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 (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...

hygienic Hygiene is a set 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 ...

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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

, or

environmental protection Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

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 Commercial cleaning companies are contracted to carry out cleaning jobs in a variety of premises. Commercial cleaners, often referred to as custodians or janitors, work in many different types of buildings such as schools, banks, and offices. T ...

, in business or other commercial settings ** Terminal cleaning, in healthcare settings *

Housekeeping Housekeeping is the management and routine support activities of running and maintaining an organized physical institution occupied or used by people, like a house, ship, hospital or factory, such as cleaning, tidying/organizing, cooking, shopp ...

, including

spring cleaning Spring cleaning is the practice of thoroughly cleaning a house in the springtime. The practice of spring cleaning is especially prevalent in climates with a cold winter. In many cultures, annual cleaning occurs at the end of the year, which may ...

Hygiene Hygiene is a set 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 c ...

Environmental remediation Environmental remediation is the cleanup of hazardous substances dealing with the removal, treatment and containment of pollution or contaminants from Natural environment, environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment. Remediation may be ...

, the removal of pollution or contaminants from the natural environment

Methods

Cleaning is broadly achieved through mechanical action and/or

chemical process In a scientific sense, a chemical process is a method or means of somehow changing one or more chemicals or chemical compounds. Such a chemical process can occur by itself or be caused by an outside force, and involves a chemical reaction of som ...

es (usually

solvation Solvations describes the interaction of a solvent with dissolved molecules. Both ionized and uncharged molecules interact strongly with a solvent, and the strength and nature of this interaction influence many properties of the solute, includi ...

); many methods rely on a combination of mechanical and chemical action. Methods include: *

Washing Washing is a method of cleaning, usually with water and soap or detergent. Regularly 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 emulsific ...

, usually done with water and often some kind of

soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with Cleanliness, cleansing properties when in Concentration, dilute Solution (chemistry), solutions. There are a large variety of detergents. A common family is the alkylbenzene sulfonate ...

** Mopping, usually using a mop ** Wiping, usually using a dry or moist piece of

cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is n ...

(such as

toilet paper Toilet paper (sometimes called toilet/bath/bathroom tissue, or toilet roll) is a tissue paper product primarily used to clean the human anus, anus and surrounding region of Human feces, feces (after defecation), and to clean the external gen ...

paper towel A paper towel is an absorbent, disposable towel made from paper. In Commonwealth English, paper towels for kitchen use are also known as kitchen rolls, kitchen paper, or kitchen towels. For home use, paper towels are usually sold in a roll of p ...

and

wet wipe A wet wipe, also known as a wet towel, wet one, moist towelette, disposable wipe, disinfecting wipe, or a baby wipe (in specific circumstances) is a small to medium-sized moistened piece of plastic or cloth that either comes folded and individu ...

) ** 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 (electronics), wafer, Implant (medicine), 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 (physics), plasma or dielectric barrier direct-current discharge, 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

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 * Modern chimney cleaning, Chimney cleaning * Crime scene cleanup * Exterior cleaning * Floor cleaning * Graffiti removal * Roof cleaning * Silo cleaning * Street cleaning

Other items

* Cleaning (coinage), 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

Several occupations involve cleaning, either in their entirety or among other duties. * Cleaner * Dental hygenist * Housekeeper (domestic worker) * Janitor * Maid * Property caretaker * Property manager * Fluffer (London Underground), Fluffer (track cleaner on the London Underground)

Contexts

Methods

Cleaning by item

Buildings and infrastructure

Other items

Occupations involving cleaning

See also

General

Biology and health

Organizing

Technologies

Other contexts