DIY Inkjet printer head cleaner,simple,cheap,effective
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ธ.ค. 2024
- I make my own inkjet print head cleaner. The recipe is simple. I made 100 ml of cleaner by adding 80 ml of Windex to 20 ml of alcohol as described in the video.
You do not have to use ml if you don't want to make 100 ml.. You can use whatever unit of measurement that suits your purpose, but the ratio is always 8 parts plain ammonia Windex and 2 parts isopropyl alcohol, either 70% or 99%. For example. if you are using tablespoons you would use 8 tablespoons of windex and 2 tablespoons of alcohol as described in the video.
If you can't find plain Windex, use in its place diluted plain ammonia, at one part ammonia and 9 parts distilled deionized filtered water.
in the video I have a can of cooking spray. I was going to mention I use it to remove the labels from the little spice containers I use to store solutions. The little containers can be made into nice calibrated cylinders for measuring simple formulas and cooking.
This is not guaranteed to work on ALL printers and all ink. My DIY cleaner is for regular inkjet printer ink. Do not use it on dye sublimation ink, it will clog. Only use it on a printer you have no hope of unclogging. I do not wish to be held responsible and am only letting you know what has worked for me, repeatedly over the years.
If your ink is made by Lyson, there is reports some of their ink has a different Ph which will gel or clot the ink if this formula is used. Also, some printers have a microfilter that once plugged are almost impossible to clean.
here is one of my other printer videos you will find helpful- I also have a printer repair and hack playlist on my channel.
Giving up on a dead printer? Try my way to unclog inkjet printer port
• Giving up on a dead pr...
A few very special people have saved the Amazon link I will provide below. This is my link to my Amazon store where you can see stuff I have bought and liked a lot over the years. You do not have to buy anything from the store, just by using my link to enter Amazon anything you buy on Amazon will help me out at no cost to you. Didn't you want to buy an island or jet aircraft on Amazon today?
www.amazon.com...
I want to thank you guys again for showing up and watching me trying to have a little fun or show you something that might help you out. I made TH-cam videos for fun years before they paid a penny and I will continue to do so as long as it is fun and you guys keep showing up.
see ya out there.
Robb Moffett
Robb's Homemade life
/ mrhulot101
This worked. My photo black ink nozzle check box was completely missing. Switched over to mat black and most of that was missing too. Got the mat black box to show (but was still missing dots) after several mechanical head cleanings. Then followed Robb's instructions. Ordered the tubing online at Amazon from Robb's link. Cut an approx. 2" piece of tubing and affixed to nozzle. Then used a tiny funnel to fill the tube with the cleaning solution. Let it sit overnight. I didn't notice much movement of the solution that evening but in the morning it was almost empty! So approx. 16 hours later removed the tube as it was empty. Switched back to photo black. Ran the print head utility and then nozzle test. Clog gone. Success!!! Thank you Robb from bottom of my heart.
Susan, thank you so much for taking the time to write such a helpful reply. I have been posting videos for 12 years because it is fun, but also because of people like you. Thanks again.
Rob, you have saved yet another of my temperamental Epson printers with your method. My yellow ink clogged, and this cleaner fixed it. My pigment-based ink does gel, so I did this. After letting the cleaner sit in the tubing for a while, I attached a syringe to the tubing, and gently pulled the gel-like clog out of the nozzle into the syringe. I rinsed the syringe, then gently flushed and syringed the nozzle again with cleaner. It took a couple of tries before the color came through the bottom on the paper towel. Now the troublesome yellow is working. Thank you for putting these videos up to educate us.
BDazzled Designs So happy it worked for you, I never tried it n gel or sublimation inks. Thanks for taking the time to let me and the other viewers know.
The Epson ink was pigment based. I don't know if it was gel or sublimation, but the clogged ink was thick when I syringed it out.
I think using the syringe to suck out the clogged ink may have helped as much as the solution, I will have to add your idea to the video somehow, really good idea.
I have cleaned my jets with the store bought solution and low and behold it's the yellow jet that still isn't working. I am encouraged by your post so I am going to take it apart again and see if this solution will do the trick. Thanks for your posting.
A quick question, so when we push the cleaner through the head is it supposed to be clear with no colors?
Thank you so much for this tut. I ended up making a batch using ammonia, and then I converted my spare cartridges into flush cartridges and ran the fluid through by printing solid blocks of color. It's many pages later, but I've seen a progression from streaks to less streaks. I thought I was going to have to somehow fork out money for a new printhead or new printer! Shew!!!
+Spear Carrier (Spearcarrier) hey, thanks for taking the time to comment in a positive way, I really appreciate it. I post the videos just trying to help out and am always pleased when it helped somebody.
