Giving up on a dead printer? Try my way to unclog inkjet printer port

[@glensofantrim1]

after 6 months of trying all kinds of things ,i was going to get a new printer, tried this and .... IT WORKED Fantastic Many Thanks

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+glensofantrim1 Thank you too Glen!

[@bearger4790]

It worked! You saved me a bunch of money and I'm so grateful! My Epson Workforce 325 self-cleaning function had gotten all my colors back to working after 4 years sitting idle but it couldn't get the black unclogged. I let the homemade solution sit 24 hrs and pulled up a lot of black fluid with my syringe before taking off the tube. My hopes were up. I did one more cleaning cycle and now I can print black!!! Thank you so much.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Bearger 4 Hey Bearger, that makes me happy. thanks for taking the time to let me know it helped, I really appreciate it.

[@jimzartman9245]

Thank you Robb! A couple of weeks ago, my 2-year old Epson WF-2540 went on the “fritz” -- all the colors except black would print. I looked at the only option of replacing the printer with a new one until I stumbled on your videos. Although a little apprehensive, I decided to go for it. I had all the ingredients for a head cleaner kit except the tubing. As I was pouring the Windex into my little mixer bottle, I realized that the stem in the Windex bottle might work. So I cut it out into four equal lengths and they fit very snugly. After about 48 hours of soaking and a little clean-up, I reinstalled the cartridges and turned the printer back on. Tried to print -- but nothing! Grrrrr. Then I remembered that you said that it might take longer for the printer to start printing again. So I tried a couple of nozzle cleaniings and voila’ -- I have my printer back like new. Thank you again. You saved me from having to buy a new printer. Sorry Epson . . . .

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+Jim Zartman Thanks Jim, so happy it worked for you too. Yeah, after cleaning I have had to let the liquid dry and still took a lot of printing for the streaks to go away. I recommend people only try this on printers they have no hope of fixing as I offer no guarantees, but it has worked for me every time so far with ink jet printers using regular ink.

[@robm5958]

hydrogen peroxide or regular isopropyl alcohol and qtips: - take qtips and dip them in the above solution you chose - use about 6 qtips per ink head and swipe around and ontop of it for cleaning - used this method when my printer printed everything BUT black and it worked. Hope this helps any of you :)

[@gustercc]

what was the ratio of alcohol to peroxide?

[@esalenchik]

richard martinez it says Hydrogen peroxide or isopropyl alcohol... one or the other.

[@1VoiceOfReazon]

HOWEVER … there IS that possibility that a piece of the fibers on the Q-tip might get into the ink port (dropping through the fine-meshed screen) and clog one or more of the printheads. OTOH, when your next step is otherwise to pitch the printer, anything that MIGHT work is plausible. Still, I think I'd try Robb's method first, which I'm already in the process of doing (it's been ~ 12hrs now, and the ink-dissolving solution in the tube has gone down ~ half an inch so far, with occasion lung-provided air pressure). I'm trying to get through the comments while waiting.

[@pickie4evr]

Robb-thank you so much!! Between this video and your homemade inkjet cleaner, you saved me about 250$ I am very grateful. Your tip on running cycles until the picture was clear helped as well. I was patient and kept running the clean cycle once the clog was broken apart and my printer is as good as new. I also now have cleaner ready to go. Thanks again!!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Thanks Petra, I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know.

[@VivG242]

Worked like a charm. I used your homemade ink cleaner too. Was fantastic. I was expecting to have to leave it overnight, but all it took was a couple hours and it printed like new. Thank you!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+Vivian Gagliano happy it helped, thanks Vivian!

[@VeyaIsTheSun]

+Robb's Homemade Life Thanks for the excellent advice... But do you still need to run a head cleaning after letting it soak down the nozzle?

[@VivG242]

+Olivia Jeanne I didn't have to. ☺️

[@chrisliddiard725]

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.

[@eeyyaakk6801]

Chris Liddiard Chris Liddiard hi there. my magenta is clogged really bad. I let the tube sit there for weeks and it's still clogged. I can suck a bit of ink so I'm guessing the problem isn't on the protruding part where you would connect the hose, but on the underside where it touches the paper. what do you think? What should I do? thank you

[@brucelockert477]

I used your idea. I had trouble using small tubing because it tended to capillary, and the cleaner did not flow to the printer carriage cartridge port. I went to Ace Hardware, but any hardware can supply, and got small tubing that fit the port pipe, and more tubing that would fit the outside of the smaller tubing, ending the capillary action because the larger tube can easily accept the fluid as a reservoir, having gravity to help. The smaller tubing was cut to the height of the port, then pushed into the larger tubing. I then made six for all the ports on a Epsom R200 printer. Then using a hypo-injector used to give medicine to dog, and used the home made fluid and filled the tubes. I bought the printer at a estate sale, and it had not been used for a long time. After letting the solution set in the plastic tubing for about two weeks, it finally came out, flushing the print head and the paper towel under the print carriage, is all different colors now. On eBay, you can buy the Epson refillable cartridges that can be filled using bulk ink, and that is next, now that the print heads are cleaned. I do like using bulk ink, versus buying pre-filled cartridges with ink. Kids use my printer and abuse my budget in the process. I now have a printer that can do the bulk ink routine. And kids can use it as much as they want, and not have a washed out printing result. It is surprising all that you can find on the internet, because other people have had same costs, and want to share how to get around them, economically. And the glaring costs that they save, they say to themselves, I'm going to share this, to help others. Thank you for your sharing.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+Bruce Lockert Bruce, your comment makes me very happy. So glad it helped you and that you appreciate it. your extra information is helpful to others too.Thanks a lot.

