Abstract: The air filter and vacuum cleaning system includes an air filter unit having partitions and filtering material arranged to define a plurality of air channels between the air entrance and exit ends of the filter. The filter material itself is in the form of a cloth strip of fibrous material such as glass fibers and is wound back and forth about the ends of the partitions adjacent the entrance and exit openings of the filter to provide folds. A vacuum cleaning head is mounted for movement across the entrance end of the filter, the head having a vacuum slot cooperating with the air channels and folds of the filter material to result in high velocity air which will pick up and move slugs of accumulated impurities on the inner folds of the filter material adjacent the air exit end.