@@RobbsHomemadeLife ⁸
Saved me from sending my printer to landfill. Also saved me spending $$ on a new printer! Initially took a few prints to get working properly, but perseverance pays off. (Soaked for a whole day). The test prints got better and better after the clean. I printed out a large photo to help blow out any other cleaning liquid / contaminants out. Now my testing print lines are perfect. Thanks Robb - Printer Legend
Great to hear!
Thanks Robb!!! I just fixed my HP 6830. The 2nd HP I've had die on me in last 3 years!! Ok in truth there were a lot of steps I had to do after I flushed with this solution, but the series of error messages no longer mentioned the printhead so I knew I was on to something!! I was so mad this morning when I went to return all the ink I didn't think I would be able to use. They refused to accept the return because it expired last month. I was beyond angry. I went and shopped for printers at 2 different stores but I didn't buy one because I knew I was still too angry to make a wise choice!! Thank heavens I found your videos!! I didn't have any tubing, but I used a hypodermic needle (I'm a nurse) and it worked like a charm! 1000 Thanks!! Now I'm thinking I could have salvaged my previous one, but I do like this one better, LOL. You made my day!!
Jackie, thanks so much for your message. People like you are why I made the video. I am just trying to help people with my videos. Your response is much appreciated.
I have an hp 6830. How may times did you have to clean it to work?? Mine is still giving me an error message.
Looks similar to the homebrew airbrush cleaner that we use to clean out acrylic airbrush paint: excellent money-saving idea. Since my wife died I don't print 1/4 as much (she was a crafter, and I would print 500-700 sheets every month) Thank you for this.
Brad, I am so happy to help, thanks for commenting!!
I am sorry for your lose
Used this for a Canon TS9020 printer, and it worked fine. I made sure after I cleaned heads & before I reinstalled into printer I used a blow dryer on medium setting to dry up any wetness left by the solution. I was a bit skeptical because this print head had not been used because of being clogged for over 4 months. Now it works perfectly.
Great stuff thanks!
thanks Roger!
Worked great thanks for taking the time to make this video.You saved me the hassle and time of spending 29 dollars on a printhead cleaning kit.
+gothicoutcast777 Hey, thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know, happy to help.
Thank you. Anyone reading this be sure you dilute your ammonia like mentioned in the video. Janitorial ammonia will dissolve copper, I've done it many times. It will dissolve the copper and turn the ammonia/copper solution blue like Windex.
Thanks for sharing
My printer hasn't worked for WEEKS! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! Its working again!!!
+LitBy Kristen happy to help, thanks for watching and commenting.
Did surgery on my Workforce 645. This stuff worked like a charm. Thank you for sharing.
thanks smoker!!!!!
Dude... You just saved my business. Forever indebted to you.
Happy to help. Thanks for commenting. I add new videos every week.
Homemade cleaner made with distilled water 99 parts and ammonia 1 part mixed 8 parts to 2 parts rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl) and squirted with syringe through head worked great. The syringe added pressure that was important. Thank you!! HP 6962
Thank you . Had a Dell v525w printer in my attic for about 3 years and had to use it because my other printer started acting up . Printhead was not printing Black and Yellow due to ink drying in printhead from not using it for all those years . Used 90% isopropyl alcohol and Distilled water mix . Used a baby nose suction bulb to push solution through. Used a lot of fluid “took about 20 min “ and flushed it out till no more ink was present coming out . Also used separate container to catch dirty solution . Dried it with hair dryer for about 5 min , put it all back together and ran clean printhead function couple times . Well it’s works good as new now . Took about 30 min from start to finish and only cost about $6 in products .
P.s also changed the ink cartridges due to the length of time it sat in attic .
Thanks Joseph!
Awesome! Worked perfectly. Saved me from buying a new printer. After I was done I gently dried the carriage with a hair dryer set to cool. Thank You!!!!!
Glad it helped, thanks for commenting, Peter.
Robb, Thank you for this tutorial! It has been a little over a year since buying the printer and the black ink wasn't printing. I simply used your solution and put it on a paper towel. I cleaned the black printer head and especially the nozzle with your solution until no more black stained the paper towel. I then used the compressed air to blow out the nozzles. It worked! I will probably do a 6 month to a year maintenance just to keep the nozzles clear and hopefully this will be easily fixed when it happens again.
+Kristen Hull HOW Y_Y mine is still yelling about printer heads Y/B error
try do what i did on the yellow and black. my black is acting up again, and so i'm going to try this solution once more.
Kristen,Happy to help. Thanks for commenting. I add new videos every week.
The Windex and alcohol worked like a charm in a plastic tube left overnight. I didn't have a syringe so I used a can of air spray to push the liquid cleaner through the ports. What a difference it made with my Epson R300 printer. Like new printing again!
what a great reply, thanks Roy!!
how did you use Can of air spray.. can you please detail it?
Using this simple and cheap printer head cleaning solution solved my issues with my EPSON L220. Thanks for the advice, Sir!
