Cleaner: The Person, the Product, and the Shop
A cleaner is a person employed to clean, or a substance used for cleaning. In British English the plural also names the dry-cleaning shop.
Cleaner covers the person, the product and the place. British English adds a fourth trick: *the cleaner's* means the dry-cleaning shop, and *taken to the cleaners* means stripped of your money, which is a joke about being thoroughly gone over.
- A person employed to clean. *The office cleaner comes at six.*
- A cleaning product. *An oven cleaner.*
- A dry-cleaning shop (British). *Pick the suit up from the cleaner's.*
- More clean (comparative). *This room is cleaner than that one.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cleaner | A window cleaner. |
| Comparative | cleaner | Cleaner air. |
| Verb | clean | Clean the windows. |
| Compound | dry cleaner | The dry cleaner opens at eight. |
| Compound | vacuum cleaner | A cordless vacuum cleaner. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The cleaners come on Tuesdays.The people, plural.
- Take the coat to the cleaner's.The shop, British usage with the possessive.
- He was taken to the cleaners in the settlement.Lost almost everything.
Cleaning words worth separating
- Cleaner — removes dirt
- Detergent — a cleaner that lifts grease by surrounding it
- Disinfectant — kills microorganisms, which is not the same as cleaning
- Bleach — whitens and disinfects, and should never be mixed with other cleaners
- Solvent — dissolves a substance, as in dry cleaning
From *clean*, from Old English *claene*, which meant pure and clear as well as free of dirt. Dry cleaning uses solvents rather than water, which is why it needs a shop rather than a sink.
Cleaner or janitor?
Cleaner is British. In America a janitor or custodian also handles maintenance, not only cleaning.
Does clean mean disinfected?
No. Cleaning removes dirt and reduces germs; disinfecting kills them. Most guidance recommends doing both, in that order.