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Housekeeping may be something you relish or your least favorite word. Be that as it may, everybody wants to keep their home spick and span. Of course, this is easier said than done, which is why people turn to reliable Belle Harbor NY maid service for help. 

When you’re discussing cleaning, you use words like “wipe”, “mop” or “scrub” without thinking about how people started using them. This article deals with the origin and meaning of some frequently used words related to chores. Continue reading and learn some interesting facts about the language of housekeeping!

What are the different terms used in home cleaning?

Have you ever wondered where common terms related to cleaning stem from? Many of these terms are quite old, dating back centuries. Here are some often used expressions, eponyms, and idioms. 

1. Common expressions and terms

One of the first steps of cleaning your home is “to sweep the floor” or “make the floor clean by sweeping it with a broom.” This meaning dates back to the 14th century. What is even more interesting is how it has evolved and how other meanings such as “move swiftly and strongly”, “win all the events” or “pass systematically over in search of something” were assigned to it. The idiom “to sweep someone off his or her feet”, or “to cause someone to fall suddenly and completely in love with you” originates from the verb “to sweep” and incorporates its different meanings over time. 

Let’s take “detergent” as an example. This noun was first used at the beginning of the 17th century but as an adjective meaning “purging” or “cleansing.” It stems from the Latin word “detergere” which signifies “to wipe away” and was used in medical context. However, it wasn’t until the 1930s that people started using the word “detergent” to denote “a cleaning product.”  

2. Eponyms

Some brand names and the names of the inventors of products have become synonymous with their generic names, i.e., they’ve become eponyms. When we want someone to give us a tissue we say: “Could you hand me a Kleenex?”. 

There are some interesting examples of eponyms in the world of housekeeping, too. For example, if you “hoover” a carpet or floor, you “vacuum” it. Hoover is the type of the vacuum cleaner made by the manufacturer of the same name in 1927. The noun quickly became a verb, so you can say that you vacuum or “hoover your living room.” 

Another instance of an eponym is a degreaser and rust-prevention solvent that people use to clean their basements, better known as WD 40. The product was developed by Rocket Chemical Company, which was later renamed to WD 40 Company. The name WD 40 stands for “Water Displacement, 40th formula” which implies that it took 40 attempts to create the product. 

The famous detergent and soap manufacturer Palmolive changed its name in the same way. The original name of the company was the B.J. Johnson Company. The company became known for its Palmolive soap whose formula contained palm and olive oil, so they decided to rename their company after their signature product.

3. Idioms

There are plenty of idioms that you can use to denote “spotless”, like ”as clean as a whistle”, “squeaky clean”, “as neat as a new pin” or “spick and span.” A whistle has a clear, clean sound, which is why people relate this attribute to cleanliness. 

As for “squeaky clean”, the term comes from the squeaky sound that you can hear when you run your finger over a smooth, clean surface. The expression “as neat as the new pin” dates back to the 18th century, the time when women used to wear large and shiny ornamental pins in their hair. The original meaning of “spick and span” was “new as a recently made spike and chip of wood.” It’s interesting how all these expressions have become associated with the meaning “perfectly clean” over time.

Which Belle Harbor NY maid service can I call to clean my home?

Whether you need to scrub the sink in your kitchen or change the linens in your bedroom, the perfect candidate for these tasks is Swipe N Clean. We provide comprehensive housekeeping services to keep your home sparkling clean.

You can enjoy a walk at the Tribute Park as our dedicated experts turn your house into a pristine masterpiece. Give us a call and we’ll do the rest!