Concentrated woman scrubbing the bar in kitchenFive Tips for Cleaning Your Copier

As much as your copier is used in a day, when was the last time you took notice and cleaned it?

Copiers have all kinds of doors, drawers, trays and crevices—the exact places that loose particles love to creep into and wreak havoc. In most cases, your copier is maintained during routine service calls from your equipment provider, but the in-between times are bonus opportunities for you to make sure you are keeping it nice and tidy.

Not only will your copier look better in your work space, but keeping it clean may help prevent service issues. Here are five tips to remember when cleaning your copier. Before you begin, as with any electrical device that you tinker with, be sure to shut off the power to prevent shock.

Tip #1 - Remove any and all clutter

Despite what your employees think, your copier is not a walkup snack bar, barista, or storage unit. Resist the urge to place anything on it—food, cups, supplies, even paper. Along the same lines, while it may seem convenient, don’t keep office supplies such as staplers, pushpins, or paper clips on your copier either. These items can easily fall inside of your copier and cause major service malfunctions.

Tip #2 - Vacuum your device

If dust has had an opportunity to build up on the surface of your copier, before you wipe it and make naughty little dust bunnies, do a quick dry vacuum of all its exterior surfaces, trays and drawers. If you have an office vacuum, hose attachments are a good tool to get into tight spaces, or consider investing in a mini shop vac for your office for regular cleaning. Vacuuming around the toner receptacle areas before and after you replace your toner cartridge is also a good habit.

Tip #3 - Wipe down the exterior, top down

With a damp cloth, wipe all of the visible surfaces. Be sure to start at the top and work your way down so any loose dust will fall below. Be careful not to spray any kind of cleaner on the device as the mist could seep into the copier. (Electronics and liquid do not play nice!) If you need to sanitize keypads or LCD panels, water should be enough, or a tiny bit of alcohol applied to the cleaning cloth before contact.

Tip #4 - Lift the lid and clean the glass platen

Cleaning the glass platen on your copier is an inside secret that can sometimes instantly resolve copy quality. Copiers Amarillo and Austin organizations use daily would benefit from cleaning their devices regularly. Whether you have an automatic document feeder or not, wet ink or glue on a page can easily end up on the glass and show on a copy. Like you would clean a pair of eyeglasses, use a damp, soft cloth to gently wipe the glass. While you are at it, inspect the lid of the copier and all its components and carefully wipe any areas that may have gotten dirty during a paper feed.

Tip #5 - Be mindful of how you store your paper

Last, but not least, taking care in how you store the paper that goes into your copier is just as important as cleaning the device itself. Not only should paper be stored in a cool, dry place, but it should also be protected from dust and wrinkling. Store your paper flat, or in large bins, so pages don’t curl. Also, train your employees how to properly load it in each tray, opening drawers with ease. Small imperfections on even a single page in a ream can cause unwanted paper jams in your device.

How much, or how little, you clean your copier is up to you. Just remember to do it carefully. Most devices are made with both metal and plastic, so if something that you removed won't go back the way it came out, don’t force it; you could risk breaking it. With these simple tips, you can do your part to keep a happy and healthy copier. For more information, or to ask a Benchmark service professional for instructions on maintaining your specific device, contact us.

 

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