How do I clean my Fujitsu scansnap ?

August 13, 2009 3:30 PM

How do I clean my Fujitsu scansnap ?

I was startled to discover that the counter on my new scansnap 1500 has already exceeded 2000 pages. The manual specifies a cleaning every 1000 pages using Fujitsu's little bottle of stuff called F1 PA03950-0352 which cost around $18.00 with an additional $7.00 or so for shipping.

A little surfing reveals that the bottle contains "Anion surface-active agent 0.5wt%". Another "hit" for a different Fujitsu scanner says that it is ispropyl alcohol.

Is there a home remedy that would do as well, like ispropyl alcohol from the drugstore?

Not that it's all that much $$$, but it is annoying.

Thanks

posted by Kevin S to technology (5 answers total)

Some suggest mild soap or an ordinary glass cleaner on a soft cloth, never paper towels. That site (the scanner cleaning section is about 1/2 way down the page) says HP in particular recommends glass cleaners that do NOT contain ammonia. Some window cleaners leave a film on the glass, so you may want to test a small corner of the scanner if you're using the random cleaners you have around the house.

Others specifically suggest microfiber cloth for errant dust, and a window-cleaning spray applied to a soft cloth (not sprayed on the glass), not noting any issues with residues left behind.

If you want to try some home-made mix beyond simple soap and water, here are recipes for window cleaners.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:06 PM on August 13, 2009

This is a sheetfed "batch" scanner. I think the issue is with the rubber roller parts, not the glass. Thanks.
posted by Kevin S at 4:55 PM on August 13, 2009

I would get a small cloth and thoroughly clean the rubber parts. I have several scanners and occasionally clean the rubber rollers with a small alcohol wipe, that seems to fix the paper jams/pulling multiple pages through.
posted by aGee at 5:13 PM on August 13, 2009

Rubber rollers in all kinds of machines, from tape recorders to card laminators to VCRs, are easily cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. Just put some on a lint-free rag and wipe the surface evenly. Google around on this if you like.

Be sure to let it dry well before turning it back on, and don't drip any into the machine.
posted by fake at 5:27 PM on August 13, 2009

Iso... alcohol it is. Thanks everyone.
posted by Kevin S at 3:15 PM on August 14, 2009