PURPOSE: To enhance the reliability of an ink jet printer by perfectly cleaning even the discharge ink on the leading end surface of a nozzle other than dust or waste refuse by a restoration device having a blade subjected to hydrophilizing treatment.

CONSTITUTION: The recording head on a carriage 4 is moved to the position of a wiping means 7 possible to advance and retreat along a guide shaft 3 and a flexible wiping blade 7a subjected to hydrophilizing treatment mainly made of rubber is revolved in the direction shown by an arrow by a feed mechanism 15 to wipe off the dust, paper refuse or thickened ink on the surfaces of the nozzles of the recording head. Further, the dust, paper refuse or thickened ink wipen off by the wiping blade 7a is fed to a second removing member 20 by the feed mechanism 15 and absorbed by a second removing part 20 made of a porous member having volume sufficiently larger than that of the wiping blade 7a to perform certain wiping.