Abstract: A cleaning device for cleaning a grate bar comprising a pair of tongs having two limbs held in an opened position, and being squeezable into a working position by hand-applied force. A holding element at a free end of each limb. The holding elements are disposed such that: (1) when the tongs are in the opened position, there is no overlap between the holding elements, which are separated by a distance that is larger than the diameter of a grate bar, and the free ends are separated by a distance which is smaller than the distance between adjacent grate bars; and (2) when the tongs are in the working position, the holding elements overlap. The cleaning device includes, at the free ends of the limbs, a cleaning element in the form of at least one flexible cleaning cable which can be at least partially wrapped around the grate bar.