Guten Tag! You may recall Larissa writing some very helpful vocabulary posts (here and here) to take with you when you go grocery shopping. But what about the German words for all the other essentials we buy week in, week out? In this post we’ll go over some common Reinigungsmittel (cleaning products) and Pflegeprodukte (care products).

Firstly, a few general terms, all of which you might see in use, and some which are used interchangeably:

das Lebensmittel – food
das Reinigungsmittel – cleaning products
die Pflegeprodukte – care products
die Hygieneprodukte – hygiene products
das Waschmittel – washing products in liquid, gel or powder form – eg. detergent
die Babypflege – care products for babies
die Haushaltspflege – household care products
das Putzmittel – cleaning products

 

Now let’s move on to the specifics.

 

For the body – für den Körper
Care products – Die Pflegeprodukte

Soap – die Seife

Toothpaste – die Zahnpasta

Toothbrush – die Zahnbürste

Mouthwash – die Mundspülung / das Mundwasser

Shampoo – das Shampoo / das Haarwaschmittel

Hair conditioner – die Haarspülung / die Haarkur

Deodorant – das Deodorant

Sanitary towels – die Damenbinde

Razor – das Rasiermesser / der Rasierer

Moisturiser – die Feuchtigkeitscreme

 

**Did you know?**
The German word for a toiletry bag is a Kulturbeutel, which literally means ‘culture purse’! You can read more about that quirky word right here.

 

For the home – für Zuhause
Cleaning products – Das Reinigungsmittel

 

Laundry detergent – das Waschmittel

Fabric softener – der Weichspüler

Sponge – der Schwamm

Washing up liquid – das Geschirrspülmittel

Scourer – der Topfkratzer

Toilet paper – das Klopapier/das Toilettenpapier

Kitchen roll – die Küchenrolle

Toilet cleaner – der WC-Reiniger

Bath cleaner – der Badreiniger

Antibacterial spray – der (Ober)Flächenreiniger

All-purpose cleaner – der Allzweckreiniger

Floor cleaner – der Bodenreiniger

Window cleaner – der Fensterreiniger

Bleach – das Bleichmittel

Dusting cloth – das Staubtuch

Bin bags – die Müllsäcke

 

• Words ending in Pflege (care) take the feminine form (die).
• Words ending in Reiniger (cleaner) take the masculine form (der).
• Words ending in Mittel (means) take the neuter form (das).

 

**Did you know?**
The Germans have a tradition called Kehrwoche for apartment dwellers, in which residents take it in turns to clean the apartment building. They also have a great word for someone who has a bit of an obsession with cleaning! You can read about those words right here.

I hope this has been useful! Next time you go to buy your toiletries & cleaning essentials in a German-speaking country, why not print out this vocabulary list as a handy guide?

Bis bald!

Constanze