A cartridge for cleaning recording heads in a tape deck uses rotating brushes with a sweeping motion perpendicular to the direction in which tape travels over the recording heads. The brushes are connected through a gear train to the tape deck driving hub. The brushes and other elements are conductive, grounding static electricity generated by the cleaning operation.

A cartridge for cleaning recording heads in a tape deck uses rotating brushes with a sweeping motion perpendicular to the direction in which tape travels over the recording heads. The brushes are connected through a gear train to the tape deck driving hub. The brushes and other elements are conductive, grounding static electricity generated by the cleaning operation.

A method for cleaning a computer mouse device with a computer mouse ball located in an interior ball cavity that has a plurality of mouse contact rollers includes removing the computer mouse ball from the interior ball cavity; inserting a cleaning surface of a mouse cleaner into the interior ball cavity, the cleaning surface attached to a lumen and in communication with a pressure mechanism via the lumen, the cleaning surface including an expandable and collapsible body; actuating the pressure mechanism so as to cause an operative effect at the cleaning surface, the operative effect being the expansion of the body within the mouse cavity so that the cleaning surface compresses against the mouse contact rollers; and rotating the cleaning surface so as to cause one or more of the plurality of mouse contact rollers to roll and thereby be cleaned by the cleaning surface.

A kit is provided for cleaning the tape-contacting parts of a tape transport device, particularly a data tape transport device. In the kit, separate cleaning cassettes are provided for cleaning the magnetic record/reproduce head, and for cleaning the capstan wheel. The capstan wheel of the tape transport is used as a drive source to drive a wiper arm in the first of the two cassettes, and the second cassette cleans the capstan wheel. Parts of the separate cassettes are made the same so as to minimize the manufacturing and design costs, and the two cassettes use the same replaceable cleaning elements, thus minimizing costs and making the kit easy to use. The cleaning elements used in the cassettes are high-density springy, absorbent foam pads each having an indented linear fused section or groove transverse to the direction in which wiping forces tend to remove the cleaning element from its holder. Ridges are provided in the holder to engage the grooves so as to securely hold the cleaning elements in place, and make it relatively easy to remove and replace them. A convertible indicator element is provided to enable the cassette to identify itself as a cleaning cassette to tape transports of various types.

A computer mouse device cleaner uses a cleaning surface that has a diameter that is approximately the same as or larger than the diameter of a mouse ball. The cleaning surface is made of a hook material or an abrasive, absorbent material, and both materials can be used as two cleaning surfaces in a single device or kit. A curved ball cleaning surface made of an abrasive, absorbant material can also be included at an end of the handle of the cleaning device. In use, the cleaning surface is placed into the interior ball cavity of the mouse and rotated to cause the interior mouse rollers to roll. If a liquid cleaning solvent is applied to the hook material, it can be used to clean the mouse rollers and then removed by subsequent use of the abrasive, absorbent material.