One of the big burdens that goes with owning a printer is when the ink jets get clogged. This typically happens when the printer sits for a long time and isn’t used. To prevent an inkjet from getting clogged, use it about once a week, even if it means just printing a photo or a text document. So long as the ink is being run through the cartridge, it won’t have time to clog up the inkjet.

However, should the inkjets get clogged, unclogging it doesn’t take long. To begin with, remove each cartridge and inspect them. If there is ink on them, there’s a good chance that there is a leak and that the inkjet is a lost cause. However, if the cartridge appears to be clean, but isn’t printing good, that’s because it is clogged. With the cartridges out of the printer, set them down on a piece of paper towel so that it doesn’t damage the furniture you’re working on.

Take water and heat it in the kettle; however, don’t let it boil. You want hot water, but not boiling water because that will damage the cartridge. Once you have hot water, take the cartridge and sit it in the water so that it is half submerged. Allow it to sit for some time so that the water can loosen any ink that is inside. Remove it from the water and then allow it to dry.

While the cartridge is drying, get a small dish of alcohol and grab a couple of Q-tips. Swab the bottom and back of the cartridge to try and break up more of the ink that might have clogged. The reason alcohol is used is because it is a solvent. It helps things to dissolve. So, the alcohol helps the ink to dissolve so that it is no longer clogging the ink jet.

Let the cartridge dry. Using a clean Q-tip and alcohol, wipe the nozzles inside the printer down to get any ink that might be clogged in there. Allow everything to dry for at least an hour or two before putting the cartridges back into the printer. Do a test print. If there is still a clog, you might need to replace the cartridges. Typically, though, the hot water and alcohol mix does a good job in removing ink clogs.