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 and cleaning in English. Get your supplies and let’s make your home sparkle!

 tirar poeira | to dust

• Os móveis estão todos sujos, temos que tirar a poeira | The furniture is so dirty, we should dust it

empoeirado | dusty

• Nossa, olha como o armário está empoeirado! | Wow, look at how dusty the closet is!

passar pano de chão | to mop the floor

• Você lembrou de passar pano de chão na cozinha hoje? | Did you remember to mop the kitchen floor today?

espanador | a feather duster 

• Onde está o espanador? Preciso tirar aquela teia de aranha no teto! | Where’s the duster? I need to get that spider web from the ceiling!

varrer com a vassoura | to sweep with a broom

• Pegue a vassoura, precisamos varrer a casa hoje | Get the broom, we need to sweep the house today

encerar o chão | to wax the floor

• Comprei esse produto novo para encerar o chão hoje a tarde  | I bought this new product to wax the floor this afternoon

polir um móvel | to polish furniture

• Essa estante está cheia de arranhões, acho que ela precisa ser polida  | This shelf is covered in scratches, I think it needs to be polished

bagunça, bagunçado(a)  | mess, messy

• Seu quarto está uma bagunça, guarde seus brinquedos! | Your room is such a mess, put your toys away!
• Desculpe que a casa está bagunçada, não tive tempo de arrumar  | I’m sorry the house is so messy, I didn’t have time to clean up

tirar o lixo | to take out the trash

• Lembre-se de tirar o lixo mais tarde, ele está com um cheiro horrível! | Remember to take out the trash later, it smells awful!

aspirador de pó | vacuum cleaner

• O aspirador de pó que encomendei pela internet chega amanhã! | The vacuum cleaner I ordered online is supposed to come in tomorrow!

desinfetante | disinfectant/ sanitizer

• Você sabe onde está o desinfetante? Tinha deixado ele em cima do balcão | Do you know where the disinfectant is? I had left it on the counter

Balde e sabão | Bucket and soap

• Encha o balde com água e sabão para mim, por favor | Fill up the bucket with soap and water for me, please

lixeira | trash bin/trash can

• Jogue a poeira toda na lixeira, e cuidado para não cair no chão | Throw all the dust in the trash bin, and be careful not to drop it on the floor

rolo de saco de lixo | a roll of bin bags

• Por acaso você sabe onde está o rolo de saco de lixo, preciso colocar um saco na lixeira  | Do you know where I can find the roll of bin bags, I need to put one in the trash
  

guardar| put (something) away 

• Suas roupas não podem ficar jogadas pela sala, faça o favor de guardá-las | You cannot leave your clothes lying around the room, please put them away

dar uma organizada | to tidy up

• Nossos amigos chegarão daqui a pouco, vamos organizar a sala para recebê-los?| Our friends are coming by shortly, how about we tidy up the for them? 

mudar os móveis | rearrange, move the furniture

• Que tal se a nós mudássemos os móveis de lugar? Me parece que se colocarmos o sofá ali, a sala vai ficar mais espaçosa | What if we rearrange the furniture? It seems that if we move the sofa over there, the room would feel more spacious

bater o tapete | to beat the rug

• Eu já bati o tapete pela manhã, tinha muita poeira nele! | I already beat the rug in the morning, it was way too dusty!

passar pano | to wipe over

• Ainda tenho que passar pano no fogão | 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!