An image heating apparatus includes a heating roller; a nip forming member for forming the nip with the roller; a sheet jam sensor; a first controller for interrupting a heating operation when the sensor detects the sheet jamming, and for resuming the heating operation after the jamming is cleared; a rubbing member for rubbing a heating roller surface; a moving mechanism for moving the rubbing member to a position for spacing the rubbing member from the roller to a position for rubbing the roller surface; and a second controller for executing an operation of moving the rubbing member to the rubbing position to rub the heating roller surface when a predetermined condition is reached, wherein the second controller delays, when the condition is reached during a period in which a predetermined count of sheets pass the nip after the jam clearance, the moving operation to after the period.