Ricardo, thanks for letting everybody know!! I am just trying to help as i get a lot of help from others on YT.
You want to use the Windex with amonia (Amonia-D is just the trademark name for amonia). I think, whether it's marked or not, most Windex has some amonia in it. Regardless, you should actively try and use glass cleaner with amonia.
The reason you want amonia is due to the ink formulation. Printer inks are water based. In order to make water-based dye inks more resistant to streaking from rain water, they are made with with dyes that are more water soluble when above a ph of 7 (basic) but which become much less water soluble as the ph drops (as it becomes more acidic). The reasoning is this. When the ink is exposed to the air, carbon dioxide in the air tends to react with water in to make carbonic acid. This neutralizes the base in the ink after it's printed and makes the ink more water fast. If you use a home-made head cleaner with no amonia, then it will have a harder time dissolving dried ink. Any ink that has air-dried in the printhead will be less soluble in a cleaner that is not basic. Amonia in the cleaner makes it basic and makes it better able to dissolve printer dye-based inks.
If you used amonia cleaner on the printhead and it became streaky, the reason is likely that it was doing its job. It likely traveled all along the narrow ink jet channels, dissolving all the ink along the way. You would rather have it take longer to get it back out of the head and have it be more effective, than to reduce its effectiveness in order to keep it from getting inside the head.
A few head cleanings should force the cleaner back out.
Hello Kurt, thank you for watching and for taking your time to leave such a helpful and thorough comment. As I mentioned in the video I did not use Windex with ammonia D because at the time I was not sure what Ammonia D was and wanted to be cautious but did use ammonia in my formula. Your explanation was excellent. By the way, I subscribed to your channel I know you do not have many videos but a person as smart as you will be making interesting videos in the future I am sure. Thanks again.
Dear Kurt Fitzner. I spent a lot of time to unclog black channel of my Artisan 1430, using Windex on paper strip to soak print head , pouring to it Windex through adapter and through tube, then Windex with alcohol, and eventually failed. Can you please provide your formula solution, if you have. How about use ammonia with hydrogen peroxide 3%?
I have tried this formula and it works to an extent but for a short period of time before requiring re-cleaning. I recently and stupidly tried to clean my print head with WD-40; it totally clogged the nozzles and so I tried this and similar formulas to no avail. So I concocted my own; I used very hot water with a large amount of cheap bargain brand dish soap and a couple ounces of rubbing alcohol (91%). I added no ammonia although that was to be my next step. I pushed it through the nozzles using tubing that fit and syringes with luer lock tips and connectors. I used several ounces on each nozzle and rinsed extremely well with very hot water. After drying the head and doing a standard printer cleaning it has worked well and has remained free of clogs past the point of other cleaning methods.
Thanks so much for the info J. Every little bit helps us all.
i was thinking of using thinner@ petrol.. will it destroy the printhead?
How did you push it through? did you use the syringe plastic tip or something to attach it to the print head like mentioned in the video (plastic airline tubing)?
How much pressure did you have to use to push the solution through?
Have you tried using ROBB'S original Windex solution under pressure to see if it also DEEP CLEANS the print head?
Do you know how much cleaning solution is left in the head after application and how to remove residual cleaning solution left behind after cleaning the print head? (My concern is fowling the ink after cleaning has been completed.)
WIll this work for both Pigment and Dye type inks or are different type solutions required for the two types of ink?
Your answers my questions it will be greatly appreciated.
So I needed to clean my 3 year old head, went to find cleaner at store where I got new IJ cartridges for my Kodak 5300 printer. Found this video, and thought I'd try buying a comerical cleaner, but couldn't find cleaner. Kodak's IJ cartridges fit into the print head receiver at the top and there is no rubber tube to attach a cleaning solution dispenser to it, so I just poured the mixture into the receiving end of the print head assembly onto a folded paper towel. I continued to pour solution (8 parts Windex 2 parts Isopropyl Alcohol) into the ink receiver components until the head was flowing pretty much clean, very little color coming out. Probably used 100 ml. Shook it dry in the sun, waited a few minutes, then reinstalled into printer. Put new black and color cartridges into printer and did a test sheet. PERFECT. A little wet on paper, but the color was good and black was good. Great solution for caked up head. Last time this happened I had to replace the head. Thanks for a great "heads up"!
+rgee bee thanks so much rgee. I appreciate you and the others leaving helpful comments. we are all in this together.
Thanks for the help I did it with 70% alcohol and a couple tablespoons of ammonia. put in on a paper towel laid in the rack (see cleaning methods youtube) and let it soak for 45 min and boom worked great.
thanks local!
word of caution when using windex, it will dissolve the protective coating inside the nozzle which is there to prevent oxidation. alcohol is only good for surface cleaning, but it tends to turn pigment ink into jelly and it can get really stuck if you're not thorough with cleaning. the best solution is heated (not boiling, but pretty warm) distilled water.
