When was the last time you cleaned the office copier? Routinely cleaning your copier can help extend its lifespan and prevent costly downtime. And, since copy machines are high-touch surfaces, it’s also beneficial to the health of your employees to keep the copier clean. But before you get started, it’s important to know how to properly clean the copier without damaging its glass, rollers, drum, and other parts.
At WiZiX Technology Group, we want to help you get the most out of your office technology. Here’s how to effectively—and carefully—clean your copy machine.
How to Clean and Disinfect Your Office Copier
Step 1: Turn Off the Copier
It’s important that you turn off your copier before you start cleaning to prevent accidental injuries. After you’ve finished cleaning the copier, you also need to wait until it is fully dry before turning it back on.
Step 2: Wipe Down the Exterior
Before you clean the copier, put on some disposable gloves to avoid contaminating the machine parts and to protect your skin from irritation. Then, slightly dampen a soft cloth with isopropyl alcohol and gently wipe down the entire exterior. Make sure to hit all the high-touch points such as keypads, handles, touchscreens, etc.
To prevent damaging the copier, never use a soaking wet cloth and never spray the cleaner directly onto any part of the machine, which can cause electrical issues. It’s also important to avoid using a cleaner that contains chlorine bleach, chemical solvents, or ammonia.
A solution of anywhere between 70-99.9% Isopropyl alcohol will work best for cleaning and sanitizing your machine. When using Isopropyl alcohol, make sure the room is properly ventilated, and that there are no open flames, as the cleaner is a flammable chemical compound.
Step 3: Clean the Glass
Dirt and dust buildup results in low quality copies, so it’s essential that you keep the copier glass clean. However, you will need to take extra care to clean the glass to ensure you don’t scratch it or leave streaks that may impact copies.
Spray water or glass cleaner onto a soft microfiber cloth, then gently wipe the glass. Don’t forget to also gently wipe the copier lid—if you don’t, it will immediately contaminate the glass with dust again when you close it.
Step 4: Clean the Paper Trays
It’s also a good idea to clean the paper trays to help prevent paper jams. Start by removing any paper in the tray, then wipe the paper rollers with a soft, damp cloth. Then wipe the rollers again with a dry cloth to remove any moisture.
Dusty paper will only add more dust to the tray and rollers, so make sure to keep any open reams of paper that aren’t in the tray inside a closed container, and to regularly dust the area where you keep unopened reams.
Copy Machine Repair in Northern California
Although cleaning your copier can prevent many copier problems, malfunctions and quality issues can still sometimes occur. If a simple cleaning doesn’t fix the problem, there may be an issue inside the machine.
To avoid damaging critical internal parts, it’s best to call in a professional. WiZiX Technology Group is a trusted local copier dealer that also offers expert copier repair and maintenance services. Our skilled technicians will quickly identify and fix any problems with your copier. Call us at 866-846-1411 today to schedule maintenance or learn more about our services.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (11/1/2022). Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels