The proper cleaning procedure for reverse osmosis (RO) membranes holds the key to achieving sustainable operation of RO processes during long-term filtration such as the reclamation of wastewater. In this study, the most adequate cleaning protocol was tested for RO membranes fouled by the steel wastewater. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the fouling layer revealed the presence of the aromatics, aliphatic hydrocarbons, metallic oxides and hydroxides. An integrated cleaning procedure was developed for flux recovery. That is, metal chelating agent (MCA) plus alkaline-oxidant cleaning procedure consisting in one cleaning stage or two cleaning stages in series. MCA cleaning with 2mM disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (Na2-EDTA) solution followed by alkaline-oxidant cleaning with 5mM NaOCl+NaOH/pH 12.0 solution provided the maximum cleaning efficiency.