It is widely known that the fixed batt saw lint cleaner, as well as cleaning and preparing cotton fibre for market, also damages fibre. Many studies have been conducted that show levels of nep and short fibre increase incrementally with the number of passages through this type of lint cleaner, whilst staple length and the residual trash in fibre decrease. Whilst it is understood implicitly that lint cleaning damages fibre, not widely understood is the influence that each working element in combination with the lint cleaner saw, i.e. the feed bar, grid bars and doffing brush, has in damaging fibre. In this study the effects of these elements on fibre quality are separated by partitioning the fibre feed through a lint cleaner built to allow easy fibre feed and collection, with and without these elements. The effects of these elements on three different cottons; a long and fine cotton, a short and coarse cotton and an average Australian export cotton, are examined.