Laser-induced removal of plate-like particles from solid surfaces has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. A theoretical model has been established by taking into account adhesion force, cleaning force and heat equation. The cleaning condition and threshold can be obtained by comparing adhesion force and cleaning force. The theoretical analysis shows that the cleaning force increases with increasing laser fluence, which leads to high cleaning efficiency. Laser cleaning from the reverse-side is more effective in removing plate-like particles than from the front-side. Theoretical predictions have been verified by the experimental results for removing plate-like particles from quartz substrates. A comparison of cleaning two types of particles is addressed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.