Method for cleaning a printed band of flexible material, wherein the band comprises printing ink at at least one side thereof and wherein the printing ink is stripped from the band using an apparatus for cleaning the printed band of flexible material, which apparatus comprises a cleaning organ, and which method comprises the steps of - contacting the at least one side of the band that comprises printing ink with a cleaning fluid, - removing the printing ink that has been contacted with the cleaning fluid with the cleaning organ yielding a cleaned band of flexible material, and - removing adhering cleaning fluid from the cleaned band of flexible material; wherein the printed band - is guided into a bath of cleaning fluid, and - is stripped from the printing ink in the bath by means of the cleaning organ yielding the cleaned band; and the cleaned band is guided from the bath and is stripped from the adhering cleaning fluid; characterized in that wiper blades selected from a pair of wiper blades (127a, 127b) and/or from a pair of additional wiper blades (627a, 627b) are at a location where the band moves upward at an angle of at least 20° with the horizontal and for each pair the wiper blades of each pair are arranged at opposite sides of the band in the direction of transport at a distance of at least 2 cm from one another and protrude to beyond the band, wherein the band is first passed over the uppermost wiper blade and subsequently over the lowermost wiper blade of a pair; wherein the wiper blades selected from wiper blades and/or from additional wiper blades are situated at a location where the band is fed between the wiper blades at an angle of at most 87° with the horizontal. which method comprises the steps of - contacting the at least one side of the band that comprises printing ink with a cleaning fluid, - removing the printing ink that has been contacted with the cleaning fluid with the cleaning organ yielding a cleaned band of flexible material, and - removing adhering cleaning fluid from the cleaned band of flexible material; wherein the printed band - is guided into a bath of cleaning fluid, and - is stripped from the printing ink in the bath by means of the cleaning organ yielding the cleaned band; and the cleaned band is guided from the bath and is stripped from the adhering cleaning fluid; characterized in that wiper blades selected from a pair of wiper blades (127a, 127b) and/or from a pair of additional wiper blades (627a, 627b) are at a location where the band moves upward at an angle of at least 20° with the horizontal and for each pair the wiper blades of each pair are arranged at opposite sides of the band in the direction of transport at a distance of at least 2 cm from one another and protrude to beyond the band, wherein the band is first passed over the uppermost wiper blade and subsequently over the lowermost wiper blade of a pair; - contacting the at least one side of the band that comprises printing ink with a cleaning fluid, - removing the printing ink that has been contacted with the cleaning fluid with the cleaning organ yielding a cleaned band of flexible material, and - removing adhering cleaning fluid from the cleaned band of flexible material; - is guided into a bath of cleaning fluid, and - is stripped from the printing ink in the bath by means of the cleaning organ yielding the cleaned band; and wherein the wiper blades selected from wiper blades and/or from additional wiper blades are situated at a location where the band is fed between the wiper blades at an angle of at most 87° with the horizontal.