Abstract: In apparatus for cleaning magnetic tape, a rotatable cleaning element has hard, sharp-edged inserts embedded in the circumference of a softer carrier structure. The carrier structure is generally cylindrical in shape and has a central hub which has a plurality of radial ribs, on the end of which the inserts are mounted. The ribs, in part, define air flow passages from a vacuum source to the space between the respective inserts. The carrier structure has a hollow, cylindrical skirt underlying the ribs and a cover overlying the ribs. Baffles lie in the space between the inserts to form slits that bracket each insert.