Whole lung lavage is a technique that was developed in the 1960s with the purpose of removing lipoproteinaceous material that accumulates in the bronchi of patients with alveolar proteinosis, leading to clinical and functional improvement. There has been an evolution in the technique; initially it was performed under local anesthesia to each segment of the lung and currently it is performed under general anesthesia sequentially to both lungs. This review describes the whole lung lavage, its major indication, alveolar proteinosis and some data on the experience of our hospital.