US Patent 4,809,716. A tobacco leaf cleaning system for removing foreign particles such as lint and string from tobacco leaves comprises a succession of side-by-side rollers mounted for rotation in the same direction for transferring tobacco leaves supplied there to from one roller to the next. The surfaces of the rollers have discontinuities on them and each roller is covered with a sheet consisting of a plurality of densely packed resilient hook members. These hook members may be made of the male portion of a Velcro fastener for engaging and retaining lint and foreign particles as tobacco leaves are transferred from one roller to the next. The sheet of resilient hook members is removably mounted on the surface of the roller for replacement when it becomes filled with lint and foreign matter.