Cleaning is something we all do, but did you know that there are some fun and creative idioms out there related to tidying up, scrubbing, and making things sparkle? These idioms bring a sense of humor to everyday chores, and they’re great for brightening up any conversation. Whether you’re deep cleaning or just wiping down a surface, there’s a quirky idiom to describe it. In this post, you’ll explore popular cleaning-related idioms, their meanings, and how to use them in everyday situations. Let’s dive into the world of cleaning idioms!
Idioms for Cleaning
1. Sweep under the rug
Meaning: To hide or ignore a problem instead of dealing with it.
In a Sentence: He decided to sweep his mistakes under the rug rather than face the consequences.
Other Ways to Say: Ignore the issue, Avoid addressing the problem
2. Clean as a whistle
Meaning: To be very clean or tidy.
In a Sentence: After hours of work, the kitchen was clean as a whistle.
Other Ways to Say: Spotless, Pristine
3. Mop up the mess
Meaning: To clean up a mess or fix a problem.
In a Sentence: After the party, we had to mop up the mess before our parents got home.
Other Ways to Say: Clean up, Set things right
4. A clean slate
Meaning: To start fresh with no previous mistakes or problems.
In a Sentence: After the break-up, she decided to give herself a clean slate and move forward.
Other Ways to Say: Start over, Begin anew
5. Scrub someone the wrong way
Meaning: To annoy or irritate someone.
In a Sentence: His constant complaining really scrubs me the wrong way.
Other Ways to Say: Rub someone the wrong way, Get under someone’s skin
6. Dust off
Meaning: To prepare something for use again after a long time.
In a Sentence: I had to dust off my old guitar before playing it at the party.
Other Ways to Say: Refresh, Revive
7. Clean your act up
Meaning: To improve your behavior or actions.
In a Sentence: You need to clean your act up if you want to keep your job.
Other Ways to Say: Shape up, Get it together
8. Throw in the towel
Meaning: To give up or admit defeat, often after trying hard to clean or fix something.
In a Sentence: After hours of cleaning the basement, I finally threw in the towel.
Other Ways to Say: Surrender, Give up
9. Wipe the slate clean
Meaning: To forgive and forget past mistakes, starting fresh.
In a Sentence: After the argument, we decided to wipe the slate clean and start over.
Other Ways to Say: Start fresh, Move on
10. Sweep someone off their feet
Meaning: To impress someone deeply, often with charm or a nice gesture.
In a Sentence: His thoughtful gesture completely swept her off her feet.
Other Ways to Say: Amaze, Captivate
11. Clean house
Meaning: To do a thorough cleaning or to remove unnecessary items or people.
In a Sentence: We need to clean house and get rid of all the old clothes we don’t wear anymore.
Other Ways to Say: Organize, Declutter
12. Clean bill of health
Meaning: A report or certificate stating that someone or something is in good condition.
In a Sentence: After the doctor’s check-up, I received a clean bill of health.
Other Ways to Say: Good condition, Perfect health
13. Iron out the wrinkles
Meaning: To resolve problems or details, especially when something isn’t perfect.
In a Sentence: We need to iron out the wrinkles in the contract before signing it.
Other Ways to Say: Fix the issues, Resolve the problems
14. Polish the apple
Meaning: To try to win favor by being overly nice, often insincerely.
In a Sentence: He’s always polishing the apple with the boss to get ahead.
Other Ways to Say: Flatter, Suck up
15. Clear the air
Meaning: To resolve a misunderstanding or make things clear.
In a Sentence: We had a long talk to clear the air after the argument.
Other Ways to Say: Settle the matter, Clarify
16. Clean up your mess
Meaning: To take responsibility for the problems you’ve caused and fix them.
In a Sentence: It’s time for you to clean up your mess and stop blaming others.
Other Ways to Say: Take responsibility, Fix the damage
17. Wash your hands of
Meaning: To reject any responsibility for a situation or action.
In a Sentence: I’ve decided to wash my hands of the whole issue—it’s not my problem anymore.
Other Ways to Say: Abandon, Disassociate from
18. Scrub in
Meaning: To prepare oneself for an important task, especially cleaning or surgery.
In a Sentence: Before starting the big cleaning session, I had to scrub in and get ready.
Other Ways to Say: Get ready, Gear up
19. Get your hands dirty
Meaning: To do the hard or unpleasant work, often physically.
In a Sentence: If you want to get ahead, you’ll need to get your hands dirty and work hard.
Other Ways to Say: Work hard, Do the tough work
20. Sweep the floor with
Meaning: To defeat someone completely, often in a competition.
In a Sentence: They swept the floor with their opponents in the championship game.
Other Ways to Say: Defeat completely, Win easily
21. Mop the floor with
Meaning: To thoroughly defeat or humiliate someone.
In a Sentence: He mopped the floor with his competition in the chess tournament.
Other Ways to Say: Beat decisively, Outplay
22. Dust the cobwebs off
Meaning: To refresh or revive something that hasn’t been used in a long time.
In a Sentence: After years of neglect, I decided to dust the cobwebs off my old bike and start riding again.
Other Ways to Say: Refresh, Revitalize
23. Tidy up
Meaning: To clean and organize a place, making it neat.
In a Sentence: You should tidy up your room before the guests arrive.
Other Ways to Say: Clean, Organize
24. Scrub a dub dub
Meaning: A fun, playful way to refer to cleaning or washing something.
In a Sentence: I can’t wait to scrub a dub dub the car tomorrow.
Other Ways to Say: Wash up, Clean thoroughly
25. Shine like a diamond
Meaning: To look incredibly clean or polished, often used metaphorically.
