Method and device for scouring and cleaning rolled steel strip

A device for pickling or cleaning rolled steel strip which is moved in the form of loops through several pickling and cleaning containers arranged within a treatment line, comprising squirting or spraying units for subjecting at least one strip side to a pickling or cleaning medium, wherein the squirting or spraying units are configured to be switched on or off and/or are adjustable with regard to a spraying width thereof and/or are operated with controllable squirting or spraying pressure and/or volume flow, further comprising a deflection roll for deflecting the strip before the treatment line out of a horizontal strip running plane into an upright vertical strip running plane, and another deflection roll for deflecting the strip after the treatment line out of the upright vertical strip running plane into the horizontal strip running plane, wherein the deflection rolls are elevated or slanted relative to the horizontal strip running plane.