Learn English 100% free...Get 1 free lesson per week // Add a new lesson
Log in!

Click here to log in
New account
Millions of accounts created on our sites.
JOIN our free club and learn English now!



  • Home
  • Print
  • Guestbook
  • Report a bug




  • Get a free English lesson every week!
    Click here!





    Partners:
    - Our other sites
       


    Learn English > English lessons and exercises > English test #115677: Vocabulary: housecleaning
    > Other English exercises on the same topics: The house | Find the word | Business [Change theme]
    > Similar tests: - In the house-Vocabulary - ESL-My house - Describing one's house - House and vocabulary - Housework and todo list - Filling in application forms - Leisure time-Vocabulary - In the kitchen
    > Double-click on words you don't understand


    Vocabulary: housecleaning


     

    It's often a delicate topic and the source of argument between husband and wife. When both spouses work (or even if only the man works out), the problem is often to know who is going to do what chore, as far as cleaning the house is concerned! 

     

       
          

     

    Before cleaning a room, you must, of course absolutely tidy it up. Then, it will be possible and easier to start working at the real cleaning of the room. 

     

    What tools to use?

                    An apron 
    Brooms  
      A brush and dustpan 
              
                            Dusters  
     A feather duster 
     A handheld vacuum cleaner
                     
                A vacuum cleaner
      
     A floor polisher 
    Clean/ Dirty

     

    **    In colloquial English, "a duster" may be a person who's very bad at a sport...  

    * to vacuum :pus = to hoover :pgb (, which is a famous brand too.) Now, traditional vacuum cleaners tend to be replaced by very trendy and expensive "robots".

    Any ot them hoover the dustfluff balls/ dust balls and our pets' hair. (when they shed hair or moult).

     

           

        ... for busy Dads too...

    Furniture wax  
      To polish
           

          To wash up/ to do the dishes         

    Two sponges 
      To wipe the dishes
     

                A dishwasher      

     A dishwasher product    
    Dishwasher freshener     


    A few more words to know: 


     a mop to polish  
     a dish-towel/ a tea-towel  to scrub  
     to wring  to rince 
     to spin-dry  to stain
     the chores [cho:] to share

     

        

    Tea-towels= Dish-towels             

          

      To wring, I wrung, wrung.                     

       

      To scrub


           A wash-tub                    Soap 
     To hang out the washing         Pegs 
                   

             A washing machine     

           Washing powder or liquid  

    A stain A stain remover
        
                       A dryer                An iron 
    An ironing board  
    A clothes basket        


       

      A laundry                                        A launderette

    If some chores are painful and quite annoying for housewives and house-husbands to do,  because they have to stand on a stepladder, or even a ladder, and extend their arms as much as possible upward, with a back ache and a shoulder-ache: it's cleaning the window panes.

    Moreover, many of my friends and colleagues think it useless to clean them because, especially when living in towns and cities, they are dirty again as early as the following day or even on that same day in case of rain...

    Yet, it's very pleasant to look at a landscape or a view without having the impression of a curtain of dirt.  Besides, high rises have, of course, hundreds of panes. Then, in order to have the outside cleaned, you must hire special companies using secured platforms.

     

     

     A dirty pane is a tempting thing to write on...  

              How to clean window panes? 
    Even little boys can do it
     What a dangerous work ...
             
                  Up the ladder
     Climbing up high-rises...
     A secure platform up a high-rise

    And to end it with a smile...

    "What a pane!" is a play on words inspired by the colloquial (and sometimes vulgar) expression, depending on the intonation you're putting: "What a pain!", "You're a pain!" - short for "You're a pain in the a** ! "  (The original expression was "He's a real pain in the neck!", which means "a very annoying person". It also reminds us that cleaning window-panes is really annoying. 

    ("Sorry" to give you this sort of vocabulary, but it may be very useful and learners generally like and remember it easily!   )

     

     

    (and, just if you couldn't        get it at first!) 

     

    Ready for the test? I'm sure you are. 



    Twitter Share
    English exercise "Vocabulary: housecleaning" created by here4u with The test builder. [More lessons & exercises from here4u]
    Click here to see the current stats of this English test

    Please log in to save your progress.


    Sharing the housework ?... or not ?
    While mothers often fight that cliché, little girls seem to wish to be introduced to quite early.
    They want a little , a with and mock to help keep the house clean while their Moms (or Dads!) are doing it.
    They are often given to clean the furniture, to protect their clothes, and in order to learn the right gestures to clean floors.
    You seldom hear little boys asking for such 'toys', though they're quite ready for Mom, in order to play with water and foam.
    I do think that men have 'invented' because they thought the chore of was much too time-wasting for them.
    Few men clothes regularly. As for , it tends to become a man's job, needing male strength and the fearlessness of height. Women do hope the rest of the could be with the same acceptance and 'enthusiasm'.
    Please, notice that in my lesson, I pictured as many men as possible, just to show that the tasks suit them pretty well!  

     

     

     = Wipe away your pain = comfort you ! 








    End of the free exercise to learn English: Vocabulary: housecleaning
    A free English exercise to learn English.
    Other English exercises on the same topics : The house | Find the word | Business | All our lessons and exercises