[@raknight1]

Bruce Lockert up

[@santiagomedina8370]

I went to staples and theyre just trying to sell i went and told them about the situation, they said most of the time this method doesnt work but im going to try try anyway & honestly, Thanks for taking your time and explaining to us. really nice of you.

[@icexangel]

My printer is Epson XP-300 if you're having trouble finding a tube to fit over the heads try using the tube from the spray of a windex bottle. It fit perfectly. Just cut the size you want and it should work like a charm.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Linda, thanks so much for your helpful comment. I subscribed.

[@emilbry]

Worked great! Simple. I also added another step. I blew into the tube to loosen clog.

[@DDActing]

I was ready to follow your method but decided to go over every single step HP has in their instructions. I inspected the new black refill and notice the sticker was covering the little hole on front/top. I got some tweezers and really made a clean hole and sure enough, I put it back in and it worked. I NEVER have issues solved like that. That's why I decided to share. After hundreds, maybe thousands of printer refills, I have never had that issue. So I got in the habit of trying the hardest thing first.. After an hour with the software and using half of the new ink cleaning the stupid thing(I didn't say stupid then, but I can't write what I did say). well, I guess it's a case of RTFM

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Daniel, thanks for taking the time to leave that helpful reply. I often use a CIS system and if the air vent gets plugged it creates a vacuum and stops printing. if you see bubbles in the line you know there is a problem. Glad you fixed yours.

[@QuiltZone]

I am going to try this on my Epson Artisan 837 and hope it works. Thank you for the info about the airline tubing for aquariums. My local PETCO store has the 3/16” tubing. The 25 foot (762 meter) length costs around $5.99. Thank you, also, for the “recipe” for the printer head cleaning solution. The price they charge for printer head cleaning kits online is a real rip-off!

[@LeoJablonski]

Thank you very much!! My Epson Artisan 837 is now working again. I left the solution filled tubing on the ports for about 44 hours. Afterward, it took 4 head cleaning cycles before I could get a proper nozzle check print and now it is perfect. I used no name Windex-like glass cleaner and 99% isopropyl alcohol at a 4:1 mix. Thanks again!!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

leo! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I am very happy when I hear the video helped somebody the way it helped me. Much appreciated.

[@chrispy104k]

Thanks heaps for this guide Rob. I ended up replacing the cartridges thinking that the age of them was likely to have been a contributing factor to the Magenta and Cyan jets blocking up on my Epson WF-7710. Yellow and black were fine. With new CMY cartridges, CM were still blocked. I thought to myself, what if I stuck a tube over the ports and sucked at them a bit. It worked. They started to operate and after two more cleaning cycles via the printer menu, I was good to go. Cheers mate from Perth, Western Australia.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hey thanks for watching and leaving such a helpful comment I'm glad the video helped thanks again

[@debkogelman]

Great idea. I have an old printer that won't print sometimes because it keeps telling me it needs cleaning. I clean it all the time and have to buy cartridges all the time because when you clean it dumps so much of the ink. Have to give this a try. Could save a lot of money. Thank you! Have a wonderful day.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Glad to help deb, you can also try installing a CIS if they sell one for your printer, it will save you a ton on buying cartridges.

[@michalagreen]

Didn't have any tubing so I just put a drop of your solution on the blocked nozzle for an hour or do. My blocked magenta is up and running! I think I might love you!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Michala, I am so happy to help, thanks for taking the time to let me know!

[@eeyyaakk6801]

Michala Green I did as you did and my magenta is still clogged

[@paulwhiting4246]

Actually I tried that several years ago, before I even read KZbin! Worked well, but I had forgotten I used it! Time to use it again, another clog. I'd always heard not to remove carts and let them put aside while I was cleaning other parts of the printer as well. The ideas was not to leave carts exposed too long because the cartridge "spikes" would dry up. But nobody hear seems to run into that problem. Whatever, I'm going to take those chances. I agree that it is an elegant solution! Paul

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

hey Paul, thanks for the helpful comment.😎👌

[@paulwhiting4246]

Glad you found it helpful! Your initial comment was helpful to me, it gave some validation to my efforts a few years ago. But... what do you think, do we need to be concerned that the "spikes" might dry up if exposed to the air too long? And here's another...when we fill up the short section of tubing, just how do we do that without that section spilling over? It's one of those "sounds simple but it ain't"! Nice job on your video... very clear, and so is the audio!

[@paulwhiting4246]

Hi Robb... well, it's been close to 24 hours that my tubing was installed. I'm rather patient... I'll give it another 24 hours. From your experience, is this to be expected? Another question: I had to remove my cyan cart (this is on an Epson 1400) to leave that spike open for the tubing. I put the cartridge aside at my desk but do I need to seal it in some way, to keep it from drying out? I'd appreciate hearing your experience on this.Thank you for all your help! PS: I put it in a Ziploc bag, I guess that's better than nothing. but I didn't have a plastic box handy.

[@jasonholli]

This worked for me! I left it overnight and the next day the blockage was cleared. Thanks

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

thnaks jason!

