Apparatus and method for cleaning fluid discharging nozzle

A method for cleaning a fluid discharging nozzle, the method comprising:

• a nozzle positioning operation in which, to allow the fluid discharging nozzle to be positioned in an inner space of a cup, the fluid discharging nozzle is caused to enter the inner space of the cup through an upper opening of the cup;
• a cleaning liquid discharging operation in which a cleaning liquid is discharged to clean the fluid discharging nozzle;
• a drying operation in which, after the cleaning liquid discharging operation ends, a drying gas is discharged to dry a surface of the fluid discharging nozzle, wherein the drying gas is discharged through one or more nozzle portions of a drying gas discharger formed in a sidewall of the cup, the nozzle portions of the drying gas discharger and the gas discharging through the nozzle portions of the drying gas discharger are inward towards a central axis of the cup and downward towards a bottom of the cup;
• and
• a gas exhausting operation in which, to prevent a gas accumulated in the inner space of the cup from being discharged to an outside of the cup through the upper opening while the cleaning liquid discharging operation and the drying operation are performed, the gas is suctioned from the inner space of the cup and discharged to the outside of the cup,
• wherein the gas exhausting operation comprises a gas purifying operation in which contaminants in the suctioned gas are filtered by a purifying filter of a gas exhauster.