spring-clean
spring-clean — verb
- spring-cleanpresent simple I / you / we / they
- spring-cleans3rd person singular
- spring-cleaning-ing form
- spring-cleanedpast simple
1. to clean a house, flat, or other indoor space completely, making sure every part
to clean a house, flat, or other indoor space completely, making sure every part — including areas you do not normally clean — is washed, scrubbed, or tidied.
Every March, the Chen family spring-cleans their entire house from top to bottom.
spring-clean + noun phrase for whole house
Gabriela spent the whole weekend spring-cleaning her flat and even washed the curtains.
intransitive gerund: spent time spring-cleaning
We need to spring-clean the kitchen before the health inspector arrives next week.
Lan spring-cleaned the garage and found boxes of old photographs under the workbench.
The landlord asked the tenants to spring-clean the basement before the new family moved in.
- deep clean
more specific to cleaning very thoroughly; spring-clean implies covering the entire space, not just one room
- scrub
focuses on rubbing surfaces hard; less comprehensive than spring-clean
文法句型
spring-clean + noun phrase (house, flat, kitchen)
spring-clean (no object)
用法筆記
Often used with a direct object naming the space (house, flat, kitchen). Can also appear without an object: 'We spent Saturday spring-cleaning.' Most common in British English; American English prefers 'do spring cleaning'.
常見錯誤
2. to go through a collection, system, or set of things and remove whatever is no l
to go through a collection, system, or set of things and remove whatever is no longer useful or needed — like cleaning out a wardrobe, a computer's files, or a company's budget.
The finance department spring-cleaned the budget and cut several unnecessary expenses.
metaphorical: spring-clean + budget / system
Omar spring-cleaned his wardrobe and donated two bags of clothes to a local shelter.
After ten years in business, the company finally spring-cleaned its entire filing system.
Mayumi spring-cleaned her email inbox and deleted over three hundred old messages.
- clear out
more general and less formal; works for physical and digital clutter
- streamline
more formal; focuses on making a system more efficient rather than just removing things
文法句型
spring-clean + noun phrase (budget, system, wardrobe, files)
用法筆記
Used metaphorically. The object can be physical (wardrobe, bookshelves) or abstract (budget, system, workflow). Not used without an object in this sense.
常見錯誤
spring-clean — noun
1. an occasion when someone cleans a house, flat, or other indoor space very thorou
an occasion when someone cleans a house, flat, or other indoor space very thoroughly, including every corner and the areas that are not cleaned on a regular basis.
The whole family helped with the spring-clean, scrubbing floors and washing windows until everything shone.
collocation: help with the spring-clean
After the spring-clean, the apartment felt fresh and smelt of lemons and floor wax.
Nila does a big spring-clean once the weather turns warm enough to open the windows.
The hotel shuts for three days each year to do a thorough spring-clean.
- spring cleaning
the more common noun form; 'spring-clean' is slightly less frequent but means the same thing
文法句型
do/have a spring-clean
a big/thorough/spring-clean
用法筆記
Commonly used with 'do' or 'have' (do a spring-clean, have a spring-clean). An adjective such as 'big', 'thorough', or 'annual' often comes before the noun. Usually singular.
常見錯誤
2. an occasion when someone organises a collection, system, or set of things and re
an occasion when someone organises a collection, system, or set of things and removes whatever is no longer useful or needed.
The company's spring-clean of its computer systems saved thousands of pounds in maintenance fees.
a spring-clean of + noun phrase (metaphorical)
Our annual spring-clean of the bookshelves left the office feeling much more organised.
Hugo suggested a spring-clean of the team's shared documents to remove old drafts and duplicates.
Defne's spring-clean of the pantry cleared out expired spices and stale crackers.
文法句型
a spring-clean of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Used metaphorically. The 'of' phrase specifies what is being reorganised — the budget, a filing system, a wardrobe, files, etc.