[@Syrehn]

I have an old Stylus 1400 that hasn't been used in probably 2 years. Needless to say some of the print heads are severely clogged. 😅 I bought some solution with a syringe kit and have been trying to flush it out based on YT vids I've seen. Even though this video is older, yours is the first one I've seen that recommends leaving the tubing sit with solution in it. Brilliant. Off to try that for that nasty, super clog. Thanks for posting your method for this. :)

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

thanks so much for the nice comment. I have let my solution sit for over a week on stubborn ink clogs. It does not work %100 of the time but the alternative is to throw the printer away so there is nothing lost by waiting and trying to see if the printer is getting better. Often there wlil be no print coming out and then slowly it comes over days. Good luck.

[@bdazzleddesigns9219]

I tried your method and unclogged an old Epson R280. Took quite a bit of catherizing it (I let it sit and then extracted all the old ink with a syringe, then flushed each nozzle). I am so thankful to you Robb. I wish I had the Brother MFC printers I threw out to try this on.

[@juntjoonunya9216]

Brilliant! But true on how hit or miss this procedure is. Sometimes these printheads just die even though I've unclogged them. They are after all electrical

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Sometimes I have more trouble with the printers and the computers.

[@coondogtheman]

My Canon MP470 printer stopped working so I had to get another one. Would not even start up. It would turn on, do a couple of tests then shut down. I took it apart and found a medical type pump inside that's driven by the platen and the tubes were all clogged with dried ink. Printers these days need way too much maintenance, like you need to print something every now and then.

[@64chrisg]

Great video tip. Trying it now. Seems like the solution in the tube may may gone down a little since yesterday. Should all the liquid flow through the tube to indicate when the head is cleaned?

[@rayarocho9079]

Great video Robb. Clearly explained and straight to the point.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Ray Muniz Thanks Ray!

[@1framistan]

My printer sat a long time maybe ONE YEAR (model MFCJ470DW). My Brother printer has the ink tanks on FRONT not on top. So I stood my printer on it's rear, with the ink tanks facing UP. This caused a lot of ink to drain out of the tanks. (my refillable ink-tanks are CLEAR color, so I could see the levels). So, your method solved my problem. I did not have CLOGGED HEADS. I had no ink in the printer itself. Now i have all my colors back, but still some problems with black. Your video was very helpful. thank you

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

David, thanks so much for the feedback, I make my videos to help out, I really appreciate when people let me know I helped.

[@tintan23]

thanks for this video , I thought I would never have black ink again but with this the colors are so much better and the black ink too. Your DIY cleaner is awesome too :)

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+tintan23 Thanks Tintan, happy to help, I appreciate you watching and your comment.

[@Halo-YT123]

There are a few of things I want to add. 1) Sometimes it is those single white cartridges or the pipes that are clogged..so remove the pipe attached to the cartridge and push air with a syringe in and out to unclog it. 2) Use a sharp syringe needle to inject isopropyl aclohol directly into the printer head holes . If you use a torch you can see those fine holes. 3)and finally I got success by putting a straw over the nozzle and just blowing air with my mouth ..that seemed to clean it and open it. so just remember it's not always the head that may be clogged..it could be the pipes or the cartridge too.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

thanks for the helpful input Singh!

[@peetcgee1528]

Precisely. I have a cheapo $100 brother mfc j1205w which stopped working- after several mfg. recommended cleaning attempts to no avail. I ordered an $8 clean kit, which has yet to arrive. Being late to print a shipping label decided to try just blowing through a tube attached to inlet- 1 removed cartridges 2 pushed on the spring loaded valve stems just to check their condition 3 installed a fitting tube over inlet 4 blew in each one. Voila! Printer works as it should.

[@lj2700]

I just flushed the ports with vinegar and a syringe. Once I instilled the vinegar I pulled back and got the clumps out. Did this a few times and it worked nicely.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+Linda Joyce good tip, thanks!

[@josephwalker1591]

Awesome man. Thank you so much. 8:2 ratio winded to rubbing alcohol. Genius! Thanks again

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hey Joseph, so happy to help. Don't forget to check out my other videos I have over thousand the new stuff every week.

[@josheddings8568]

I cut up a straw, stuffed​ it with cotton, and soaked the cotton in Windex and alcohol. stuck the straws on the little print head ports and left it for a couple of days. work with what ya got, lol.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

go for it Josh, thanks!

[@caleb186]

@@erestew I have some glass straws are those legal?

[@BambooBob]

@@erestew Move away from that 3rd world state!

[@awesomewolf5574]

Thank you for saving my printer! And my money...

[@eeyyaakk6801]

Josh Eddings what do you mean by straw?

[@IsaacOLEG]

WHat worked really for me, after using a lot of tricks, as strong solvents, hot water, and ultra wave bath, blowing, aspiration, no way to see some red on the nozzle (HP443 2 years no use obviously not the same type as the video) WHat worked really well and fast : I put hot water in my dental jet, pressure at the max. Just one full recipe and the red was open. It may be better to do it 2 or 3 times as it is pushing into the micro holes, but it really worked, after 24 hours testing different tricks. It is not sending ink everywhere do not be afraid ;)

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Isaac, thanks for your helpful input, much appreciated.

