h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The sites I'm looking at for info on how to fix my inkjet printer tell me to use something called 'Green Clean'. I need a translation. Triangulating with some other sites, I'm guessing a spray-on window cleaner, right?

Hmm, the only product called "Green Clean" I know of is a "natural" algaecide. I'll see if I can dig up some info for you now, while I've got nothing else to do.

I didn't find any other product called "Green Clean". I wonder if they mean "Simple Green"... except that stuff can be kind of abrasive.

I'll see if I can delve a little deeper for you...

Seems to me that what most folks who've cleaned their Inkjets have used (successfully) is a household cleaner containing isopropanol and propylene glycol, or else they've used rubbing alcohol.

I've never tried, myself, but I'm thinking your typical spray surface cleaner would contain the above ingredients- perhaps a shower, tub and tile cleaner? Something designed to work on soap scum, as opposed to grease? As long as the label doesn't give any caveats against using on plastics.

Oops! It was Simple Green. Apologies for taking you further into the world of domestic cleaning products than you would usually wish to go. Unless this has fed your cleanliness fetish, in which case...

Ah. An abrasive. So it's a chalky bath/shower cleaner then? That makes sense. Over here, Ecover would sound about right. No offensive smell of pine etc. etc.

Simple Green's not a powder- not that grainy kind of stuff (we have Comet and Ajax in powder form). Simple Green's liquid, but it's highly concentrated. I don't know if "abrasive" is the word I'm looking for... but I used it on my stovetop once about ten years ago, and it stripped the paint right off. I'm wondering if it might damage or pit the plastic and cause the ink to clog the pitting- that might affect print quality?

No worries about the foray into the world of domestic cleaning products. I was having a slow day anyway.

As for my cleaning fetish- I use eco-friendly products, but I do it wearing nothing but fuschia rubber gloves.

Did you ever get that printer sorted?

I poked it a bit and it's eating paper as it should again...for now.

However - my new RAM didn't work, which means either that it was an eBay ripoff...or that I bought the wrong sort.