The inside glass on my scanner is cloudy. How can I clean the inside glass surface? 2170 series.

The Dell 3115 (and Xerox 6180 multifunction, and Lexmark X560) all have a common problem with the INSIDE surface of the scanner platen attracting a deposit. This makes it a little 'cloudy' to look at, and produces a bluish tint to colour photocopies.

Print a test page from the printer that includes colours from all four cartridges. Then make 2 photocopies - one using the document feeder, and one using the flatbed. One may be better than the other - as a work-around.

The REAL solution is to clean the inside of the scanner platen (glass), but you must be very careful, otherwise you'll trash the printer. It is a very complex procedure to remove the scanner platen completely. It can (with great care) be lifted from the front, being very careful not to strain the cables. It can be cleaned successfully.

I recommend you do not take off the glass. I have done it and was never able to get rid of the dust, which really shows up on every scan. The fogging has something to do with an optical coating on the underside of the glass. If I knew then what I know now, I would let it be. If the fogging doesn't show up in scans, leave it. If it really does show up, the glass itself is often held down by simple double stick tape. You try to keep the tape intact so you can put it back down. It may be strong enough that the plastic frame on top of it could snap. Do it in as clean (not dusty) environment as possible so dust does not drift down inside the scanner. Never touch the lamp or move the scan mechanism. Again, don't do it unless it's showing up on scan results. Sadly, nobody "fixes" scanners, they are disposable, like coffee pots, even if they cost 300.00.

if you are a technical kind of guy you may want to download the service manual from MAISE MANUALS to see the correct proceedure to remove the platen glass without damaging your scanner!
attempting to do this without good instruction will most definatley be a bad day for your printer this job would likely take me about 3/4hr to complete as to remove the glass several covers need removing.

you have a damp room, you need to put a sachet in the scanner the ones you get with new shoes or electrical devices in the packaging. this will clear up the scanner also have one in the room you can buy tubs that remove water vapor from the room .

Depends on whether it was scratched or gone cloudy with the steam mist inside.
Use a good bufffer to clean if the glass is scratched.
If you meant the glasses put inside were cloudy and not clean thenit is possible that the jet pump spray does not have pressure and must be taken out and cleaned.

All glasses eventually go cloudy in dishwashers, the problem is far quicker and more noticeable with lead crystal which specifically should never be washed in this way.

The cloudiness cannot be reversed: it's caused by millions of tiny cracks in the glass surface as a result of both the chemical and physical processes inside a dishwasher. Some products claim to include a "glass protect" function, but it just slows down the damage instead of stopping it. Commercial glass-washers used in bars and restaurants also cause this damage, but as the wash cycles are far quicker and the cleaning agent is specifically for glass the damage occurs more slowly. In any case, glasses don't usually last long enough in commercial use to show this damage as they usually scratch, chip, or break before it shows.

All you can do to totally avoid the damage is to wash glasses manually and to never put lead crystal in the dishwasher. If that's not an option, then you can slow the damage by washing glasses at the lowest possible temperature: you'll find that some cleaning products are better than others at low temperature and it's not always the expensive brands.

Sorry there's no fix for your cloudy glasses, but I hope that I've helped to to avoid further damage. Please take a moment to rate my reply.

remove scanner glass and use compressed air to blow out the scanner

Unfortunately, The 3400 series cannot be cleaned on the underside of the glass. Scanners with the capability of having the under side of the glass cleaned are listed below.

• HP Scanjet 2300c series and 3500c series
• HP Scanjet 5300c series
• HP Scanjet 8200 series
• HP Scanjet 3600 and 3900 series
• HP Scanjet 4500 and 5500 series