Thank you, Duke. It's been a long time but I think I mentioned this was not good for pigment ink.
Instead of messing about with tubes and syringes, you could use your old ink containers to feed the cleaner fluid through the printer. eg fill those old containers this special fluid and then use them just like ink containers.
How do you fill those?
1 part ammonia, 9 parts de-ionized water (distilled should also work), 2 parts isopropyl alcohol,
OR 8 parts old fashioned index (with normal ammonia and no other strange additives like orange or ammonia D), 2 parts isopropyl alcohol.
Hi. I live in the U.K. I have a Epson 3 in 1 SX515W printer. Bear with me, this is a bit of background history to this story, but it gets better.
And had it for 5 years. I managed to fix the 'your printer heads need replacing' warning notice, by buying off Ebay a simple cheap cd which fixed that warning notice. But the printer had started to not print properly, what ever i tried.
I bought the solutions online, they worked for awhile, but then they stopped working. I bought different printer cartridges, that didn't help, endless running the printers cleaning program, that used to work sometimes, but not anymore.
I looked into buying a cheap s/h replacement printer, that last several months looking for a suitable one in my area. Couldn't buy one in my area, and buying one further afield wasn't cost effective, as would have to pay alot for postage.
I looked into a similar printer which was like my one. But to be honest, there wasn't one which i found would do the same job, at the same price.
I had resided to the fact that this printer wasn't going to work again. I saw your video, and read the positive results comments. And i thought i would give it a try.
I live in the U.K so i managed to find and buy from Ebay; 'Kleen Off Ammonia - Multi Purpose Household Cleaner 500ml bottle', and 'Distilled Water a 1 litre bottle' ( I had messaged you to ask you whether i need to use Distilled water or Ionised Water; you told me 'Distilled Water.'
So i got it all and i did it how you said to by some many parts this and that. I forget now what you said, but i did it.
I ended up doing it for days, weeks. I did what you said, i got the tubing and waited days if it needed it to soak into the printer heads. I kept doing this and checking the results. And not much was improving.
I just kept doing it, and not willing to give up yet. Then weeks went by, and i tried it again. And printed out a test page and there was improvement. So it gave me hope. So i kept at it, doing the same thing, adding more solution down the tubes.
Until this morning. I tried to print out a couple of pages. And there are no lines on it. It's a perfect print out...
It's great, it's really great. I don't know how long it will stay perfect. But i will keep doing the same, until i get it back to where i think a print out is acceptable.
So my advice, don't give up... Be patient, you may not see any improvement for weeks from doing it. Pace yourself, and don't get disheartened, keep at it, keep checking the results. Keep adding the solution through the tubing, and wait until it all disappears from the tubing...
That's my story. Another printer saved from being thrown in the rubbish or recycled.
Becky, I make most of my videos as a way to help people. I rarely know if the videos help anyone at all. I think your reply is one of my favorites I have received in my ten years on TH-cam. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know it worked for you. I have been debating on producing a small kit of materials such as the tubing and liquid and syringe for people who have a hard time finding the components, your response made up my mind, I am going to look into selling a printer cleaner kit to help out others. When it is avalable i will post a video on it.Thanks again for sharing your experience and giving hope to all the others with a clogged printer. good luck with your printer.
BTW, if your printer is over 5 years old you will probably get a warning before long that you need to replace your waste ink pads. I have a video on my channel on how I installed a waste ink receptacle and bypassed my inkpads so I don't have to worry about them getting full of ink anymore.
Thanks again,
Robb Moffett
HI Robb. Your video was invaluable for me at least. It really saved, me having to give up on my printer. So for that i am very grateful to you, for doing this video in order to help people like me.
And i am happy and pleased that you're happy with my detailed post and my printer story so far.
To add i would say:
The other printer cleaner i used before which was PrinterGenie POWERFLUSH series E-SX which worked sometimes, and latterly it stopped to work. It came with a syringe and a piece of tubing which fitted perfectly over the ink heads. So i didn't need to buy any additional tubing to follow your instructions in order to follow your own formula and process.
I checked and it was the 'waste ink pad counter' replacement warning that i received. And i contacted someone who was selling 'Reset the wast ink pad counter cd, with using a 'Service Utility' it was labelled' CD, the 'SSC Service' it was called once opening the cd. I used the cd, and it did reset the counter back to zero, or was it, it gives you 5,000 pages to print with again. I think that was it.
I asked him if by resetting the counter back to zero. Do i really need to replace the ink pads anyway? He told me that i didn't.
But it did get me wondering if this is really the case. And what if i didn't need to replace them. I did start to try and access the waste pad myself. But it got to tricky, and i didn't want to break part of the printer to get inside. So i didn't go any further. I was looking into if i'd got inside, to maybe just rinse away the excess waste pads, instead of replacing them. But like i said i didn't get that far.