In a Sentence: After she cleaned the kitchen, it shone like a diamond.
Other Ways to Say: Sparkle, Gleam
26. Mop up
Meaning: To clean up a spill or to deal with the consequences of an action.
In a Sentence: After spilling the coffee, I had to mop up the mess quickly.
Other Ways to Say: Clean up, Deal with the aftermath
27. Clean the slate
Meaning: To forgive past mistakes and start fresh.
In a Sentence: We decided to clean the slate after the argument and move forward.
Other Ways to Say: Start over, Forgive and forget
28. Wipe off the dirt
Meaning: To remove unpleasantness or negativity.
In a Sentence: It’s time to wipe off the dirt and start over with a positive mindset.
Other Ways to Say: Clean up, Refresh
29. Take a dusting
Meaning: To lose or fail in a competition or situation.
In a Sentence: He took a dusting in the game, but he promised to try harder next time.
Other Ways to Say: Lose, Fail miserably
30. Sweep into action
Meaning: To quickly take action and get things moving.
In a Sentence: As soon as the emergency was called, the team swept into action.
Other Ways to Say: Spring into action, Take charge
31. Wipe the floor with
Meaning: To defeat someone completely, often with great ease.
In a Sentence: They wiped the floor with their opponents during the final match.
Other Ways to Say: Destroy, Beat soundly
32. Clean as a new pin
Meaning: Spotlessly clean or brand new.
In a Sentence: After the deep clean, the living room was as clean as a new pin.
Other Ways to Say: Sparkling, Immaculate
33. Sweep the dust under the rug
Meaning: To hide a problem or issue from view, rather than dealing with it.
In a Sentence: Instead of fixing the issue, they just swept the dust under the rug.
Other Ways to Say: Ignore the issue, Cover up the problem
34. Rub the dirt off
Meaning: To get rid of something undesirable or negative.
In a Sentence: After all the drama, it’s time to rub the dirt off and move on.
Other Ways to Say: Clean up, Get rid of negativity
35. Put a shine on
Meaning: To make something look better or more presentable.
In a Sentence: She put a shine on her shoes before the big interview.
Other Ways to Say: Polish, Make it sparkle
36. Clean as a hound’s tooth
Meaning: To be very clean or spotless.
In a Sentence: The kitchen was clean as a hound’s tooth after the deep cleaning session.
Other Ways to Say: Perfectly clean, Immaculately clean
37. Dust off the cobwebs
Meaning: To freshen up or revive something that’s been neglected.
In a Sentence: After years of no use, I dusted off the old board game and played it again.
Other Ways to Say: Revive, Refresh
38. Take a scrub at
Meaning: To clean something with force or effort.
In a Sentence: She took a scrub at the stubborn stain and finally got it out.
Other Ways to Say: Scrub hard, Clean vigorously
39. Clean up after
Meaning: To tidy up or clean the mess left by someone else.
In a Sentence: After the kids played, I had to clean up after them.
Other Ways to Say: Tidy up, Pick up the mess
40. Bring out the broom
Meaning: To get things clean or tidy, often after a mess has been made.
In a Sentence: After the party, it was time to bring out the broom and clean up.
Other Ways to Say: Sweep, Clean up
41. Give something a polish
Meaning: To make something shine or improve its appearance.
In a Sentence: I gave my car a polish before showing it to the buyers.
Other Ways to Say: Shine up, Make it gleam
42. Wash your dirty laundry in public
Meaning: To reveal personal or embarrassing issues to others.
In a Sentence: They shouldn’t wash their dirty laundry in public during family events.
Other Ways to Say: Expose private matters, Share personal issues
43. Clean up your act
Meaning: To improve your behavior or actions.
In a Sentence: You need to clean up your act if you want to be taken seriously at work.
Other Ways to Say: Shape up, Get it together
44. Clear out
Meaning: To remove or get rid of something completely.
In a Sentence: It’s time to clear out the old boxes from the attic.
Other Ways to Say: Remove, Empty
45. Take a good scrub at
Meaning: To scrub something thoroughly or with effort.
In a Sentence: After the spill, I had to take a good scrub at the kitchen floor to clean it up.
Other Ways to Say: Scrub thoroughly, Clean vigorously
46. Clean up well
Meaning: To look nice and neat after getting cleaned or dressed up.
In a Sentence: He really knows how to clean up well for a formal event.
Other Ways to Say: Look sharp, Look polished
47. Wipe the dust off
Meaning: To clean off dust or dirt from a surface.
In a Sentence: I had to wipe the dust off the furniture before the guests arrived.
Other Ways to Say: Dust, Clean
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks:
- After cleaning the house, it was as _______ as a whistle.
- It’s time to _______ up the mess after the party.
- I had to _______ the floor with my opponents during the game.
- She decided to _______ her old book collection and donate them.
- He decided to _______ his act and start working harder.
- We need to _______ the attic before we move out.
- After months of neglect, I decided to _______ the old guitar and play again.
- After the big spill, I had to _______ at the stain until it came off.
- Don’t let others _______ their dirty laundry in public—it’s personal.
- The party was a huge success, but now it’s time to _______ the house.
Answers:
clean, mop, wipe, dust, clean, clear, dust, scrub, wash, clean
Conclusion
Cleaning-related idioms are a fun and creative way to express the act of tidying up or handling challenges. By incorporating these idioms into everyday conversations, you can add flair and humor while talking about household chores or life’s messes. Whether you’re cleaning the kitchen or cleaning up your life, these idioms will make your expressions more vivid and relatable.
So next time you’re wiping down the counter or starting a new project, think about which of these cleaning idioms would work best in your conversation. Use them to brighten up your language and maybe even inspire a fresh, clean start!
