Spring has come, readers! But along with it, the rise of one of the biggest pandemics in recent history, the coronavirus, a disease better known as CoVid-19. Drastic measures are being taken worldwide to curb its spread, one of the main and most effective ones being self-isolation, which means spending the majority of your time at home. For many it means watching movies or shows, taking care of children, catching up on your reading and – why not? – taking the opportunity to get some household chores done.

Heading outdoors to enjoy springtime is no longer a viable option from the point of view of the World Health Organization recommendations, so many of us have been using up this free time to devote ourselves to housework. As many countries love this time of year to get some spring cleaning done, our text today will be about useful terms related to cleaning up in English. Get your supplies and let’s make your home sparkle!

 to dust

• The furniture is so dirty, we should dust it.

(*note that the word dust is both the verb and the noun)

dusty

• Wow, look how dusty the closet is! 

to mop the floor

• Did you remember to mop the kitchen floor today? 
  

  Man mopping up the floor (Photo by Cade Martin, Dawn Arlotta, USCDCP)

a feather duster

• Where’s the duster? I need to get that spider web from the ceiling!

to sweep with a broom

• Get the broom, we need to sweep the house today.

to wax the floor

• I bought this new product to wax the floor this afternoon.

to polish furniture

• This shelf is covered in scratches, I think it needs to be polished 

mess, messy 

• Your room is such a mess, put your toys away!
• I’m sorry the house is so messy, I didn’t have time to clean up.

to take out the trash

• Remember to take out the trash later, it smells awful! 

vacuum cleaner

• The vacuum cleaner I ordered online is supposed to come in tomorrow!

(*note that the word vaccuum is both the verb and the noun)

disinfectant/ sanitizer

• Do you know where the disinfectant is? I had left it on the counter.

bucket and soap

• Fill up the bucket with soap and water for me, please.

trash bin/trash can

• Throw all the dust in the trash bin, and be careful not to drop it on the floor.

a roll of bin bags

• Do you know where I can find the roll of bin bags, I need to put one in the trash.
  

put (something) away

• You cannot leave your clothes lying around the room, please put them away.

to tidy up

• Our friends are coming by shortly, how about we tidy up the for them?

rearrange, move the furniture 

• What if we rearrange the furniture? It seems that if we move the sofa over there, the room would feel more spacious.

to beat the rug 

• I already beat the rug in the morning, it was way too dusty!

to wipe over 

• I still have to wipe over the stovetop.

What about you guys? What have you been doing these days? Can you remember any other cleaning-related words or idioms? Don’t forget to comment what your thoughts are our text. Good cleaning for everyone!