You mention about you made a video about ' how to make a waste ink receptacle and bypassed my inkpads.'
I think i did look at it, but with resetting the counter, and asking the person selling the disc, he told me that i didn't need to worry about the waste pads now i had reset the waste pad counter.
So would it really benefit me in trying to follow along with your '' how to make a waste ink receptacle and bypassed my inkpads; video?
Hi Becky, when my pds became saturated I replaced my inkpads with a receptacle as I was printing very heavily at the time . If you do get a message that your pads are full and you don't want to replace the pads the container is a good alternative. I have rinsed out pads before and tried to reuse them but they did not fit very well.
Thank you! This solution worked right away for for my eco-tank printer. I didn't even have to wait! I just made sure to run pure air throught the my print heads with the syringe a couple times and first print was perfect after power cleaning!
This worked great for me on my Canon Pixma G4210. It was printing blank pages before and now is perfect. It was nice to be able to make as much of this as I needed so I could really flush the print heads thoroughly with a syringe and little vinyl tube.
Glad it helped!
IT WORKED!!! YAY THANK YOU SO MUCH I WAS LITERALLY ABOUT TO GO BUY A PRINTER YOU JUST SAVED ME A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!
Thank you. My cyan would not print for months even after running the clean cycle on my Epson many times. This cleaned it like a charm and I can print blue again!
Steven, thanks so much for letting me know!! you are the type of person I made the video for.
Amazing...in a couple of hours it printed again...just for feedback- and prompt people experiment :) - I used pure alcohol with a kind of windex and worked fine... Thank you very much for the advice.
Happy to help. Thanks for commenting. I add new videos every week.
Used on my Epson WF-3540 Printer the yellow was really stubborn. the solution also really cleans your hands. I just dabbed up the damp area around the ink inlets with a Q tip.
Thanks !
thanks wayne!
Thanks Robb. I flushed the head with the windex/alcohol solution and nothing happened, just lots of ink on the paper towel blotter, but the next morning (as I was on my way to buy a new printer) it worked perfectly.
Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Much appreciated!
Just more details, please. Did you leave paper towel and carts in the print head at night?
Easy and 100% working ! Testet in two HP 5 slots printer head . ( Pink cleaner - / head cleaner/ FAILED ! ) Thank you exelent work .
Happy to help. Thanks for commenting. I add new videos every week.
Thank you for this video it successfully cleaned my clogged printer head... I used 7.44M Airline tubing from Walmart... Blessings to you...
Corey, thank you for taking the time to let me know the video helped, that is the main reason I make my videos, bless you too!
did you use a syringe with it?
Thank you so much, Robb. Recipe worked like a charm. I took a syringe and pumped it in and out to flush out the nozzle. Git er done!
thanks Heatman
Ammonia and the Ammonia-Din Windex are the exact same ammonia (ammonium hydroxide.) Windex added the "D" to market the product. "The "D" was simply a marketing name, with the "D" representing the company name "Drackett". The innovation of adding of ammonia to the formula gave it measurable superior cleaning properties and so this formulation was patented." Hope this clears up everyone asking why they can't use Windex with Ammonia D.
Thanks Billy
Wow Robb, thanks for the quick reply and accurate info I trust you to provide. You have set a record for me here on TH-cam in that you are the quickest to reply with an answer, and I appreciate that. Thanks a million, and I will let you know if your formula worked on my printer. Have a great day.
happy to help. I post most of my videos on ways to help others and am always happy to hear when it has helped out somebody. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.
Guess I should have found this video a little sooner.
Bought Magic bullet on amazon for $17. Not too bad.. but your idea would save money down the road.
And... it didn't work. Black and yellow are very plugged in my artisan 730. I currently have the head outside the printer, and purchasing some alcohol tonight. It's proven very useful in the past.
happy to help.
Hey rob thanks man I have a Epson WF-7110 that was clogged and I used your exact solution and soaked the print head over night and it worked the next day thanks so much dude
Marvin, that's great! thanks for taking the time to let me know, much appreciated.
Your cleaner worked great for my printer. Thank you for your help!
thanks,Perky! I am just trying to help, it makes me happy when people let me know it worked.
Robb's Homemade Life, can you tell me how many Windex and alcohol I should use for this cleaning process please and thank you.
Was anyone else waiting to see what he was going to use that can of olive oil for?
LOL. I used it to remove a label from the spice container I used to hold my cleaning solution
Yes yes.. :)
1. Forget Windex, clear, non sudsy ammonia is more than fine.
2. 'Rainwater' will work (collected in a clean container that was put out after it has been raining for a while to reduce airborne contaminants).
3. 100% isopropyl alcohol is preferred obtainable from an electronics supply house. Drug store 90% would be a distant 2nd choice.
