It is very important for cotton to flow uniformly and be well dispersed, particularly as it leaves the gin stand. Cotton is conveyed from the gin stand through lint ducts to condensers and formed again into a batt. The batt is removed from the condenser drum and fed into the saw-type lint cleaner. The batt should be of uniform thickness and be evenly spread over the entire width of the lint cleaner; otherwise, poor cleaning and excessive fiber loss will result.

Inside the lint cleaner, cotton passes through the feed rollers and over the feed plate, which applies the fibers to the lint cleaner saw. The saw carries cotton under grid bars, which are aided by centrifugal force and remove immature seeds and foreign matter. It is important that the clearance between the saw tips and grid bars be properly set. The grid bars must be straight with a sharp leading edge to avoid reducing cleaning efficiency and increasing lint loss. Increasing the lint cleaner's feed rate above the manufacturer's recommended rate will decrease cleaning efficiency and increase loss of good fiber. Lint cleaners can improve the grade of cotton by removing foreign matter. In some cases, lint cleaners may improve the color of a lightly spotted cotton by blending to produce a white grade. They may also improve the color grade of a spotted cotton to light spotted or perhaps white color grade. All ginners must compromise between degree of cleaning and fiber damage. Fiber length can be damaged by excessive lint cleaning, especially when the cotton is too dry. Ginners should determine the number of lint cleaners that gives maximum bale value based on a compromise between increased grade, reduced staple length, and reduced turnout.

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