An image forming apparatus including an image carrier; a charger to charge a surface of the image carrier; an irradiating device to form a latent image; a developing device to form a toner image; a transfer device to transfer the toner image onto a recording medium; a cleaning device to remove residual toner from the surface of the image carrier; a temperature and humidity detector to measure temperature and humidity within the image forming apparatus; a stop time clock to measure a period of time for which the image carrier is not driven; a removal unit to remove discharge products adhering to the surface of the image carrier; and a control unit to drive the removal unit to remove the discharge products for a period of time determined by the control unit based on measurements obtained by the temperature and humidity detector and the stop time clock.