Housekeeping Vocabulary 2

Vocabulary practice for housekeeping and cleaning staff — choose the correct word for each context.

Vocabulary in context

Housekeeping and cleaning staff read a lot of instructions — on product labels, in staff manuals, in room-specific notes left by the front desk. The vocabulary in those documents is often technical, sometimes legally significant, and always written with the assumption that the reader knows exactly what each word means. This exercise builds that reading vocabulary: the terms for tools, surfaces, cleaning agents, and procedures that appear in professional cleaning contexts. It also builds the speaking vocabulary — the words you use when reporting a problem, requesting a product, or briefing a colleague — because good professional cleaning depends as much on clear communication as on the physical work itself.

Ready to practice? Let's go!

Fill in each blank with the correct word. If both words can be used, choose the one that sounds more natural in each situation:

1. Please (wipe/erase)-off all the counters.

2. Can you (tidy/rinse) up Robert's room?

3. These floors need a good . (scrubbing/swabbing)

4. The plastic (gloves/mittens) are in that drawer.

5. I'll need a (scouring/wiping) pad to scrub these pots.

6. I have all the (materials/substance) I need.

7. Sometimes I just (use/hold) vinegar and water.

8. Can you help me (lift/boost) this?

9. Put the (baking/cooking) soda in the refrigerator.

10. I'll be (finished/terminated) in half an hour.

11. Carpet (cleaner/solution) is used to clean carpets and rugs.

12. Another word for "very clean" is (spotless/cordless).

13. Bleach is used to (whiten/shrink) clothes.

14. I have to (fill/put) the bucket with water.

15. This cover is old and worn-out. You need to (replace/organize) it.

16. I've (organized/dried) all the items on the top shelf.

17. This plant needs to be (watered/fed) more often.

18. I'm sorry, I'm (allergic/allergy) to that.

19. The drain is (clogged/stopped). ( = something is blocking the drain)

20. The curtains are very (dusty/messy).

21. I just need to (put/position) the laundry in the dryer.

22. All those bottles go in the (glass/glasses) recycling container.

23. This might (damage/hurt) the surface of the counter.

24. Could you (connect/contact) this hose for me?

25. I only use eco- (happy/friendly) products.

26. Those (stains/dirt) will be difficult to get out.

27. There is a lot of (stains/dirt) on the floor.

28. The microwave is (filthy/spotless). ( = very dirty)

29. If a room is clean, you might just have to (freshen/rinse) it up a little bit.

30. The desk is slightly (cracked/destroyed) on one side.