To separate only foreign objects adhering on the surface of a film without peeling a film on the surface for a cleaning method for cleaning the surface of a substrate to be cleaned by spraying to the surface to be cleaned cleaning liquid given with specific energy.
In the cleaning method for cleaning the surface of a substrate W to be cleaned, the substrate W to be cleaned where at least one film is formed on the surface is retained on a substrate table 11, the surface film is sprayed with cleaning liquid given with specific energy from a nozzle 12 that is allowed to approach the film of the surface in the substrate W to be cleaned retained on the substrate base 11, and at the same time, the distance between the film of the surface and the nozzle 12 is changed according to a position on the surface of the substrate W to be cleaned.