You know, I believe the rainwater bit. It's the absolute best for getting rid of bug tracks on the windshield. I can use windshield washer fluid on and on, and it simply does not dissolve a lot of the protein left behind. One good rain shower and the whole thing as clean as a whistle in less than a minute. Must be the acid rain... :)
videobruce b û
Had me going with the olive oil spray....had my can ready to go!
how can you explain
I'm like... Wait, maybe I missed it. Had to watch it again and nope he didn't use the olive oil.
It seems the info section was updated to explain that the olive oil spray is used to remove labels from spice containers to turn them into "graduated cylinders".
Ha, I think you are the only person to read my information in the video description. I salute you!!:)
Scott Casey lol 😂🤣😭
For my wf1100, I used 7/64" windshield washer/vacuum tubing from Auto Zone. No scrounging, is sold by the foot, works like a charm. Original formula Windex was a label hunt but I found it.
thanks Arnold!
Made the formula, got the hose.........went from blank page to living color in an hour. Thank you.
WooHoo!
AMAZING! Epson P600! At the first go. I did not even wait over night. 1 inch length tube times 2. Connect the tube to a seringe and force it in a little. waited 10 mins head cleaned twice. BOOM! A-MAZ-ING!!!
Amaury, what a nice comment, happy to help.I appreciate you took the time to let me know.
Great video! I don't have original Windex on hand, but I do have Zep streak free glass cleaner (basically their original version). I've looked at both SDS's and they appear to have the same ingredients. I'm just hoping the "inactive" ingredients don't differ much, if any. I'm gonna give it a go, since I had already given up on reviving the printer. btw.. You had dying with your "affiliate" comments, but the next time I go shopping for an island or a jet aircraft, I'm gonna hook you up.!! Thanks again!
Also warm your solution with hot water. It also helps break down the clogs much fast.
I don't know why i did not mention that, you are right.
Great Video. I ran my clean print nozzle feature on my EPSON WorkForce WF-3620 3 times in a row and voila prints like new.
thanks for letting me know!!
HOLY CRAP!!!! It worked praise you Rob praise you!!!
Happy to help- new videos weekly for 13 years.
I had to clean the yellow print head three times, but finally it worked! Thank you so much.
thanks Louise!
Robb: You could get add thousands of subscribers if you started making relaxation or guided meditation videos.
Your voice is very calming!
den, what a kind thing to say. Thank you very much. A few years ago I noticed the huge interest in ASMR whispering videos and actually made one that is a little different from the other ASMR videos.. here it is. th-cam.com/video/Z1T26RQkJUE/w-d-xo.html
I hope you are having a speedy recovery. Get better soon.
Thanks Shannon!
I am really grateful to the person that posted NOT to use this with pigment ink printers (Epson Artisan 1430 uses pigment) as I was minutes away from doing this and I would have been a hot angry mess if it jacked up my expensive printer. PLEASE look into this and add it to the video if it is indeed true so you don't make someone cry. lol
+Wedgieburn666 you are totally right about the ink... I learned it later when I looked into getting cheaper ink... I was like DOH it isn't pigment at all. lol They got me convinced it was so amazing it had to be... oh well.. still a good printer. OH and after all that it wasn't a clogged head causing my streaks..I saw the pad under it was soaked with ink and I simply soaked it up with some paper towels just because... and it fixed my streaking... and I still don't even understand WHY that was the issue, but I was a happy girl!
Melissa Edwards I
Thank you, Robb! You are not only a genius but so informative! Do you do house calls?!
no, just bird calls,LOL
Thanks so much.. our stubborn printer started working 48 hours after your process ... It still was streaky after 48 hours and I ran the printer’s cleaning functionality and it just started working! I used 8 parts great value brand ammonia and 2 parts 70% isopropyl alcohol
Thanks Roy!
That is a wonderful solution! This worked extremely well in my HP office jet pro! Thanks Robb!
Happy to help-I add new videos every week.
i think ammonia d is designed to keep the solution from freezing, not sure though. I agree - just buy the normal stuff
Muchas Gracias I had all but given up . After the 3rd try with Windex etc and using your method Voila ! THANK YOU!
so happy to hear from you that it helped you, it is why I make my videos. thank you Gee!
Thank Brother very Helpful my office printer now is working again love from #Tanzania.
Happy to help
GLAD I found this recipe again, Robb! Who knows where I put the first copy. The magenta is being stubborn and I have streaks in everything but the black ink. Can I pull the printhead and soak it in warm cleaning solution for an hour or so? Thank you!
NOW you tell me!
I no longer have a printer.
I got so disgusted with the high cost of ink, etc. I took my printer bowling.
It was the ball! 😂
This was perfect!!! It fixed my printer! I didnt even have to use that much! Thank you!!
Hey, thanks for letting me know!
This is just what I needed thanks now its back to building things thank you
A quick question, so when we push the cleaner through the head is it supposed to be clear with no colors?
