In such a manner that ink in each of a plurality of pressure chambers for holding the ink therein is brought to a positive pressure state of being ejected from respective nozzles respectively communicating with the respective chambers to the outside of each of the pressure chambers, a cleaning member abutted against a nozzle plate formed with a plurality of nozzles is moved along the nozzles in a state in which pressure is applied to all of the pressure chambers, to thereby extrude foreign particles outside the pressure chambers by the ink ejected from the respective nozzles to the outside of the pressure chambers, thereby making it possible to recover the ink, whereby the occurrence of a delivery failure due to the foreign particles around the nozzles being absorbed into the pressure chambers, can be prevented, and the foreign particles contained in the ink can be purged without consuming much ink needlessly.