Adhesion of microparticles to surfaces is important for a number of industrial applications. Currently it is assumed that the adhesion between particles and surface needs to be resolved for a successful removal of unwanted particles in a cleaning process. It is supposed that the ability to remove particles from the surface correlates directly with the adhesion force measured by atomic force microscopy. Experiments are conducted with silicon- and stainless steel probes with various surface structures. An evaluation of the factors influencing adhesion and cleanability is performed.