Heyyyyy Robb,...your Mix,......................WORKED :D ,..man oooh man talk about right on time,..i just have to buy more Ink now,..thank god i was able to print what i needed before it went low,...thanks a TRILLION Brutha,.. you saved the day,,...Subscribing to you now.
Happy to help. Thanks for commenting. I add new videos every week.
Hi Rob I have the mfc J680DW and I'm trying to clean my printer MFCJ680DW where can I get the Surrender our cartridge to do the same as your video
Won't just distilled water work also instead distilled deionized filtered water? Nice video to see something like this and knowing that you can make a cleaning solution instead of buying the same stuff.
Hi Mike, distilled will be fine. so long as nothing has been added to it. I just didn't want people using tap water, I have had well water that could have been used as ink.
So the Windex and Alcohol mix cant be used if using Pigment or Sublimation inks. Correct, if so what can i use.
Sorry, I never used that type of ink so I never looked into the topic.
@@RobbsHomemadeLife Ok, Thanks.
wow needed this video when i had my hp deskjets
I scored an Epson all in one printer on Freecycle. I used your formula and am now printing nicely. Thanks.
Thanks for the information, it worked quite well so far! I can only recommend for EPSON printers.
Thanks for sharing
Did you like my video? Did it help you in any way? Would you like to help me out too?You can tip me with the thank button or if you use my link to Amazon when you buy anything they throw me a few cents. Plus, if you go to my store you can see the things I have bought and liked enough in the last 10 years to review or add to my store. www.amazon.com/shop/robbshomemadelife
Thank you, Sir! I was ready to throw our Epson in the trash, then came YOU! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
so happy I could help!
My suggestions: 1. If aquarium tubing is too big, wrap a piece of fine wire around it to make it the right size to fit the tube of the printer head. 2. Use child’s medication syringe. 3. Use a measuring spoon and mix in a small dish. (I’m not sure why you say the ratio is 8-2. I used 4 to 1.) 4. According to sources on the internet: Ammonia-D is Windex trade name for Ammonia, so this is nothing to worry about.
The DIY cleaner worked as follows: At first no cleaner would go through until I forced, then it was like it popped, and flowed freely. I waited several hours for the head to dry, then cleaned the head several times. No black ink came through. A day or two later, same result until suddenly, after one of the head cleanings, it went from no black on the page to totally working. It has been working fine for a couple of weeks
History of my Epson WF 2530: It was replaced 2 times under warrantee. (It’s always the black that clogs.) I have always used cheap ink, preferring to pay less for a new printer than more for expensive ink. Epson doesn’t like that; they say to use their ink, but nothing says you CAN’T use other ink. The second replacement printer clogged up almost immediately after I changed the black ink cartridge that came with the printer with a generic cartridge. (This is the failure that I fixed with the DIY cleaner.) At this point, the trouble, of not knowing when the printer will stop printing, may no longer be worth the $ I’m saving by buying cheap ink. I might buy genuine Epson cartridges for a while and see if I no longer have problems. I will not buy an Epson printer again.
+Kevin Schilling Thanks Kevin!
+Robb's Homemade Life
an easier solution is to pour boiling water on oversized aquarium tubing and stretch it when it's hot. Soon as it's soft and stretchy it narrows as much as you want. Get it under the cold tap quick and it stays that shape. Cut in the middle of the narrowed stretched part and it will stay in that smaller diameter. Before and after photo...
I’m going to buy a new printer because mine is ugly and starting to give me trouble. But I have brand new ink, so I want to use them first and my black isn’t working. I’m going to try this, please work!
god luck Deanna.
Robb's Homemade Life it didn’t work!!! Guess I have to suck it up, it’s been through a lot.
One of mine did not get better until several tries over several days.
8 parts Windex (regular, no 'orange' no 'Ammonia-D', 2 parts Isopropyl Alcohol (70 or 99%) clear, not colored, OR Ammonia and distilled water? Got it, but what is the Olive Oil spray for?
Decoration xD
To clean your fingers.
unfortunately most modern windex glass cleaners have ammonia-d on it, even the original ones - I seem to have the windex original that has some ammonia-d included (it said so on the front label)
I don't think so!
So your fried eggs won't stick to the skillet......Duh!
The diameter tubing I used for my Epson Artisan 700 is 3/16 inch aquarium tubing. Your printer may differ.
Robb's Homemade Life
True for newer Epson printers.
What's the likelihood that this method using tubing/syringe to flush out heads would work on badly clogged Artisan 725? Thanks.
Does your tubing fit "snug" over the nozzles? How do you stop the fluid from leaking out the bottom of the tubing?
I clean my printer using your DIY cleaner, but the 3 color (Yellow, magenta & clay) is not printing? I already do all the head cleaning, & power in flushing but nothing happens. need help.
thanks so much your a great help i was about to buy another printer had it for 6 years still working
cap, Happy to help. Thanks for commenting. I add new videos every week.
