Cleaning apparatus and liquid ejection apparatus and cleaning method

A cleaning apparatus which cleans a nozzle surface of a liquid ejection head, the apparatus comprising:

• a cleaning liquid supply device which supplies cleaning liquid to the nozzle surface while being not in contact with the nozzle surface;
• a movement device which moves the cleaning liquid supply device and the liquid ejection head relatively to each other;
• a liquid layer formation control device which causes the cleaning liquid supply device to supply a prescribed amount of the cleaning liquid to form a layer of the cleaning liquid that fills in a space between the cleaning liquid supply device and the nozzle surface;
• a movement control device which controls the movement device so as to move the cleaning liquid supply device and the liquid ejection head relatively to each other at a relative speed in which a meniscus is not broken down, the meniscus being of the layer of the cleaning liquid in a portion of the layer of the cleaning liquid that makes contact with the nozzle surface;
• and
• a wiping device which performs a wiping operation in which the wiping device wipes the nozzle surface of the liquid ejection head by sliding over the nozzle surface.