What is Cleaning

As elementary and as simple as it may sound, “cleaning” something may not be so simple at all, and a skill that most humans have not been an expert with. Cleaning and organizing stuff has been evident throughout history, even as early as first humans to walk on Earth, there have been recorded facts that they too have been busy with household chores already.

According to Wikipedia, Cleaning is the process of removing or separating unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment. Cleaning occurs in many different contexts and different forms like house cleaning or cleaning a fish in food preparation, and uses many different methods. Several occupations are devoted to cleaning, like CMDA Cleaning Services.

In its essence, cleaning is the methodical process of placing things in their right place according to value and purpose. There is a saying that goes “A Place For Everything, and Everything in Its’ Place“.

CLEANING HISTORY

If you have watched a lot of History and Discovery Channel, or have read their magazines, you may have already watched an episode or article about human history or pre-historic depictions of the early humans. You might have observed that the early humans have already been cleaning things up. It is definitely way different from what we do at the present, but the essence there is – you clean up a space so that no one gets sick, you clean up something you caught so that you can eat it without eventually dying. These were all done by hand and perhaps a knife by someone skilled with it, but no other tools. Cleaning was not to make things look pleasant, it was done so that no one gets ill from the bacteria found in trash and left over food. Cleaning was part of human culture for survival.

Fast forward a few thousand years later, humans have mastered the first and the most critical tool available for cleaning – water. We found that even a juvenile human can clean something using water found in flowing rivers and lakes. Transporting water or digging wells near settlements made home cleaning easier. primitive forms of brooms only became evident during the rise of the Mesopotamian civilization, and soap was invented around 2800 BC. Cleaning became not just a measure for survival, but also for aesthetics – an object, surface or space that looks pleasing to the eye. With the invention of fabric, humans have created another tool to help clean up – the washcloth (basahan).

A few millenia after, cleaning has been incorporated in the society. It has even become a part of a person’s level in the society, being able to hire someone to do the cleaning for you or not. From the biblical times (the advent of cleaning services) up to the industrial revolution, the nobility, royalty or wealthy are those who are able to employ “servants” to clean their homes, and the less-wealthy clean their own. Tools have evolved as well by the invention of pail, brush and mop.

CLEANING IN THE MODERN TIMES

During the 18 and 19th Century, the discovery of micro-organisms has given us more clarity on why we need to clean – reduce the number of possible illnesses brought by bacteria. Soap with strong chemicals were invented to kill more organisms and we have learned that heating up or adding pressure to an item would totally kill such organisms.

Today, we have more tools and options that can help us, compared to our ancestors. Aside from the broom, pail, washcloth and mop, we now have vacuum cleaners, wall and ceiling swiffers, rotary mops, and robot cleaners. In case you missed it, we have shared the 5 Best and must have tools and equipement for cleaning at home and the Best Cleaning Tools in 2020 and 2021. There are also cleaning soaps that have anti-microbial properties as well that can help in reducing the germs on surfaces.

With the availability of modern tools, almost everyone of us humans have been into cleaning our own homes one way or another. It is just sad that there are still some places on Earth where there are people with no access to clean water for drinking, much more for cleaning.

Cleaning services has evolved from exclusive to royalty and nobility, to Demand Setting – a busy family who needs someone to keep their house clean (housekeeping), a business who need specific cleaning arrangements at specific space and time (janitorial service), or an individual who needs to have a particular object or space cleaned (specialty cleaning). The last two has been the driving force of professional cleaning service companies like CMDA Cleaning Services.

Despite the availability of robot cleaners, cleaning in the modern times still need the human touch as these robot cleaners are basically focused on the floor. Until the invention of a robot like “Rosie” (from the animated series – The Jetsons) or a device equiped with AI, hands and wheels, cleaning service companies will be the best source of professional cleaning.

CONCEPTS OF MODERN CLEANING

Primarily, when it comes to “cleaning” now a days, one needs to improve the aesthetic look for a specific space. You want something to look good if you want it cleaned, get rid of dust here and there, mop the floor to make it shine a little bit, wipe the walls to get rid of stains, and that’s about it – basic cleaning.

There was a time where disinfection was not part of the consideration when doing a home or office cleaning. Heavily relying on the quality of the chemicals used for cleaning and with the advancement of modern medicine, a lot of us has forgotten why our ancestors cleaned in the first place – prevent illness and survive. This is driven basically on human nature’s perception of beauty, and most of all, cost. A stigma that cleaning is done properly by cheap laborers who are not lucky in life or failed to finish school.

Now that the Novel Coronavirus has reached pandemic levels, we humans have gotten into cleaning with disinfection – greatly reducing the micro-organisms present on surfaces, whether bacteria or virus, which is technically the original reason why we clean.

Overall the principles of a good cleaning in the modern times, be it at home or office, are:

1. Safety – no obstructions that can cause accidents or illnesses;
2. Efficiency – everything in place and easily accessible when needed;
3. Productivity – space or object promotes a productive home life or office work, based on the five senses;

WHY MOST OF US ARE NOT EXPERT CLEANERS

Despite our history with cleaning, most of us are not good at cleaning, and some even fail horribly. There are thousands of reasons why we should clean, but there are a hundred reasons why we fail, and they are mainly due to:

1. Cleaning is subjective – what is clean for some, can be still dirty for others;
2. No universal standard in cleanliness – what is clean at home, may not be that clean at work or at the hospital or even other places. The level of cleanliness at the hospital is not mandatory at home or other spaces;
3. Cleaning principles unexplained – we were taught in school that we should sweep and mop the floor, keep a clean place, but never explained why we should;
4. Family background – there are people who are born with either, the parents are not setting good examples in terms of cleanliness, or, already with housekeepers that, when left to themselves, does not know how to effectively clean their space;
5. Restricting time and budget over purpose – seeing cleaning as non-essential and non-income generating task and providing less time and budget for cleaning;