Keith,
Rubbing alcohol and a swab.

Also, make sure that you get the rollers and pinch rollers as well. Do not put the tape in until everything is dry.

Many cassette decks will allow you to remove part of the front cover so you can close the door and activate the play mechanism to move the tape head, rollers and pinch rollers into position. It may not run for long, if there is an auto stop mechanism, but it should be enough, if you do it a few times, to get stuff cleaned.

Also, look for a tape head demagnetizer. The heads become magnetized over time, reducing high frequency playback. Use of a demagnetizer will restore the head to it's designed condition, giving you the best possible playback.

Gary

I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!