Cleaning is the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment. Cleaning is often performed for

aesthetic Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

, hygienic,

functional Functional may refer to: * Movements in architecture: ** Functionalism (architecture) ** Form follows function * Functional group, combination of atoms within molecules * Medical conditions without currently visible organic basis: ** Functional s ...

, environmental, or safety purposes. Cleaning occurs in many different contexts, and uses many different methods. Several occupations are devoted to cleaning.

Contexts

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 *

Environmental remediation Environmental remediation deals with the removal of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water. Remedial action is generally subject to an array of regulatory requirements, and may ...

, the removal of pollution or contaminants from the natural environment *

Housekeeping Housekeeping is the management and routine support activities of running an organised physical institution occupied or used by people, like a house, ship, hospital or factory, such as tidying, cleaning, cooking, routine maintenance, shopping, ...

, including spring cleaning *

Hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

, including

personal grooming Grooming (also called preening) is the art and practice of cleaning and maintaining parts of the body. It is a species-typical behavior. In animals Individual animals regularly clean themselves and put their fur, feathers or other skin cov ...

Methods

Cleaning is broadly achieved through mechanical action and/or

solvent A solvent (s) (from the Latin '' solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas, or a supercritical fluid. Water is a solvent for ...

action; many methods rely on both processes. *

Washing Washing is a method of cleaning, usually with water and soap or detergent. Washing and then rinsing both body and clothing is an essential part of good hygiene and health. Often people use soaps and detergents to assist in the emulsification o ...

, usually done with water and often some kind of

soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are used ...

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are m ...

Pressure washing Pressure washing or power washing is the use of high-pressure water spray to remove loose paint, mold, grime, dust, mud, and dirt from surfaces and objects such as buildings, vehicles and concrete surfaces. The volume of a mechanical pressure w ...

, using a high-pressure stream of water **

Wet cleaning Wet cleaning refers to methods of professional cleaning that, in contrast to traditional dry cleaning, avoids the use of chemical solvents, the most common of which is tetrachloroethylene (commonly called perchloroethylene or "perc"). Environment ...

, methods of professional laundering that avoid the use of chemical solvents *

Abrasive blasting Sandblasting, sometimes known as abrasive blasting, is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface or remove su ...

, typically used to remove bulk material from a surface, may be used to remove contaminants as well *

Acoustic cleaning Acoustic cleaning is a maintenance method used in material-handling and storage systems that handle bulk granular or particulate materials, such as grain elevators, to remove the buildup of material on surfaces. Acoustic cleaning apparatus, ...

, the use of sound waves to shake particulates loose from surfaces **

Ultrasonic cleaning Ultrasonic cleaning is a process that uses ultrasound (usually from 20 to 40 kHz) to agitate a fluid, with a cleaning effect. Ultrasonic cleaners come in a variety of sizes, from small desktop units with an internal volume of less than , to large ...

, using ultrasound, usually from 20–400 kHz **

Megasonic cleaning Megasonic cleaning is a type of acoustic cleaning, related to ultrasonic cleaning. It is a gentler cleaning mechanism, less likely to cause damage, and is used in wafer, medical implant, and industrial part cleaning. Similar to ultrasonic cleani ...

, a gentler mechanism than ultrasonic cleaning, used in

wafer A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They ...

medical implant An implant is a medical device manufactured to replace a missing biological structure, support a damaged biological structure, or enhance an existing biological structure. Medical implants are man-made devices, in contrast to a transplant, whi ...

, and industrial part cleaning *

Carbon dioxide cleaning Carbon dioxide cleaning (CO2 cleaning) comprises a family of methods for parts cleaning and sterilization, using carbon dioxide in its various phases. Due to being non-destructive, non-abrasive, and residue-free, it is often preferred for use on ...

, a family of methods for parts cleaning and sterilization using

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...

in its various phases *

Dry cleaning Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water. Dry cleaning still involves liquid, but clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent. Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), known in ...

of clothing and textiles, using a chemical solvent other than water *

Flame cleaning Flame cleaning, also known as flame gouging, is the process of cleaning a structural steel surface by passing an intensely hot oxyacetylene flame over it. Mill scale and rust are removed by the reducing effect of the flame and the action of the hea ...

of structural steel, with an

oxyacetylene Principle of burn cutting Oxy-fuel welding (commonly called oxyacetylene welding, oxy welding, or gas welding in the United States) and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol, diesel, ...

flame * Green cleaning, using environmentally friendly methods and products *

Plasma cleaning Plasma cleaning is the removal of impurities and contaminants from surfaces through the use of an energetic plasma or dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma created from gaseous species. Gases such as argon and oxygen, as well as mixtures such ...