[@Emeraude042]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife My printer is not printing in color at all. I'm assuming they're all clogged. You said "just one full recipe and the red was open", but also said you used hot water. Can you clarify? I have a WaterPik and want to use it if it will work, but I want to do it right. Thank you!

[@emort6]

If this doesn't work I'm going to try carb cleaner, brake cleaner, goo gone, wd40, and anything else I can think of. Thanks for the video.

[@gabriellechristine]

I think this is the best demonstration I've found.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Thanks Gabrielle!

[@lisanagel214]

they must make the printer ports much smaller now...the tubing was too big for my Epson WF 2750...I am improvising though and will see if it works!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

thanks Lisa!

[@fauxshowartwiley355]

Same here, but my daughter came up with a perfect solution. An infant bulb syringe (get it at a pharmacy). $3.99, it is soft and rubbery and the tip is small and graduated. Pour solution into bulb, pinch neck that fits onto ink pin and release the neck. You have a snug fit and a way to 'pump' the solution through after it has soaked for a while.

[@hughmckechnie6820]

Thanks Robb. I have an Epson StylusPhoto R200.I loved it and have been unable to replace it, so I'm going to try your recipe and technique. Thanks a bunch. Hugh

[@1glopz]

Nothing like good old american ingenuity love this guy

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

thanks G!!

[@shamela1965]

Hi Rob... thanks for your video... we dont have Windex in South Africa... so I used regular plain window cleaner here called Windolene.... together with alcohol.... the only thing I did differently .... was that I injected the solution and then sucked some back as well.... as the solution was not going down... did this twice and I think that unblocked the nozzle..as alot of color was sucked back....it was printing streaky... so with the help of Stan Ingram's comment about doing a clean after the solution... it worked!!! thank you so much.... I had literally tried everything.... I was on the verge of buying a new printer... but just didnt have the finances to buy one right now.... your video was great.. thanks so much.... warmest regards Shamela

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Shamela, thank you so much for the nice comment. When I made the video I was hoping it would help people exactly as it helped you as i was in the same situation.

[@lonstermonster1442]

This still works. For ammonia I used the no-name Compliments Glass Cleaner from Sobey's (here in Canada) which says "contains ammonia" right on the front label. It was a few years old, so I don't know if they have changed their formula or not. Some rubbing alcohol from the drug store and "PRESTO", ink heads ran clean after letting it soak for about 10 minutes. I have an Epson Work Force 3620. I used some hose I found in my shed, didn't fit very snug over the nozzle and leaked a bit, but it worked nonetheless. Don't forget the paper towel underneath, it makes quite a mess, even though I only used around 5cc of the 8:2 concoction. Thanks, Robb!!! 5 stars!!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Lonster, I wish all of my viewers were like you, thanks a bunch!

[@supergoober1021]

Thanks! Gotta try that, but one or two questions come to mind. Jump to the end of the cleaning; how do I pull off the hose full of cleaner without getting it all over the ink ports? If the answer to that is to leave it connected until it all soaks down through the ink port and I’m doing this to six nozzles; where does the cleaner go? Am I left to just clean up anything that drains or slops out of the printer onto my wife’s white table cloth?

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

I have not had any problems but my printer is not on a white tablecloth. I assumed there is a waste collection area under the nozzles as in other printers, but could be wrong, you could insert paper towels while you attempted the repair.

[@ccwshoreline]

Great demo - you say exactly what needs to be said!

[@flilguy]

My Epson died yesterday after I did something like this. it's a WF-2540. I knew I should have taken a baseball bat to it. Won't buy another Epson. My sister has had an HP for several years. She is very happy with hers. I think one of my problems with the Epson is I didn't use it enough. I went through about a package of ink every year and didn't even make 125 copies a year. I mainly got it for printing my taxes. The Epson had decent scanning and printing. Although it was always a PITA after it sat for a few days.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

yeah, not using them dries them up.

[@patticoble8953]

Thank you so much for your very informative videos!! I have an Epson Workforce 1100 wide format inkjet printer. I went to a site that sells the nozzle cleaning kits commercially and the fine print said that cleaning system works for all Epson printheads EXCEPT wide format. Do you know why it would not work on my printer? Will your method and your homemade formula work in my printer?

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Patti I am so sorry but don't have a clue on this one. I do know certain inks do not respond to the cleaners containing any alcohol which actually makes them clog and get worse. The dye sublimation inks for example. I always recommend a person does not use my method unless they have no option that way if anything goes wrong it didn't matter. However many people are very happy with the solution i provided as i have been. sorry i can't help much as i do not know anything about the wide format.

[@juntjoonunya9216]

Ingenious bypass ink tube!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hey thanks a lot for watching and commenting. I appreciate it.

[@chabongomez9339]

You’re a clever Guy!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hey thanks a lot I appreciate that.

[@wiitele]

Good tips my man. I am heading over to your homemade recipe now. thanks!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hey thanks for watching and commenting I really appreciate it.

[@Hillgal42]

I just took posession of my daughter's 5 year old Epson Workforce. She may have used it twice.... ever. So I came looking for the information you so generously share here. Thank you. Oh my. How I wish I found this info 9 years ago..... My first serious scanner/printer was a sweet little Epson. I found an online ink source and ended up with almost $400.00 worth of ink,( if it had been Epson brand), for under $100.00. I printed the heck out of my art and poetry. I actually sold greeting cards printed on that sweet Epson. Then one day, she began to lose ink from the bottom of the machine. I figured I killed her with the cheap ink. So, I tearfully recycled her. I can imagine that you have a solution for what ailed my old "Betsy." The replacement HP machine has never put out the quality of print that the Epson did. It also "spies" on me if I try to use a "Non-HP" official ink cartridge.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

your machine may have had the waste ink pads fill up and they were overflowing.

