Cleaning a maf works great...if the problem is that the maf is dirty. At least with benz that seems rarely to be the case.

Personally I'd replace it with an OE Bosch; the aftermarket ones are too unreliable, and finding a quality insert seems to be a challenge. Considering how long they last, and how critical they are to so much, the extra money for a quality part isn't that extreme. If you shop around there are affordable ones.

That said, however, unplugging a MAF sensor is a hit-or-miss test. When it's out of the loop, everything is set to defaults, so if there is something else causing the problem (say a different sensor, or even a vacuum leak) the default settings can mask that, took. However, with the MAF code showing up, that reinforces the idea.

Good luck.