Abstract: A magnetic head cleaner (2, 42) includes a strip of homogeneous (non-layered) plastic material having one or both of the following cleaning attributes: a matte finish (8) with a particular surface roughness and a series of transverse and longitudinal grooves (12, 14) of a chosen size. The average surface roughness of the matte finish and the size of the grooves are choosen to both remove contaminants and hold the removed contaminants on the cleaning surface. The head cleaner cleans magnetic heads well without the problems associated with layered cleaning tapes, including the high abrasive qualities of magnetic coatings or the drawbacks found with fabric type cleaning tapes. The cleaner can be used wet or dry, that is with or without a cleaning liquid (30).