[@STEVEHOLE1]

Going to try this Bob Thanks for sharing the Video, will be back to let you know how i get on trying it.

[@gustercc]

well....??

[@weedygarden]

A million views! Congratulations!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

thanks weedy!

[@truabilityu]

Great vid - Thanks. Question... I may have shorted my 1430 by running it too soon after cleaning. It turned on, ran to end of carriage and shut down - no power no lights. Tested power supply and usb and holding button down. Any ideas?

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Jay, do a google search, that is such an unusual symptom it can't have many reasons for doing that.

[@Jammersohn]

I have an Epson 835 and the issue is not clogged heads. It freezes upon powering on and the display flashes with the message that a "Printer Error has occurred". I tried some things suggested by the JustAnswer site, but they didn't work. When I free the print head and move it to the left and turn on the power, it tries to start normally: the print head slowly moves to the right. However, when it reaches the ink reservoir area, the sponge, it bumps up against it the pad holder and triggers the error. I looks like it should clear the pad, but the pad will not stay down when I push it down. I wonder if it is gummed up under this pad. However it is not easily accessible. I do not see a way to unscrew the plastic cover that prevents access to the pad. Do you or does anyone reading this have a suggestion? I like your philosophy of not wanting to throw away such a large and 'almost-working' machine!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Doug, sounds like you located the problem, you just nee to locate a source for the repair manual for the epson. Try doing a google for the phrase 'epson 835 manual pdf'. If you can take it apart you may be able to locate the problem and fix it. Do a video of it and you may get a few bucks from KZbin.

[@Jammersohn]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife Thanks Rob! I will try your suggestion...

[@juliekeenan3184]

The size tubing you listed was in Meters. I believe you meant mm, yes? I tried finding some to purchase. Is that 5/16" inch? There are many available at 3/16" but that may be too small. If you're checking comments, please reply...I wasn't sure if it mattered which size, but seems that it may. Thanks so much!!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Julie so sorry for the late reply. I left some links in the video description.

[@MrBooojangles]

I used a head cleaning kit from a company that have their own videos on You Tube and when I used the syringe to push the cleaning fluid through, it definately came through each of the four nozzles and left the paper I put underneath soaking wet with different colour inks. I even pulled up on the syringe a few times to draw the fluid back up and down again both ways. I then thought I'd leave it a week or more with the nozzles still wet with the fluid, just to help dissolve any other dried ink that might be there. After a week, I put the ink cartridges back and tried the printer again and still nothing. The print test was no better, maybe worse, but fluid came though each nozzle when I used the cleaning kit, so I thought it should work, but it didn't. Should I try cleaning it again or what. I even opened a new black ink cartridge and it didn't help. I've now been without the printer for 4 months and desperately need to print stuff off for my buisness.

[@rlgiarratano]

Thank you for this! I was about to purchase a new printer, but it's working after only a quick soak.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+Rebecca Stevens Happy to help!

[@laitang2004]

Thank you. This unclogged my Epson printer.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Glad I could help

[@r.c.850]

when i connect the syringe with cleaning fluid to one of the ink port, when I push doesn't go through. it create a pressure, I am afraid to apply more force. This Epson Artisan 835 is different than other. This one had the ink port connected to the printer head with a channels like house where all the ink circulate inside.

[@thomaschase1719]

Have you considered after cleaning using refill ink to flush cleaner if it gets muddy prints afterwards.

[@frankloschke5937]

My printer has a blank blue screen ,HP4655. Print head is fine. Tried power cycle, still nothing. Have to unplug cord to shutdown.

[@thejinshop6420]

Thanks for the tip Robb. Found your video helpful.

[@robertlonsdale3826]

Hi Robb, is the 3-16th internal or external diameter please?

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Robert, I made this video some time ago and do not have any tubing on hand at the moment, however look in the comments and video description as i think the size was discussed earlier and you may find the answer there, sorry i could not help you right now.

[@PopRuffin]

Mr. Moffett: Please identify the proper size tubing. Inside diameter and tubing composition. Manufacturer and Part number for Tubing. Thanks for your video

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

here is the 3/16 inch tubing I used on amazon PENN PLAX Standard Airline Tubing Air Pump Accessories, 25-Feet amzn.to/2qYbRjO

[@ChefBuckRecipes]

I have a lot of bad printer memories....happily, we haven't had a printer in years

[@anythingghost]

It's like owning a boat.

[@veronicasilva2565]

Amigo(a) Epson ET-7750 Driver Download Windows, Mac, Linux goo.gl/CHez1c

[@veronicasilva2565]

Saudações aqui tem o driver da impressora BROTHER MFC-495CW DOWNLOAD DO DRIVER DO WINDOWS E MAC instalardriverimpressora.blogspot.com/2018/06/brother-mfc-495cw-download-do-driver-do.html

[@blackie75]

just buy a new one everytime you run out of ink. they're like 50 bucks new

[@lakshyamongia3270]

@@blackie75 terrible for the environment. You could refill it

[@wonbidonly]

how could anyone not give a thumbs up? /well illustrated, smartly explained. Xlnt

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Thanks Henry!

