Employee complains to tech support about broken printer, IT guy discovers employee completely soaked it: 'I found pools of water in ridiculous places'

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Apr 11, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Sometimes, people clean things in such shockingly silly ways that it becomes crystal clear that they never properly learned how to clean anything. This employee was initially frustrated about the fact that the office printer was broken, only to learn that it was their absolutely foolish way of cleaning said printer that created the problem in the first place.

It also goes to show that this is what happens when you live in such a warped worldview—clouded by entitlement—that you could never consider the possibility that you are the problem. We have all had to work with people like that, and the only way to deal with these types of coworkers is to carefully but sternly relay the facts: You did X, and then Y happened as a result. It's hard for even the most entitled coworkers to argue with causal facts like that. Keep scrolling below for this employee's rift with tech support over bow they cleaned the printer!

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  • 01
    Me: me; LW: Line worker I work in a production facility and was doing my usual rounds. Just walking around checking if everything works and is running the right programs. I get a call from one of the production line workers that their barcode printer doesn't work anymore.
    via Jays_Dream
  • 02
    1 b "I cleaned the printer, now it won't print!" EPSON
    via Brett Jordan

  • The fact that this person thought the best way to clean the office printer was to go through each of the printing compartments with a soaking wet rag shows a complete lack of good judgment on their part. Tech support should not have to explain why letting pools of water accumulate in an electrical device is a bad idea, but apparently, this employee needed to hear that explanation. 

  • 03
    Even while walking up to it I already knew something was off since all lights. on it were out and the display was dark.
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  • 04
    Me: Hey, you called? What happened? LW: Oh, hey! Yeah the printer just stopped printing after our break. We don't know why!
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  • 05
    Me: Has anything happened during the break? Did you switch the program, turned it off or something else? LW: No, all I did was clean it because it looked dusty.
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  • 06
    Me: Well, wiping the top shouldn't have done anything to it... let me see what it could be. LW: Oh no I cleaned everything, not just the top. Me: What do you mean by... ... "everything"?
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  • 07
    LW: Well I only had window cleaner but I sprayed and wiped everything because it was dirty. Me: By "everything" do you mean you opened the side drawers, bottom paper compartment, scanner cover and maintenance flap and "cleaned" them?
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  • 08
    LW: Yeah that's right. Of course I took out the power cable beforehand. I cleaned the port as well just to make sure it still worked. Me:... Did you use water too? LW: Well yeah of course, the rag was wet.
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  • 09
    Me: Ok uhm.. We have an unused printer at the other production line right? Go get that one and I'll set it up until I fix this one ok?
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  • 10
    I set up the new printer, load the program, everything works. Me: Ok I'm done here. I'll thake the old one with me for now. LW: Alright thank you!
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  • 11
    Me: And I'll tell you this now, even tho your boss will tell you again: Do NOT clean any IT/electrical equipment anymore. If you think a printer, scanner, laser, sensor or light barrier is dirty, tell your boss or just call us. Don't touch it ok?
    via Jays_Dream
  • 12
    And especially not with water or window cleaner. A dry rag to wipe off dust on top is more than enough. Never open any lids/flaps ok? LW: .. okay I'll remember..
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  • 13
    In the end, we send in the printer to be fixed by the manufacturer. She really managed to get water into everything. I'm pretty sure the rag she used wasnt just a little but wet but literally dripping. I found pools of water in ridiculous places like in the cartridge compartment.
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  • 14
    M+ M- 8 9 4 5 6 1 2 3 0 00
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  • 15
    VanorDM. A user that actually admits to doing something? Guess they had no clue that they did something wrong.
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  • 16
    Throwaway_Old_Guy It could be much worse. Last place I worked had some pretty high voltage electrical substations to power the field equipment. A small single motor breaker could be 440V, and some went into the 14KV range.
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  • 17
    An Electrician was walking through one of them and found the cleaning contractors wiping down the front of the larger switch-gear enclosures with damp cloths because they had been told to do so by their Supervisor.
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  • 18
    Fortunately, no injuries. I don't know how long this had been going on, and they usually only mopped the floors.
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  • 19
    TheTasmanianTigress . Many years ago I was the 'go to' support person for our operating room IT system, so I got asked to help with anything.
    via Jays_Dream
  • 20
    One day someone came to me to tell me the keyboard for an OR wasn't working, so we went to it to trouble shot. Plugged in, to correct port (PS2 days), not swapped with mouse. OK so far.
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  • 21
    Then I tried to reboot the PC, no response from the keyboard. Then I noticed it was sitting on a folded towel. WTH? When I picked it up to look closer, a steady stream of soapy water poured out.
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  • 22
    Fortunately we had a couple of spares, so I just replaced it and binned the old one. Apparently a nurse was told by a senior nurse to 'clean the keyboard'. He said he didn't know how. She told him not to be ridiculous, just clean it! So he did - the way he cleaned everything.
    via Jays_Dream
  • 23
    In a sink full of hot soapy water. A good old scrub, rinsed, shook it out as best he could, then returned it and sat it on a towel because it was still dripping.
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  • 24
    The really ridiculous part? All the keyboards had skins - all he had to do was take that off and clean it. And the senior nurse should have know that.
    via Jays_Dream

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tales from tech support workplace-stories tech support employee work stories job work IT guy workplace reddit thread Reddit printer in the workplace
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