Cleaning

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

Hand washing (part of hygiene)

Ultrasonic parts cleaning

Carbon dioxide snow cleaning in an aerospace setting

Contexts

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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
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. 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

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