[@majidsharif23]

What should I do if my printer is printing completely blank as if the inkjet nozzle is not touching the paper at all? The printer had been in storage for about a year. The model is an Epson wf 2630. I bought new ink cartridges.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

try using printer cleaner to unclog them. I have a video on how to make your won, a link is in the video description, good luck.

[@cattail3]

Hello! My Artisan 800 has a clogged head and I am going to give this a try. I have the waste ink tank and the CISS system installed and it has been just great. Since I had not printed in a couple of months the head clogged up. My question is: after allowing the solution to soak in for awhile just reinstall the ink and print? Then ink will push out the solution eventually? Also, while the solution is soaking into the print head does any leak out into the printer itself? I have watched other videos where they force cleaner into the head and protect the printer with paper towels.... I am thinking that since very little cleaner is being used nothing leaks out. THANKS for the tips!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

cattail3 Yes, the clogged ink should soften and you should be able to push it out, but also try sucking it out with the syringe, one of my viewers had better luck with her clog by doing that. Afterwards, if the prints look streaky you may have to print and waste paper and ink for a short time for it to get back to normal. I had one experience where it took 3 or 4 days to get back to printing normal. Also, not guaranteed to work every single time, but has for me so far.

[@speedyboishan87]

Rob how can I remove Ink from a new cartridge and insert it onto a used cartridge, I have a Canon TS705 printer, the new Cyan cartridge is not recognized when I insert the old cartridge back in its recognized any way I can take ink from a new cartridge and put it into a used cartridge etc.

[@12tribeff]

Is that where the ink catridges go that your cleaning or is that in the print head?

[@like2makethings]

Robb, do you have wait until the tube is empty? Do you have to put your printer on an old towel or something?

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

I never put down any paper towels but it is not a bad idea. the amount in the tubs is very tiny.

[@AndrewSchwartz413]

Super solution! This worked perfectly for me. Thanks!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+Andrew Schwartz Thanks so much Andrew! I add new videos every week.

[@e36fanatics]

I have like 300$ epson i bought and used for just one time then left it for year and its completely dried out i gotta try this method to see if i can get it to work again

[@icexangel]

Did it work?

[@KZ3W]

Thanks for the info on DIY'r cleaning solution recipe , and the tubing tip . Gonna try this . 👍 .

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

thank you!

[@MrFonzy721]

I also got a scanner problem with my brother,mfc -j4620w model.checked everything from paper jam, but scanner is not letting me print or bay pass the screen.,please help if u can, thanks

[@stuknowlton477]

Hi, I watched your the "DIY Inkjet print head cleaner,simple,cheap,effective" and this video. I have over 20 Epson WF-3640 and I tried the method on 3 of them and whatever color I used the method on it would no longer print that color. I followed the instructions step by step. Would you happen to know if there is something different I need to do on a Epson WF-3640? Thank you for the videos and your time.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

No, I don't, sorry Spencer. You can check the comments left, some people tried other methods and provided additional helpful information.

[@stuknowlton477]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife ok thanks,

[@0108daniel]

I have a problem. My Epson surecolor sc-p600 print no Black. When I print Black text it will be blue/Grey. I have done a nozzle clean + print head clean. The cardridges are full. I used no profiles and software is up to date. I tested this also on my laptop with the same result. What can i do more?

[@jiggojigweddingcoveage4342]

Hi... Is the solution you mentioned work well with pigment and sublimation inks? I never use epson's original inks. I have L1300 and L120 epson printers loaded with pigments (CUYI) and 1 L110 with sublimation ink. Cleaning the nozzles had always been my issue so I just always buy new printers out of frustrations.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Jiggo Jig WeddingCoveage No, sorry. I ever used those inks so can't comment but I seem to remember someone posting they tried it and made it worse with sublimation inks.

[@believeme5903]

I have the Epson WF-7010, pressurized the print head so clean all nozzles work, a very nice fan of the nozzles and still won't print!! Why?

[@eastavin]

Could you explain how you accessed the area where the ink sponges are please? Is there a video for this perhaps? I have a MFC-295CN Brother and don't see any screws on the bottom or anything that can be opened. Many thanks!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

sorry, I don't have a brother printer, best to google waste ink pad replacement for brother printer and hope you get lucky.

[@eastavin]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife ok. But you made a video for a brother printer??

[@larryleisuresuit9584]

If You have the problem after cleaning a clogged port on one color or even more. if it;s muddy color afterwards or streaking and the answer to the problem is USE before you get it back. just go to paint. make a square of that color you want to fix, print that page after you save it, the ink required for that page will be seriously over taxed and by doing that it will work more ink through that port. so say you have a issue with black - run a full page of black.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+Larry Leisuresuit good tip larry, thanks !

[@aris95]

There is a great testpage site in www.cmykindustries.co.za/test-pages/ pages for cyan, yellow, magenta and black test pages

[@philipmurray4065]

Hi Rob I used this method but interestingly the solution in the tube has flowed in a few minutes to through the nozzles however printer keeps printing the black color leaving horizontal linings. Do I have to apply it all the colors or just black? I'm always doing it on the black one

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

if black is the problem then just do black. You can wait a few days and try again.

