Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods for conditioning a plasma processing chamber to maintain a reliable and predicable processing conditions while performing a oxide removal process on a substrate. In one embodiment, a method for conditioning a plasma processing chamber includes supplying a first gas mixture including an inert gas into a processing chamber a first period of time in absent of a substrate, supplying a second gas mixture including an inert gas, a hydrogen containing gas and a halogen containing gas for a second period of time in absent of the substrate, and supplying a third gas mixture including an inert gas and a hydrogen containing gas for a third period of time in absent of the substrate in the processing chamber.