Hi, I can't find Windex without Ammonia-D ....any suggestions?
Thanks
check the comments ,I think that issue was covered,
how to do this one with brother t300 with refill tank system?
Thank you!!! This helped a ton when I was in a pinch!!
Happy to help. Thanks for commenting. I add new videos every week.
I assume that all Epson printers use the same tubing but my question is in the tubing used for the waste ink. I've seen you use it in your other videos. What size is it for the waste ink tube? The tube that come out the back so you can bypass the ink pads.
Lol, I ended up using 8 parts straight ammonia and 2 parts alcohol. Overkill perhaps, though it did the trick for a Canon MP560.
Thank you so much! I tried this and it worked, so far :)
+Shez Lee Mitchell thanks Shez, happy to help, I also have a video showing what I do if the ink is dried and plugged up.
bought a cleaning kit a while back, and is running low, so now I'm going to try this DIY solution
Good luck Jesus!😎👌 Thanks for watching and commenting.
Days to get back from streaky well that's not good isn't it supposed to be formulated for anti-streaks?
No it's not unfortunately. As I mentioned in the video sometimes it takes a few days for to clear up. Sometimes it doesn't work at all.
Hi Robb. nice video on making your own print head cleaner. I have a used Epson Workforce 500 inkjet printer that I got from a friend and some of the ink ports were clogged up (the magenta & black inks don't come out well or come up with nothing when printing something). all I need now is the proper syringe and plastic tubing (with the correct sizes) to pump out the clogged ink, which I currently do not have. what kind of syringes and plastic tubes should I use to unclog the Epson WF-500 printer?
I used aquarium tubing and provided the dimensions in the video description and comments. Some viewers who had different sized ports came up with alternatives and left them in the comment section.
I recently found some old plastic tubing that I got from an empty windex glass cleaner bottle & cut the tube with a scissor and it fits into the ink outlets of the epson wf-500 printer. now I need is either a syringe or some alternative tool to actually "pump" the diy printhead cleaner, which i'm still unable to find. what good is the printhead cleaner if you don't have the right tool to pump it thru the ink ports (like with bow & arrows - arrows are useless without the bow. they go hand in hand)
Wow, you really know your stuff!
Thanks John
What tubing do you use to attach to the ptinter hed nozzle to instill this cleaner? Thank you
hey Michael, I have the information in the video description and also in one of the comments.
So the Olive Oil Cooking Spray is just for show?
Ha, I never intended to mislead anyone, the spray was used to help me remove a label.
what tubing you used for Brother mfcj470?
where do you get the empty cartridges? to use to put cleaning solution in???
Yeah, my Epson WF-7620 is not much good now. I had a few missing spots in the alignment and other checks. After mixing up the 8 part Windex, 2 part Isopropyl mix and flushing nozzles with a paper towel below to catch the waste. I too was printing a big blank page. After 6 cleanings I am getting some images and letters now but they are pretty nasty (smudgy in some spots, missing in others). My wife needed to print some things out quick but had to be high quality. After 3 hours she will have to go to Kinkos. I am praying I have not killed my 3 year old epson printer....any tips or ideas would be appreciated. Thx
as i stated in the video,I generally use printer cleaner only if there is nothing else to make it work right. You can't kill a printer with the cleaner if it is already dead. having said that, I have had a printer print half blank pages after a cleaning and it got better every day until it was back to its original condition by the third day of me running test pages and printhead cleaning cycles. It needed to dry out. Hopefully the same will happen with yours.
Hi rob im from philippines, i just want to ask if i can use other brand of glass cleaner aside windex?.?thanks in advance...
I think it would be fine if the ingredients are similar. it is possible it might work even if there are different ingredients but I have no data to confirm it.
I used the Windex & isopropyl alcohol mixture to clean my Epson WorkForce wf-3540. I used a syringe and aquarium tubing to inject the cleaning solution through each of the four nozzles. Prior to injecting the cleaning solution, I folded a paper towel and placed under the print heads to absorb the cleaning solution and the ink. The cleaning went well. However, after putting the ink back into the printer, the printer doesn't print anything (not even smudges)! I have tried running a nozzle cleaning and I have tried to print a color-filled, long document - nothing. Any suggestions? Thanks!
+Don Dalton Don, I have not had that happen . However, I have had a printer that after unplugging the prints were just streaks. I kept printing several a day and after a few days they cleared up. I wonder if some liquid got on the electrical part of the printer head and may still be wet. I will do some looking on the forums and if I see anything will get back to you.
Thanks Robb.
Thanks!
any conclusion on this?
Ive been waiting two years for the answer...
many thanks for sharing this method, it really helped me to fix my printer
happy to help!
what about windshield washer?
Worked like a charm! Thanks!!
+fw1ta152 happy to help!
+fw1ta152 HOW I MADE EVERYTHING HOW DID YOU'VE DONE