[@suesurkes5370]

Hi Robb, I did exactly what you said and left the tubes in for around 24 hours. then even syringed inky liquid out of each nozzle . When I got a blank page I did a test clean and - several test prints and even replaced old cartridges, but it's worse than ever!! The liquid in the tubes did go down and disappear so I assume it went into the printer system. Any ideas or recommendations?

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+Sue Surkes Sue, it doesn't sound good. I would try test printing it again over the next few days.

[@leniprof]

Hi Robb, There is no Windex in my country, so I made your recipe for homemade Windex, and then I do your printer cleaning recipe. The result is very good, but there is still air or bubbles in the black channel. When I perform "Head Clean" and "Nozzle Check" the result is almost perfect, but later horizontal lines appear again when printed, "Nozzle check" is bad too. My printer is reset and I have an external waste ink container. My question is: How many times in a row can I do "Head Clean" ?? Also, I want to tell one big THANK YOU for your advices !!!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Thanks Lenny! If your horizontal streaks are in color or black and not just steaks where ink is missing it is almost always a clogged head. if you can not unclog it you will have to replace it unfortunately. I will do a video this week on causes of streaks, some are not due to clogged heads.

[@leniprof]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife Only the black channel makes stripes, as It was the most clogged. I put the cleaning fluid in silicone tubes and allow them to flow naturally, without a syringe, the black channel drains the slowest, but when I inject fluid into it I do not feel much resistance. Also, several times I managed to print perfect Nozzle Check, and 3 whole pages in solid black - perfect print, only with black ink. Then back to stripes again.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

One time I had a printer that did that. If I was printing a black and white document and used the non color setting to just use black it would get streaks. However, if I printed using the color setting I still was able to print black but there were no streaks with the color setting. Also, one time my program was old and was not compatible with the computer , when i updated my program the printer started running OK.

[@leniprof]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife I suppose there is still a blockage in the inner tank of the black channel, or some hole in the black spike is clogged. I suspect that the ink passes and collects in the reservoir, but when a larger areas begin to print, it consumes quickly and then horizontal lines begin. I think the holes in the bottom of the head are completely cleaned, but the problem is in the channel above. I hope it will soon soften the clogged ink from flow of the new ink. I forgot to tell you that I use pigment ink and your recipe works great even for it. Previously, I did solution 1:10 of ammonia and distilled water with a less success. Printer is Epson SX200. I'll write to you later about the result. Best Regards!

[@ronhat-nx6yq]

I have an epson artisan 725 that has just stopped printing black. Black printing is streaky but all other colors just fine. Test pattern indicates some black segments missing. Tried cleaning several times but no help. When cleaning, used over half the ink in my color cartridges but none in my black cartridge. Will this cleaning fluid go into my black ink port if the printer is in the normal parked position?

[@shuzkelly]

My printer set-up seems quite different. (Epson WorkForce Pro 4630) Am I being dim? Should this work in a similar fashion?

[@MrFonzy721]

I got a c7180 😬,hp , one of my ink cartridges says it’s missing or damaged? How can I fix it?thanks, I don’t want to throw it away.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

don't know Richard,sorry, I would have to do a google search and lookinto the forums

[@meganmccord3961]

Before I tried this the blue and pink inks were working. Now I've put the ink back in and it is printing blanks again. I tried taking the ink out and putting it back in for the printer to charge it again, but no luck.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Megan, it does not always work in every situation but do not quit yet. I have had the printer print blank and I continued to run the cleaning test once a day over a period of days and it started up again as late as a week. It went from blank to missing lines and spaces to back to normal. But sometimes the heads are too far gone.

[@ATCRyderX]

SMART FELLA! THE "RECIPE" IN YOUR DESCRIPTION FOR CLEANER - IS THAT THE SAME CLEANER YOU USED THAT YOU WEREN'T HAPPY WITH? ANY NEW REVISIONS ON THAT SUBJECT?

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

hey, thanks for watching, no revisions.

[@juntjoonunya9216]

So I pushed cleaning solution through to Brother MFC-250C printhead, I've done it and each ink passage goes all the way through to the printhead as shown by soaked paper towel placed underneath, then ran several test prints and printhead cleanings and only got maybe a faint print from the cyan, then nothing. Is the circuitry broken or something? The printer seems to think everything is fine.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

I did not see you reply until today I'm sorry for getting back to you so late. Sometimes when I have fixed mine it took several days before it was printing good again.

[@juntjoonunya9216]

@@RobbsHomemadeLife thanks. No prob

[@eds.9689]

I learnt a lot today! Thanks Robb's Homemade Life!!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

+Ed Schijf Thanks Ed!

[@OWK000]

If the clog is bad, but not too bad, distilled water is the go-to solution. You don't want hard water crystals in your print head. If the clog is really bad, ammonia will work but it is corrosive to print heads, so you have to flush it all out with distilled water if you dare use it. Right now I am trying hot distilled water. We'll see.

[@stevendavid9430]

Hi my wf 2661 is showing error 0x9a can u tell wat problem that is?

[@mikedavis6299]

Hi Robb, I replaced all of the cartridges on my Epson 1100 with Epson cartridges. The ink light on the printer stays on. Status report says M/C/Y cannot be recognized. I cleaned the print head, contacts in printer and on cartridges to no avail. Any other suggestions?

