DLT cleaning cartridges are designed to ensure the right level of care for each specific DLT tape drive head. Cartridges work in conjunction with cleaning algorithms in the tape drive's firmware to ensure that performance and reliability are not compromised.

• Always clean drives when cleaning is indicated through the cleaning light or through the backup software.
• Only use a cleaning cartridge when cleaning is indicated through the backup software or when the drive's cleaning light is illuminated. Cleaning on a preset schedule rather than when requested by the drive, leads to excessive wear, diminishing drive's life and performance.
• Using a cleaning cartridge more than 20 times results in ineffective head cleaning. Always mark the label on your cleaning cartridge. After the cartridge has been used 20 times, it must be retired.