The invention provides a pull-lever-type portable laser cleaning machine and cleaning method. The laser cleaning machine comprises a machine box, an optical fiber, a laser cleaning head, a cleaning head handle and a cleaning head support, wherein the machine box is connected with the laser cleaning head through the optical fiber, the lower end of the laser cleaning head is separately provided withthe cleaning head handle and the cleaning head support, and the cleaning head is internally provided with a galvanometer system, a field lens and an isolator. The laser cleaning method comprises thesteps that a to-be-cleaned workpiece is installed on a workbench; laser beams emitted by a laser device in the machine box are transmitted to the laser cleaning head through the optical fiber, and then through the laser cleaning head, the laser beams are emitted to irradiate the surfaces of objects which need to be cleaned. The pull-lever-type portable laser cleaning machine is free of high-decibel noise, produces less dust, and does not use consumable materials in the cleaning process, the cost for cleaning the to-be-cleaned workpiece is lowered while the purpose of energy saving and environmental protection is achieved, the cleaning efficiency is improved, and the laser cleaning machine can clean to-be-cleaned workpieces of different structures, and has high adaptability.