Patent ID: 8622514

Claim:
A head cleaning apparatus which wipes and cleans a nozzle surface of a head with a band-shaped liquid absorbing body, by pressing and abutting a pressing member on which the liquid absorbing body that is paid out from a pay-out reel and taken up onto a take-up reel, and travels between the pay-out reel and the take-up reel is wrapped against the nozzle surface of the head, and sliding the pressing member over the nozzle surface of the head, the head cleaning apparatus comprising: a liquid deposition device which deposits liquid on the liquid absorbing body on an upstream side of the pressing member in terms of a direction of travel of the liquid absorbing body so as to wet the liquid absorbing body with the liquid; and a control device which controls the travel of the liquid absorbing body, sliding of the pressing member and deposition of the liquid by the liquid deposition device, wherein the control device implements control in such a manner that, after the nozzle surface of the head is wiped and cleaned with an unused non-wet region of the liquid absorbing body, a wet region is formed on the liquid absorbing body by depositing the liquid on the liquid absorbing body from the liquid deposition device, and the nozzle surface of the head is wiped and cleaned with the wet region.