I read a lot of different comments on different forums on why to use IsoPropylAlcohol (IPA) or soap to clean my X1C build plates. I clearly notice myself is that if I don’t clean my Bambu plates (cool, PEI or Engineer) wit 100% IPA, prints fail quickly due to left behind residue from either fingerprint, glue (Bambu stick or Bambu liquid) or filament additives from the last print. I use 100% IPA because I read that that doesn’t leave behind any residue. I formerly used 70% Alcohol Ketonatus. But that left a residue. And the first layer of prints failed.
Using 100% IPA for quite some time now, I experience no first layer issues on every kind of Bambu plate I use. But I also read on different forums NOT to use IPA but soap because IPA would be to aggressive on the plate surface. And others who almost forbid to use soap, whatever kind, as it leaves a residue (oily additives).
I use 99.7% IPA on my PEI textured plate.
Only time I have ever used soap was to get glue off the engineering plate. Then I clean the engineering plate with IPA after.
I’ve been using various regular dish soaps on build plates for many years. It’s cheaper than IPA and never had any issues with residue left after washing the soap away.
A quick wipe of the plate with white spirit on some kitchen paper has always worked for me. The main problem is sometimes the PETG sticks too well, especially if the piece is at all flexible.
Also, I guess I should note I’m using glue/hairspray on my build plates. If I was using neither of those, I’d probably just use IPA for a quick wipe since it would be more convenient.
I stopped using 100% IPA (98% or something like that) and 100% Ethanol (again 98% or similar) as they destroyed my printbite (geralite) boards (I managed to restore them using 100% acetone) so these “film” plates like coldplate and engineering plate I clean using warm water and dish soap, or in most cases warm water only. Similar surface to this coolplate from bambu I got on some PRC pritners (buildtack or something like that) I cleaned with IPA and could not recover it after a while it became unusable so I’m not using IPA/Ethanole at all any more for FDM printers, only acetone, hot water and dish soap
What is PEI? PEI is Polyetherimide and Polyetherimide is extremely resilient to alkohol (IPA), fuel and oil.
But if the manufacture of the PEI plate used some additional material, it can MAYBE damage the plate. But this is unlikely -and if so, its a very cheap made plate.
And almost all thermoplastics are resistant to alcohol
Mild dish soap like Dawn is the typical recommendation as it is gentle (not overly caustic), does an excellent job at lifting and encapsulating oils, and rinses away cleanly. IPA on the other hand can potentially cause damage to the build plate, and if used incorrectly can spread oils around the surface rather than cleaning it as you intended.
I do most of my printing on a Wham Bam PEX plate, and wipe it down with 99% IPA between prints. Deep cleaning is with a lot of IPA and 000 steel wool, with more IPA to rinse with paper towls wiping. For the Bambu engineering plate where glue is often used for PC I only use dish soap when cleaning.
For the Textured PEI, I usually only wash it if I am having adhesion issues or I know I touched the surface with my fingers, and I use dish soap only for this plate.
I use Dawn soap myself because its convenient, but Bambu has stated IPA was OK, but they did add Acetone to the absolutely not list though. So be aware.
For reference, from the Wiki:
Clean the printing surface.
From time to time, we recommend cleaning the Textured Plate to ensure that the printing surface is clean of any debris or fingerprints. Natural oils on your hands can find their way onto the printing surface, which will impact the sheet’s adhesion properties.
We recommend cleaning the printing surface with warm water and regular soap. You can use a simple sponge and dishwashing soap, wash it with water, and dry it with a regular paper towel.
Using isopropyl alcohol to clean the Textured PEI Plate should work as well but there is a higher chance for the plate to remain contaminated with grease. That’s why we recommend warm water and soap as the default cleaning method.
From the PEI Plate Page:
Do not clean the Textured PEI with Acetone, as it might damage the PEI surface
A dilute mixture of IPA and DI water, or just buy 77% IPA is very gentle and safe for almost every surface. (Polycarbonate is one possible exception) Being slightly diluted instead of 99% actually makes it work better as a solvent because it does not evaporate before it has time to loosen oils and other contaminants.
Using a clean microfiber cloth helps even more as it is designed to trap oil and contaminants. That is why it is the preferred cloth for cleaning eye glasses. It can be used dry and is still effective. Note: the cloth must be cleaned periodically. Using a cleaning solution specifically for microfiber is recommended as most detergents will leave a residue.
Many use paper towels. Paper towels often have been treated with some chemicals and can leave chemical contaminants behind.
Do not use ethyl alcohol as a cleaner/solvent. Although you will often see it mentioned along with IPA for use as a solvent, it tends to leave an oily residue when used. This would create the problem that you are trying to fix.
One other thing to add, I read something that mentioned that IPA will clean well, BUT, will also leave hydrocarbons behind which may inhibit the reactions we count on. Unfortunately, I don’t know what plastic formulas rely on those hydrocarbons not being there, so to be safe, stick with soap and water.
I’ve used Dawn dish detergent since we got the printer. A drop or two, clean the plate with a sponge, and rinse in warm water. Never had an issue. I do that will all my printers, not just the Bambu.
But getting there.