Laser cleaning is based on so-called laser ablation. It involves the interaction of the material being cleaned with very strong light radiation. When the radiation hits the dirt, it is absorbed and subsequently the covalent chemical bonds in the molecules are broken and they disintegrate. In this way, it is possible to very effectively remove, for example, rust, old coatings, mineral oils and other grease, soot, metal complexes , etc. The underlying material itself does not absorb the beam, but reflects it. Therefore, there is no transfer of energy and no damage to its surface.

The interaction of a laser beam with a contaminated material is accompanied by a number of physical processes, primarily sublimation, melting, evaporation, shock waves, acoustic effects, etc. These phenomena can be used very effectively in practice to remove various contaminants from various materials and according to various requirements. By appropriately setting the individual parameters of a pulsed laser , such as pulse energy, its length, frequency, light beam trajectory, etc., one can choose, for example, between very intensive rough removal of contaminants, or, conversely, gentle cleaning, when, for example, it is desirable to preserve a certain patina on historical objects.