{{Short description|Activity that removes dirt and other particles from people, animals and objects}}{{More citations needed|date=November 2025}}{{About|processes for removing unwanted physical substances|other uses|Cleaning (disambiguation)}}{{multiple image | header = Cleaning Methods | caption_align = center | header_align = center | perrow = 2 | align = right | total_width = 380 | image1 = Woman washing hands.jpg | caption1 = Hand washing (part of hygiene) | image2 = Drycleanmachine.JPG | caption2 = A dry cleaning machine | image3 = Ultra Sonic Cleaner in(ThKraft).jpg | caption3 = Ultrasonic parts cleaning | image4 = Engineers Clean JWST Secondary Reflector with Carbon Dioxide Snow.jpg | caption4 = Carbon dioxide snow cleaning in an aerospace setting }}
'''Cleaning''' is the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, dust, and other impurities, from an object or environment.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=CDC |date=2024-03-11 |title=Cleaning |url=https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/disinfection-sterilization/cleaning.html |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=Infection Control |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=CDC |date=2025-03-18 |title=When and How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home |url=https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/about/when-and-how-to-clean-and-disinfect-your-home.html |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=Water, Sanitation, and Environmentally Related Hygiene (WASH) |language=en-us}}</ref> Cleaning is often performed for aesthetic,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mack |first1=Robert C. |url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/preservation-brief-01-cleaning-masonry.pdf |title=Preservation Brief 1: Assessing Cleaning and Water-Repellent Treatments for Historic Masonry Buildings |last2=Grimmer |first2=Anne |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior - National Park Service |access-date=January 11, 2025}}</ref> 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== 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<ref name=":1" /> * Hygiene, including personal grooming * Environmental remediation, the removal of pollution or contaminants from the natural environment
==Methods== [[File:Kulutusosuuskuntien Keskusliiton kokoelma D1974 7644 (30878351716).jpg|thumb|A shop assistant washing a shop window in Jyväskylä, Finland, in the 1960s]] Cleaning is broadly achieved through mechanical action and/or chemical processes (usually solvation); many methods rely on a combination of mechanical and chemical action.<ref name=":0" /> 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== [[File:Conservation at the Church of Suceviţa.jpg|right|thumb|Surface cleaning in art conservation]] [[File:Laundry in the river.jpg|thumb|Laundry in a river]] [[File:Tooth polishing 9332.JPG|thumb|Teeth cleaning]]
Some items and materials require specialized cleaning techniques, due to their shape, size, location, or the material properties of the object and contaminants.<ref name=":1" />
===Buildings and infrastructure=== * Beach cleaning * Carpet cleaning * Chimney cleaning * Crime scene cleanup * Exterior cleaning * Floor cleaning * Graffiti removal * Roof cleaning * Silo cleaning * Street cleaning
===Other items=== * 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== thumb|Sweeping 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 == <references />
==See also== {{wiktionary}}
===General=== * 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=== * 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=== * Professional organizing, improvement of organizing systems and processes * Sorting, any process of arranging items systematically
===Technologies=== * 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=== * 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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Category:Broad-concept articles Category:Cleaning