To prevent the surface of a substrate from being contaminated by metal impurities contained in surface treating composition so as to stably obtain the substrate with a very clean surface.

Surface treating composition contains complexing agent as metal anti-adhesion agent in liquid medium, wherein the complexing agent is selected out of agents classified into two groups A and B. In a group A, complexing agent (for instance, tylon, catechol) is possessed of a cyclic skeleton composed of aromatic rings or complex rings in a molecular structure and provided with one or more OH groups and/or O- groups bonded to a carbon atom included in the ring. In a group B, complexing agent is possessed of one or more carbonyl groups in a molecular structure (for instance, acetylacetone).