Cleaning (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what cleaning is, the elements it involves and the origin of the term. Also, what are the cleaning methods.

What is cleaning?

When we talk about cleaning, we usually refer to the act of cleaning, that is, of remove dirt and debris from an environment, surface or object any. At the same time, we can refer to the degree of neatness that said space, environment or object has.

The word cleanliness comes from the adjective cleanwhich historically was born in the Latin voice limpidusthat is, “clear”, “without stains”, and which in turn came from clean“crystal clear water.”

In most cultures, cleanliness is associated with purity, positivity and health, and is an integral part of personal and social hygiene measures. Cleaning our own body, home and city are part of the responsibilities we carry out daily to live in a healthier way in society. Likewise, the opposite: dirt, filth and filth are associated with the negative, corruption and illness.

Typically, cleaning involves the use of water and some cleaning substance, or the mechanical action of some object (like a stone, or a brush) on the surface of what you want to clean.

The purpose of cleaning is to remove impurities, leftovers or stains, and with them microorganisms capable of causing diseases or decomposing food. However, there are “dry” cleaning modes, which do not use liquid water.

In fact, broadly speaking, there are several cleaning methods, such as:

Manual cleaning which is carried out with the force of the hands, using brushes, cloths or any other instrument on the surface we want to clean. This is what we do, for example, when brushing our teeth.
Soak Cleaning in which we immerse what we want to clean in a container full of water and/or detergents, and we leave it there for a while. The object is then removed, squeezed and observed to see how much it has been cleaned. If necessary, submerge it for a while longer. This is what clothes washing machines do, in different cycles.
Spray cleaning which consists of the use of machinery capable of sucking out dirt and excess matter, such as vacuum cleaners, or emitting jets of air or water at high pressures, such as hydraulic guns. This is how they clean cars at car washes, or how we clean our carpets with vacuum cleaners.
Foam cleaning in which detergents or organic chemical solvents are used that produce a lot of foam when applied to the surface. The latter captures dirt and microorganisms and can then be removed mechanically, leaving the surface clean. This is, in fact, the principle with which soap works.