Abstract: A vacuum cleaning wheel and vacuum applicator having a stationary vacuum chamber, a ported wheel that rotates around the stationary vacuum chamber, and a stationary shoe that acts as the vacuum applicator and is positioned between the ported wheel and an article such as a cigarette filter rod to be cleaned. An article or articles having cavities filled with granular particles is passed underneath the stationary shoe and rotating ported wheel, with the movement of the article being synchronized with the rotation of the ported wheel. The stationary shoe provided between the rotating ported wheel and the article having particle filled cavities ensures that vacuum is only applied to remove loose particles in between the particle filled cavities, with vacuum being cut off abruptly to ports that are passing over the particle filled cavities and with the particles that have been cleaned being removed completely.