Nobody really likes cleaning the house. It is tiring work. It takes a long time. It is often boring. However, it is something we all have to do. If you want a comfortable home, you must do the work.
If you are learning English, describing these tasks can be difficult. You might find yourself using very formal words. You might say, “I need to arrange my clothes” or “I must eliminate the garbage.”
These sentences are grammatically correct. But they sound strange in a casual home environment. They sound like instructions from a robot. A native speaker would say, “I need to put away my clothes” or “I must take out the trash.”
Using the right phrasal verbs makes your English sound natural. It makes you sound like you belong in an English-speaking home. In this guide, we will look at the most common phrasal verbs for cleaning, organizing, and decluttering your home. We will cover everything from the kitchen to the bedroom. By the end, you will be able to describe your chores like a pro.
Quick Summary: Household Chores Phrasal Verbs
Download The Household Chores Phrasal Verbs Visual Guide
General Tidying and Cleaning
Before you start scrubbing or washing, you usually need to organize the mess. You cannot vacuum the floor if it is covered in toys. We have specific verbs for moving things from the floor to their correct places.
Clean Up vs Tidy Up
These two phrases are very similar. You can often use them for the same situation. However, there is a small difference in meaning.
Clean up is a general term. It means to make a place clean and orderly. You can clean up a room, a mess, or a spill. It implies that the area was dirty or chaotic before.
- Example: “We need to clean up the living room before the guests arrive.”
- Example: “Who is going to clean up this spilled milk?”
Tidy up focuses more on organizing. It means putting things in the right place so the room looks neat. It is less about scrubbing dirt and more about appearance. You tidy up when things are messy, not necessarily dirty.
- Example: “The room is not dirty, but I need to tidy up the magazines and toys.”
- Example: “I spend ten minutes every evening tidying up my desk.”
The word “up” is very common in phrasal verbs. It often adds a sense of completion to the verb. You can learn more about this pattern in our guide to phrasal verbs with up.
Pick Up
If you have children or pets, you probably do this ten times a day. To pick up means to lift something off the floor or a surface. When we talk about cleaning, it implies removing clutter from the floor. It is the first step in cleaning a room.
- Example: “Please pick up your socks from the bedroom floor.”
- Example: “I have to pick up all the dog toys before I can vacuum.”
Put Away
Once you pick something up, you need to put it somewhere. You cannot just hold it forever. To put away means to return an item to its correct storage place. You put away dishes in the cupboard. You put away clothes in the drawer. You put away books on the shelf.
- Example: “After you finish playing, you must put away your toys.”
- Example: “I washed the laundry, but I haven’t put it away yet.”
This is one of the most useful verbs for household organization. The verb “put” has many other uses too. You can master them by reading our article on how to learn put phrasal verbs.
Kitchen Chores
The kitchen creates the most mess in the house. We cook, we eat, and we leave dirty plates everywhere. It is a constant cycle of making a mess and cleaning it. Here is how to talk about cleaning the kitchen.
Wash Up
In British English, wash up specifically means to clean the dishes, cutlery, and pots after a meal. In American English, people usually say “do the dishes,” but “wash up” is understood. It involves using soap, water, and a sponge.
- Example: “You cooked dinner, so I will wash up.”
- Example: “I hate washing up greasy pans.”
Wipe Down
After you cook, the counters and tables are often dirty. There might be crumbs, spills, or grease. You use a cloth or a sponge to clean them. The action of cleaning a surface with a cloth is called wiping down. You wipe down the table, the counter, and the stovetop.
- Example: “Don’t forget to wipe down the table after you eat.”
- Example: “I need to wipe down the cabinets; they are sticky.”
Clean Out
This is a bigger job. To clean out means to clean the inside of a space thoroughly. You usually remove everything from the space to clean it. You often do this with the refrigerator or the pantry. It implies a deep clean, not just a quick wipe.
- Example: “The fridge smells bad. We need to clean out the old food.”
- Example: “I am going to clean out the kitchen drawers this weekend.”
Chop Up
While this is a cooking verb, it creates a mess that you have to clean. To chop up means to cut food into small pieces. This action often leaves vegetable skins and seeds on the counter that you must clean up later.
- Example: “I need to chop up the onions for the soup.”
