A two-parameter model has been developed to interpret the pressure excursion during cleaning of a nanofiber filter preloaded with nano-aerosols. The model can well predict the three stages of cleaning - an initial rapid cake discharge phase, and a transition and a final phase, both of which are related to cleaning aerosols trapped in the filter. One of the two parameters of the model affects the residual pressure drop while the other parameter affects the cake discharge. The filter cleaning test data based on variations from the five operating and geometric parameters have been well explained by the new model - the backpulse, backblow, and combined mode; pulse duration; applied over-pressure; diameter of nanofiber in filter; and the filter thickness. Furthermore, the model can project the residual pressure, which provides an indication of residual aerosols trapped in the nanofiber filter, using individual or combination of these operating and geometric parameters. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.