The term reverse pulse or jet Industrial dust collector refers to the air cleaner's cleaning cycle. To clean the filter, a quick burst of compressed air is shot through the filter media in the opposite direction of the dusty air stream. During normal dust collection, dusty air flows through the filter, and a solid layer of dust forms on the filter surface.

This dust build-up is called a dust cake or filter cake. A quick burst of air shot through the filter in the opposite direction knocks the dust cake off the filter, breaking it apart. The dust cake crumbles and falls into a collection bin or barrel. Some dust collectors must stop in order to clean, while other can pulse clean while running. Reverse pulse cleaning was first used in fabric bag filters.