Tips To Clean Up Laser Cartridge Toner

If you have spilled laser cartridge toner on clothing or carpet, you probably have a major cleanup job on your hands. Most substances in powder form are easy to clean, but laser cartridge toner is a different animal. However, do not throw that shirt or carpet away just yet since there are ways to clean up toner from fabric. I would like to share the best methods that I swear by.

The laser cartridge toner contains very fine particles of carbon and various resins – so fine in fact that it could take several minutes for these particles to settle down if dispersed in the air. As you can imagine, particles as small as these can easily be inhaled and cause a number of health issues if inhaled in large amounts. Prolonged exposure, for example, can lead to respiratory and eye irritation. To make sure you handle spilled laser cartridge toner correctly, here are the correct steps to follow during cleanup.

Tools to Use

Very fine powder tends to be more difficult to clean up once it has settled into the fabric. As soon as you see the stain, treat it immediately. Get a pair of latex gloves and a face mask, preferably the type that filters fine particles, such as those used for painting and spraying. Wear these prior to touching any stain.

If there is a large amount spilled, scoop up the loose toner using a spoon. You will not get all of the particles, so bring out the best equipment for the job, which is a hepa filter vacuum cleaner or toner vacuum.

You are probably thinking, why a special vacuum? The reason is that laser cartridge toner contains electrostatic particles. This means that if they come in contact with other objects and particles, they become static-electric. If an ordinary vacuum is used, it is possible that toner particles can come in contact with dust particles and emit a static discharge that could ignite inside the bag.  This in turn could cause damage to the vacuum cleaner or even start a small fire. A hepa vacuum, on the other hand, is designed to be Electrostatic Discharge-safe or ESD-safe and as such, can be used to clean up fine particles in laser cartridge toner.

Cleaning Tips

Keeping the tip of the vacuum cleaner as close as possible to the areas to be cleaned, remove the toner powder from the fabric. Move the vacuum repeatedly over the area to get as much powder as you can. It is likely that after these steps, there will still be stains on the fabric, which is a cue to use the next step: water.

If the laser cartridge toner lands on skin and articles of clothing, use cold water to wash it off. I do not recommend using warm water to clean up ink from your clothes, carpets and other fabrics unless you want a permanent stain. Warm or hot water will soften the toner and make it next to impossible to remove. It might take a few tries for badly stained fabrics but this technique works well.

I also recommend using a cloth dipped in dry cleaning solvent for carpets stained with laser cartridge toner. The solvent will attract the fine powder and transfer it to the cleaning cloth. Blot carefully and use clean sections for thorough cleaning. Do not re-use dirty sections. If some stain remains on the carpet, dip a clean cloth in water mixed with some dishwashing soap and blot it on the stained area. Repeat application using clean sections and dry the carpet by blotting it with a clean, dry towel. That should remove all evidence of spilled laser cartridge toner.

If the toner has spilled inside the copier, don’t try to remove it yourself.  There are too many things to consider when cleaning an inside spill.  Contact a copier repair technician who knows how to properly clean the inside of the copier when a toner spill occurs.

I hope you found this article informative.  Feel free to share your laser cartridge toner spills and mishaps with our readers – it’s happened to more of us than you think!