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 th ...

hygienic 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 ...

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 sy ...

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

, 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 Terminal cleaning is the thorough cleaning of a room after use, used in healthcare environments to control the spread of infections. Justification Nosocomial infections claim approximately 90,000 lives in the United States annually. When patie ...

, 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 al ...

, the removal of pollution or contaminants from the natural environment * Housekeeping, 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 b ...

* Hygiene, including personal grooming

Methods

Cleaning is broadly achieved through mechanical action and/or solvent action; many methods rely on both processes. * Washing, usually done with water and often some kind of soap or

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 more ...

** Pressure washing, using a high-pressure stream of water ** Wet cleaning, 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, the use of

sound wave In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

s to shake particulates loose from surfaces ** Ultrasonic cleaning, using ultrasound, usually from 20–400 kHz ** Megasonic cleaning, a gentler mechanism than ultrasonic cleaning, used in wafer,

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, 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 Plasma or plasm may refer to: Science * Plasma (physics), one of the four fundamental states of matter * Plasma (mineral), a green translucent silica mineral * Quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter in quantum chromodynamics Biology * Blood pla ...

or dielectric barrier

discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

plasma created from various gases *

Sputter cleaning 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 can ...

, performed in a vacuum by using physical sputtering of the surface * Steam cleaning, in both domestic and industrial contexts * Thermal cleaning, in industrial settings, involving pyrolysis and oxidation * Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, which destroys microorganisms; 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 Beach cleaning or clean-up is the process of removing solid litter, dense chemicals, and organic debris deposited on a beach or coastline by the tide, local visitors, or tourists. Humans pollute beaches with materials such as plastic bottles and ...

* Carpet 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 * Housekeeper (domestic worker) * Janitor * Maid

Contexts

Methods

Cleaning by item

Buildings and infrastructure

Other items

Occupations involving cleaning

See also

General

Biology and health

Organizing

Technologies

Other contexts