. There are (almost?) microscopic electronics inside needed to almost instantaneously boil a tiny, tiny ink droplet many, many times per second.

There are tiny seals and extremely thin wires inside. My iP4500 has 4608 separate, individual nozzles in about one square inch. My speculation is that the tubes leading to the individual nozzles must be about the same size of capilliary beds, but that may reflect a flawed understanding of print-head internals.

I believe I've seen ghwellsjr warn against using very hot water because of possible damage to internal seals. What does that tell you? I use warm'ish tap water no hotter than I would shower with to flush the print-head for about 5+ minutes. In Colorado Springs, we have absolutely excellent tap water ... first user of snow melt. Some people with lots of minerals in their tap water should probably be careful with tap water.

Another problem is that if any fluid that stays behind within the print-head is conductive, you can possibly short out electronics. I finish a print-head cleaning with distilled water soaking .... twice.

can you give a few lines of description what you mean by 'soaking'?

This is an illustration of what I've been doing with the lid from a Glad container. For the cleaning itself, I have a concoction of equal parts Windex + alcohol + distilled water. It goes in the lid indentation and also within the well around the nozzle inlet mesh filter. I also use this lid for distilled water soaking. This first picture is simply to help visualize the 3D topography of the lid.

dumb question: how do you know if u have unclogged?
(erm is the answer u have a look and if it looks clean, then it is??)

Not at all re "looks clean" ... unless you are looking with a microscope, and can see inside the print-head.

The final answer is whether there is banding in prints of solid color areas. A good nozzle check can be temporary if there are ink flow problems or electrical problems. This de-clogging newbie has the impression that an excellent nozzle check that is equivalent to a nozzle check from when the printer was new gives a high confidence that the clog has been fixed.

A tougher test once you've got an excellent nozzle check is a "hammer test" of a 4x6" or larger print of a solid, pure, highly saturated bordered rectangle of the color in question. This puts a maximal demand in a short time on the nozzles responsible for that C or M or Y or K, and especially ink flow from the reservoir through the sponge + foam + filter + nozzle inlet mesh filter + internal nozzle tubes + nozzle itself. If you've got nozzle clogs, such a test should not be done, as it can damage the nozzle, as well as further bake-on clogged ink.

My 2 ... consider the source as I'm not at all a de-clogging expert.

And please, please, please .... start spending hours reading existing posts. Search is your friend.

Here is something to consider .... pick an Inkjet Master who you feel provides expert, patient advice at a level you can comprehend. Do a search on just that user and a very generic term for the question you have, like "clog" or "purge" or "flush" or "refill". You'll get dozens if not hundreds of hits. Then pick a topic that seems related to the question you have and read that entire thread. Be aware that older threads may have obsolete info as "best practices" have changed over the years, sometimes dramatically.

Two of the best threads I read were about the anatomy of a print-head and the anatomy of a cartridge. Those should almost be requried reading for forum newbies, imo. Somewhat FNO (for nerds only).