Your Apple Tape Backup 40SC unit requires very little maintenance. To clean
the outside of the tape back up unit, just wipe it with a soft, damp cloth.
To remove stains or dirt, add a drop of liquid detergent to the cloth and
wipe the surface of the tape backup device.
It's time to clean the tape recording head when its suface looks dull (you
can check this with a flashlight) or when it takes longer than normal to
restore files or a volume from the tape backup unit. While similar to the
heads on a hard disk, the ferrite-ceramic head of the tape unit may be
cleaned as the heads are cleaned on a audio tape player or VCR. To remove
debris and materials rubbed off from the tape surface, clean the head with a
cotton swab soaked in isopropyl alcohol.
Caution: Never clean the head with a head cleaner that contains active or
abrasive ingredients.