A component from a substrate processing chamber which has plasma process residues on both its internal and external surfaces, is removed from the processing chamber, and transferred to a cleaning chamber. The component is exposed to an energized cleaning gas in the cleaning chamber, and the cleaning gas is exhausted from below the component so that the cleaning gas cleans off the residues on both the internal and external surfaces of the component. It has been determined that the cleaning gas can also repair surface defects in the component.