Kitchen vocabulary is vast because food is such a big part of life. If you want to expand your vocabulary in this area, check out our list of phrasal verbs related to food.
Laundry and Clothing
Clothes are everywhere. They are on the floor, on the chair, and hopefully in the closet. Managing laundry is a huge part of household chores.
Hang Up
When you have nice shirts, dresses, or coats, you do not fold them. Folding them would create wrinkles. You put them on a hanger and place them in the closet. This action is called hanging up. You also hang up wet clothes to dry.
- Example: “Please hang up your coat. Do not leave it on the sofa.”
- Example: “I need to hang up the wet laundry on the line outside.”
Fold Up
For other clothes like t-shirts, jeans, and towels, you do not use hangers. You bend them into neat squares. This is called folding up. You fold up clothes before you put them in drawers.
- Example: “I spent an hour folding up the clean laundry.”
- Example: “Can you help me fold up these sheets?”
Sort Out
Before you wash clothes, you need to separate them. You cannot wash a red sock with a white shirt. You also need to separate the delicate items from the heavy jeans. This process of organizing things into groups is called sorting out.
- Example: “I need to sort out the laundry before I turn on the machine.”
- Example: “It takes time to sort out the socks and find the pairs.”
Throw In
This is a casual way to say you are putting clothes into the washing machine. It implies a quick, easy action. You are not placing them carefully; you are just tossing them inside.
- Example: “I am going to throw in a load of laundry while we watch the movie.”
- Example: “Just throw in your gym clothes with the towels.”
Getting Rid of Things
Sometimes cleaning means removing things from your house permanently. You cannot keep everything forever.
Throw Out and Throw Away
These two verbs mean the same thing. You put something in the trash can because you do not want it anymore. It is garbage. You throw out food wrappers, old papers, and broken items.
- Example: “This milk is sour. I need to throw it out.”
- Example: “Don’t throw away those papers. I need them.”
Take Out
Once the trash can inside your house is full, you need to move the bag to the bin outside. This action is taking out the trash. It is a specific chore that many people dislike because it can be smelly.
- Example: “It is Tuesday night, so we need to take out the recycling.”
- Example: “Did you remember to take out the garbage?”
The verb “take” is used in many common expressions. You can see more examples in our guide to phrasal verbs with take.
Clear Out
This is similar to “clean out,” but it focuses on making space. If you have a garage full of old boxes, you might clear it out. This means you remove the items to create empty space. You might sell the items, donate them, or throw them away. The goal is an empty room.
- Example: “We need to clear out the spare room so grandma can stay with us.”
- Example: “I spent the weekend clearing out the attic.”
Give Away
Sometimes you have things that are still good, but you do not need them. You do not want to throw them in the trash. Instead, you give them to someone else for free. This is called giving away. You might give away old clothes to charity.
- Example: “These shoes are too small. I will give them away to my cousin.”
- Example: “We gave away our old sofa when we bought a new one.”
Deep Cleaning
Some chores do not happen every week. They happen once or twice a year. These are big jobs.
Scrub Down
When something is very dirty, wiping it is not enough. You need to use force. You need a brush and strong soap. This is called scrubbing down. You might scrub down the shower tiles or the patio.
- Example: “I need to scrub down the bathroom walls. There is mold.”
Hose Down
If you are cleaning outside, you might use a garden hose. You use the water pressure to clean a car, a driveway, or outdoor furniture. This is called hosing down.
- Example: “After the muddy walk, I had to hose down the dog.”
- Example: “Let’s hose down the patio before the barbecue.”
Why These Verbs Matter
Using the correct phrasal verb changes how people perceive you. If you say “remove the garbage,” you are understood, but you sound formal. You sound like a textbook. If you say “take out the trash,” you sound like a friend. You sound comfortable with the language.
These small changes in your vocabulary have a big impact on your fluency. You do not need to learn every word in the dictionary. You just need the most important ones. For a great summary of the essential words you need, review the top 100 common phrasal verbs for daily use.
Wrapping Up
Cleaning is never fun, but at least now you can talk about it correctly. The next time you are doing housework, practice these words. Say to yourself, “I am wiping down the counter” or “I am hanging up my shirt.”
Start with just three verbs. Master put away, clean up, and take out. Once you use these naturally, you will feel much more confident in your daily English conversations. Now, it is time to stop reading and start cleaning!