, using energetic plasma or dielectric barrier discharge plasma created from various gases * Sputter cleaning, performed in a vacuum by using physical

sputtering In physics, sputtering is a phenomenon in which microscopic particles of a solid material are ejected from its surface, after the material is itself bombarded by energetic particles of a plasma or gas. It occurs naturally in outer space, and ...

of the surface *

Steam cleaning Steam cleaning involves using steam for cleaning. Its uses include domestic applications in cleaning flooring and household dirt removal, and industrial uses in removing grease and dirt from engines. Use Steam cleaning is not suited for all ma ...

, in both domestic and industrial contexts * Thermal cleaning, in industrial settings, involving

pyrolysis The pyrolysis (or devolatilization) process is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures, often in an inert atmosphere. It involves a change of chemical composition. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements ''p ...

and

oxidation Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a ...

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet ( ultraviolet C or UV-C) light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unab ...

, which destroys

microorganism A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

s; used extensively in the medical and food industries

Cleaning by item

Some items and materials require specialized cleaning techniques, due to their shape, size, location, or the material properties of the object and contaminants.

Buildings and infrastructure

* Beach cleaning *

Carpet cleaning Carpet cleaning is performed to remove stains, dirt, and allergens from carpets. Common methods include hot water extraction, dry-cleaning, and vacuuming. Hot water extraction Hot water extraction, sometimes mistakenly called "steam cleaning ...

* Chimney cleaning *

Crime scene cleanup Crime scene cleanup is a term applied to cleanup of blood, bodily fluids, and other potentially infectious materials (OPIM). It is also referred to as biohazard remediation, and forensic cleanup, because crime scenes are only a portion of the sit ...

* Exterior cleaning *

Floor cleaning Floor cleaning is a major occupation throughout the world. The main job of most cleaners is to clean floors. Reasons for cleaning floors The principal reasons for floor cleaning are: * To prevent injuries due to tripping or slipping. Inju ...

* Graffiti removal * Roof cleaning * Silo cleaning *

Street cleaning A street sweeper or street cleaner may refer to a person's occupation or to a machine that cleans streets. Street sweepers have been employed in cities as "sanitation workers" since sanitation and waste removal became a priority. A stre ...

Other items

* Coin cleaning *

Conservation and restoration of cultural property The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage), including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include pr ...

, which often involves careful cleaning * Jewellery cleaning *

Laundry Laundry refers to the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with t ...

, the washing of clothes and other textiles *

Parts cleaning Parts cleaning is essential to many industrial processes, as a prelude to surface finishing or to protect sensitive components. Electroplating is particularly a sensitive to part cleanliness, since molecular layers of oil can prevent the adhesion ...

, in industry * Pot washing, in food service *

Teeth cleaning Teeth cleaning is part of oral hygiene and involves the removal of dental plaque from teeth with the intention of preventing cavities (dental caries), gingivitis, and periodontal disease. People routinely clean their own teeth by brushing and inte ...

Tube cleaning Tube cleaning describes the activity of, or device for, the cleaning and maintenance of fouled tubes. The need for cleaning arises because the medium that is transported through the tubes may cause deposits and finally even obstructions. In sys ...

Occupations involving cleaning

Several occupations involve cleaning, either in their entirety or among other duties. *

Cleaner A cleaner or a cleaning operative is a type of industrial or domestic worker who cleans homes or commercial premises for payment. Cleaning operatives may specialise in cleaning particular things or places, such as window cleaners. Cleaning op ...

Housekeeper (domestic worker) A housekeeper (also called necessary woman) is an individual responsible for the supervision of a house's cleaning staff. The housekeeper may also perform the cleaning duties themself. History In the great houses of the eighteenth, nineteenth ...

Janitor A janitor (American English, Scottish English), also known as a custodian, porter, cleanser, cleaner or caretaker, is a person who cleans and maintains buildings. In some cases, they will also carry out maintenance and security duties. A simi ...

Maid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids ...

Contexts

Methods

Cleaning by item

Buildings and infrastructure

Other items

Occupations involving cleaning

See also

General

Biology and health

Organizing

Technologies

Other contexts