A solution for cleaning silicon semiconductors or silicon oxides, and methods for cleaning silicon semiconductors or silicon oxides using the solution, is disclosed. The solution includes hydrogen peroxide, ammonium hydroxide, an alkanolamine, and at least one of a tetraalkylammonium hydroxide, an alkanolamide, an amido-betaine, an .alpha.,.alpha.-dihydroxyphenol, a carboxylic acid, a phosphonic acid, a chelating agent or a surfactant. The weight ratio of ammonium hydroxide to peroxide to water is between about 1:1:5 and 1:1-4:50, the weight ratio of ammonium hydroxide to water is between 1:5 and 1:50, and the molar ratio of component A to ammonium hydroxide is between 1:10 and 1:5000 is disclosed. The solution can achieve the efficiency equivalent to that of the conventional RCA two-step cleaning solution within a shorter time by one step preserving the silicon and silicon oxide substrate integrity and effectively remove contaminants such as organics, particles and metals from the surfaces of silicon semiconductors and silicon oxides without using strong acids such as HCl and sulfuric acid.