Cleaning
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Cleaning is the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, dust, and other impurities, from an object or environment.[1][2] Cleaning is often performed for aesthetic,[3] hygienic, functional, safety, or environmental protection purposes. Cleaning occurs in many different contexts, and uses many different methods. Several occupations are devoted to cleaning.
Contexts
[edit]Cleaning occurs in various commercial, domestic, personal, and environmental contexts, which differ in scale and requirements.
- Commercial cleaning, in business or other commercial settings
- Terminal cleaning, in healthcare settings
- Housekeeping, including spring cleaning[2]
- Hygiene, including personal grooming
- Environmental remediation, the removal of pollution or contaminants from the natural environment
Methods
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Cleaning is broadly achieved through mechanical action and/or chemical processes (usually solvation); many methods rely on a combination of mechanical and chemical action.[1] Methods include:
- Washing, usually done with water and often some kind of soap or detergent
- Mopping, usually using a mop
- Wiping, usually using a dry or moist piece of cloth (such as toilet paper, paper towel and wet wipe)
- Pressure washing, using a high-pressure stream of water
- Wet cleaning, methods of professional laundering that avoid the use of chemical solvents
- Abrasive blasting, typically used to remove bulk material from a surface, may be used to remove contaminants as well
- Acoustic cleaning, the use of sound waves to shake particulates loose from surfaces
- Ultrasonic cleaning, using ultrasound, usually from 20 to 400 kHz
- Megasonic cleaning, a gentler mechanism than ultrasonic cleaning, used in wafer, medical implant, and industrial part cleaning
- Carbon dioxide cleaning, a family of methods for parts cleaning and sterilization using carbon dioxide in its various phases
- Dry cleaning of clothing and textiles, using a chemical solvent other than water
- Flame cleaning of structural steel, with an oxyacetylene flame
- Green cleaning, using environmentally friendly methods and products
- Plasma cleaning, using energetic plasma or dielectric barrier discharge plasma created from various gases
- Sputter cleaning, performed in a vacuum by using physical sputtering of the surface
- Steam cleaning, in both domestic and industrial contexts
- Sweeping, mechanical removal usually using a brush
- Thermal cleaning, in industrial settings, involving pyrolysis and oxidation
- Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, which destroys microorganisms; used extensively in the medical and food industries
- Vacuum cleaning, using a vacuum cleaner
Cleaning by item
[edit]
Some items and materials require specialized cleaning techniques, due to their shape, size, location, or the material properties of the object and contaminants.[2]
Buildings and infrastructure
[edit]- Beach cleaning
- Carpet cleaning
- Chimney cleaning
- Crime scene cleanup
- Exterior cleaning
- Floor cleaning
- Graffiti removal
- Roof cleaning
- Silo cleaning
- Street cleaning
Other items
[edit]- Coin cleaning
- Conservation and restoration of cultural property, which often involves careful cleaning
- Jewellery cleaning
- Laundry, the washing of clothes and other textiles
- Parts cleaning, in industry
- Pot washing, in food service
- Teeth cleaning
- Tube cleaning
Occupations involving cleaning
[edit]
Many occupations involve cleaning, either in their entirety or among other duties for example:
- Cleaner
- Dental hygenist
- Housekeeper (domestic worker)
- Janitor
- Maid
- Property caretaker
- Property manager
- Fluffer (track cleaner on the London Underground)
References
[edit]- ^ a b CDC (2024-03-11). "Cleaning". Infection Control. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ^ a b c CDC (2025-03-18). "When and How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home". Water, Sanitation, and Environmentally Related Hygiene (WASH). Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ^ Mack, Robert C.; Grimmer, Anne. Preservation Brief 1: Assessing Cleaning and Water-Repellent Treatments for Historic Masonry Buildings (PDF). U.S. Department of the Interior - National Park Service. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
See also
[edit]
Look up cleaning in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
General
[edit]- Cleaning (disambiguation), for other uses of the term
- Cleanliness, an abstract concept for a state that may be achieved by cleaning
- Cleaning agent, substances used in cleaning
- Contamination control, of which cleaning is a part
Biology and health
[edit]- Cleaning symbiosis, among living creatures
- Hygiene, a set of practices performed for the preservation of health
- Sanitation, techniques to protect human health by providing a clean environment
- Sterilization (microbiology), the elimination or deactivation of biological agents
Organizing
[edit]- Professional organizing, improvement of organizing systems and processes
- Sorting, any process of arranging items systematically
Technologies
[edit]- Cleanroom, a room with low levels of particulates, used in specialized manufacturing or research
- Automated pool cleaner
- Central vacuum cleaner
- Robotic vacuum cleaner
- Self-cleaning floor
- Self-cleaning glass
- Self-cleaning oven
Other contexts
[edit]- Cleaning event, in which solar panels on planetary rovers are cleaned by wind
- Cleaning validation, used to assure that manufacturing residues are removed
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