Cleaning & Housework
Home & living · 86 words
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Practise these 86 words
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The words
86 words
- air freshenernoun · B1Something that puts a pleasant smell into a room.
- air outphrase · B2To let fresh air through a room.
- bin bagnoun · B1The sack that lines a rubbish container.
- bleach/bliːt͡ʃ/verb · B2To whiten and disinfect with a strong chemical.
- bucket/ˈbʌkɪt/noun · A1The open container with a handle that you carry water in.
- buff/bʌf/verb · C1To rub gently until a surface glows.
- change the sheetsphrase · B1To take off the used bedding and put clean on.
- chore/t͡ʃɔː/noun · B1+A boring routine job around the house, like washing dishes.
- cloggedadjective · B2Blocked so that nothing can pass.
- cluttered/ˈklʌtɚd/adjective · B2Crowded with things there is no room for.
- condensation/ˌkɒn.dɛnˈseɪ.ʃən/noun · B2Water that forms on cold glass indoors.
- damp/ˈdæmp/noun · B2Unwanted wetness in a wall or a room.
- declutter/diːˈklʌtə(ɹ)/verb · C1To get rid of everything you do not need.
- deep cleannoun · B2A thorough clean that reaches what is usually missed.
- degreaseverb · C1To remove thick fat from a surface.
- deodoriseverb · C1To take a bad smell away.
- descaleverb · C2To remove the hard chalky deposit left by water.
- detergent/dɪˈtɜːd͡ʒənt/noun · B1+The powder or liquid that washes clothes and dishes clean.
- disinfect/dɪs.ɪnˈfɛkt/verb · B2+To kill the germs on a surface or a wound.
- dry cleanphrase · B1To clean a garment with chemicals instead of water.
- dust/dʌst/verb · B1To remove the fine powder that settles on things.
- duster/ˈdʌstɚ/noun · B1+A cloth or brush for removing fine powder.
- dustpan/ˈdʌstpæn/noun · B1+The flat little shovel you sweep dirt into.
- fabric softener/ˈfæbrɪk ˈsɒfənər/noun · B1A liquid that makes washed cloth feel soft.
- feather duster/ˈfɛð.ə(ɹ) ˈdʌstə/noun · B1A handle tipped with soft feathers for dusting.
- fluff/flʌf/verb · B2To shake something soft so it fills out again.
- fold/ˈfəʊld/verb · A2To bend paper or cloth so one part lies on the other.
- freshen/ˈfɹɛʃən/verb · B2To make something smell and feel new again.
- germ-freeadjective · B2Having no germs left on it.
- grime/ɡɹaɪm/noun · B2+Dirt that has been left long enough to stick.
- grubby/ˈɡɹʌbi/adjective · B2+Rather dirty in a small everyday way.
- hand washphrase · B1To wash clothes gently by hand, not by machine.
- hoover/ˈhuːvə(ɹ)/verb · B1+To clean a floor with a suction machine.
- housework/ˈhaʊsˌwɝk/noun · B1+All the boring jobs at home, like washing and sweeping.
- iron/ˈaɪ.ən/verb · A2To press cloth flat with a heated metal base.
- launder/ˈlɔːndə/verb · B2+To wash and press clothes properly.
- limescalenoun · C1The hard white deposit hard water leaves behind.
- line dryphrase · B1To dry washing outside on a rope.
- make the bedphrase · A2To pull the covers straight after sleeping.
- messy/ˈmɛsi/adjective · B1With everything out of place; the opposite of neat.
- mildew/ˈmɪl.djuː/noun · B2+A fungus that grows in damp and stains what it touches.
- mop/mɒp/verb · B1To wash a floor with a wet head on a stick.
- mould/məʊld/noun · B1+Fuzzy growth that appears on damp surfaces and old food.
- mucky/ˈmʌki/adjective · B2+Covered in dirt or mud.
- overflowing/ˌoʊvɚˈfloʊɪŋ/adjective · B1+So full that it is spilling over.
- peg outphrase · C1To hang washing on a line with clips.
- plunge/plʌnd͡ʒ/verb · C1To clear a drain by pushing and pulling water.
- polish/ˈpɒl.ɪʃ/verb · B2To rub a surface until it shines.
- press/pɹɛs/noun · B1All the newspapers and journalists, spoken of as one force.
- pristine/ˈpɹɪstiːn/adjective · C1Perfectly clean and untouched, as if brand new.
- put awayphrase · A2To return things to their proper place.
- rinse outphrase · B1To wash the inside of something with clean water.
- rota/ˈɹəʊtə/noun · B2+The chart saying who works when.
- routine/ɹuːˈtiːn/noun · B2A set of jobs done the same way each time.
- rubber glovesnoun · A2Waterproof gloves worn to protect the hands.
- sanitary/ˈsænɪt(ə)ɹi/adjective · B2+Clean enough to be healthy.
- sanitiseverb · B1+To make something clean and free of germs.
- scour/ˈskaʊə/verb · B2To clean a pan by scrubbing off what has stuck.
- scouring padnoun · C1A rough pad for scrubbing burnt pans.
- scrub/skɹʌb/verb · B1To clean by rubbing hard with something rough.
- soak/səʊk/verb · B1To leave something in liquid until it softens.
- sort/soɹt/verb · A2To separate things into groups.
- sparkling/ˈspɑɹkl̩ɪŋ/adjective · B2So clean that it catches the light.
- spick and spanphrase · C1Perfectly clean and tidy.
- sponge/spʌnd͡ʒ/noun · B1A soft block full of holes, used with soap for washing dishes.
- spot cleanphrase · B2To clean only the marked part of something.
- spotless/spɑtlɪs/adjective · B1+So perfectly clean that not one mark can be found.
- spring cleannoun · B2A thorough clean of the whole house, once a year.
- squalid/ˈskwɒlɪd/adjective · C1Dirty and wretched to live in.
- squeegee/ˈskwiːd͡ʒiː/noun · B2+A rubber blade that wipes water off glass.
- stain/steɪn/noun · B2The dirty mark that coffee or ketchup leaves on your shirt.
- stain removerphrase · B2The special liquid that gets coffee marks out of a shirt.
- starch/ˈstɑːt͡ʃ/verb · B2To stiffen cloth with a special liquid.
- steriliseverb · B2To make something completely free of germs.
- straighten upphrase · B2To make your back upright.
- sweep/swiːp/verb · B1To clean a floor with a long brush.
- tidy/ˈtaɪ.di/adjective · A2With everything in its proper place.
- tidy upphrase · A2To put things back where they belong.
- tumble dryphrase · B1To dry clothes in a heated spinning drum.
- unblock/ʌnˈblɒk/verb · B1+To clear something that has stopped a pipe.
- vacuum/ˈvæ.kjuːm/verb · B1To clean by sucking dirt up into a machine.
- ventilate/ˈvɛntɪleɪt/verb · C1To let air move through a space.
- washing powdernoun · B1The dry substance that cleans clothes in a machine.
- wax/waks/noun · B1A soft solid that melts easily and repels water.
- window cleanernoun · B1The liquid or the person that makes glass clear.
- wipe downphrase · B1To clean a surface with a damp cloth.