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Mike, have not had that problem, my only answer would be to google the problem somemore and leave a comment in the forums.

[@nimlasingh2952]

Hi Robb, great video. i have a Epson stylus photo 320 printer, would your cleaning method work with it . Also may I have your cleaning fluid recipe. Look forward to your reply. Kind regards Nina

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hi Nina, the link to my inkjet cleaner video is in the video description, also here: DIY Inkjet print head cleaner,simple,cheap,effective kzbin.info/www/bejne/enm4gnSQe8mHha8 thanks for watching

[@ronald209]

I have a monster of a situation. My Stylus Photo 2200 was stored for over 8 years (maybe closer to 9). It was stored fairly protected from temperatures (with the tanks in it). Now that I'm trying to use it again (I upgraded my DSLR) the yellow refuses to work at all. for the last month I've had a set of tanks I bought with printhead cleaner in them have been sitting in it, running head leaning cycles once a week, per the instructions... mostly (4 cleaning cycles then a test sheet, repeated twice) and nothing has changed. This morning I ran the cleaning cycles and test sheets, as I have the 3 weeks prior. NO CHANGE AGAIN. I chose to repeat again this evening but nothing showed on the test sheets, NOTHING... the printer went through all the motions, but without printing a pattern on the paper. I hope it will save my printer.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

good luck Ronald.

[@arabiantxn]

Question How can I prevent this from happening. I have a inkjet printer that I rarely use. (Appox once in 6 to 8 months) Can I store the print head and the ink cartridges in my freezer or fridge section or what else can I do to prevent this from happening Thank you much !

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

You have a very good question. I don't have an answer, but if I wanted to keep a cartridge from drying out for 8 months between use I would try putting it in a bag and vacuum sealing it to remove the air.

[@JadedJarvis]

My printer is a brother printer. Mfc-j425w series. The nozzles? Are not upright like this printer. They are horizontal. I guess i just have to stand up my printer? This is really frustrating. Ive been trying to get the red color to work for over 2 weeks now. The guys at the ink refill store told me to buy a new printer but i refuse. I want to try to fix it first. I am going insane here....

[@Crassenstein]

what if the sucker tells you he is not connected - though it is. wireless - canon mx925 - any ideas robb? thanks

[@denniswnelson]

Really enjoyed your video! It was very helpful for what I was trying to do. Unfortunately, I flushed the print head several times, but could not unblock the clogs. I also let it set, like you suggested for about 3 nights, but that did not work either! I even removed the print head, soaked it in your solution and also tried pushing the ink through the print heads, but still didn't remove the clog! I am using about 2 parts ammonia and 8 parts distilled water. Do you have any other suggestions for me? Would a stronger solution work better, or I am willing to try anything you might suggest. Please let me know. Thanks for your help!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hi Dennis, if you have nothing to lose I would let it soak some more or try to use the syringe to suck the ink blockage out instead of pushing it through.

[@denniswnelson]

Hi Robb, what do you recommend as the best way to suck it out instead of pushing it through? Also, if I let the print head soak some more, should I use your ammonia/distilled water solution, or would you recommend something stronger?

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

Hi Dennis, I would use a syringe to suck it out and would continue using the same cleaning solution.

[@denniswnelson]

Ok Robb! Thanks!

[@adorjanc3076]

Wait, you said you removed the printhead? Are you sure you talk about Epson printer and not HP? Because with the Epson printer, removing the printhead is a big pain in the ass, because the printhead is in the machine, while in HP, the printhead is on the cartridge. Anyway, if you are so skilled to be able to remove the printhead, I don't see why soaking (you can also rub it with paper towel) did not helped, but you can also try soak it in warm water (the printhead). Maybe you are doing something wrong.... I don't know chemistry, but no matter how dried up the ink is, once you take out the printhead, you can clean it with all kinds of stuff. Just make sure you dry it out completely before putting it in!

[@JuliaWojdaczJuliasVAService]

I tried the smallest tubing I could find and it was still too big. I tried using wire heat shrink as a reducer on the tubing, and that didn't work. I blew thru the tubing and nothing. The cleaner just made a mess everywhere and wouldn't stay in the tube it ran right out. And still not printing!

[@icexangel]

You know the spray bottle for windex? I cut the tube of the spray and used that and it fit really snug. I'm just waiting for the ink to soften up now. I hope it works.

[@helenreidhardenbergh]

@@icexangel Thanks! The airline tubing too bog. Windex bottle tubing=perfect

[@BriHypno]

I’ve tried using the printhead cleaners with the syringe and I screwed up 2 Epson printers that I was trying to fix. I got an error and now it won’t even let me try to keep cleaning it as it keeps getting the error. Have you ever got the error and resolved it after trying to unclog using printhead cleaners and syringe method? I would put a paper towel underneath to soak up true water but I wonder if somehow it eventually caused issues somewhere in the electronics

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

I don't remember getting the error message but several times I did a cleaning with my liquid and nothing would print for days. When it did started printing it would just be streaks but every couple of days I would try it again and it would get better.

[@saltyshellback]

Hey! I was looking for how to clean your printhead videos and this came up :-)

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

LOL, you are one of my only manic mark subscribers that is active on my channel, always happy to see you.

[@saltyshellback]

Robb's Homemade Life I love manic mark! He's a legend!

[@lindafrye8978]

Will this work on an HP Photosmart D7460 with ink system failure?