cleansing

Definitions of cleansing
  1. noun
    the act of making something clean
    synonyms: cleaning, cleanup
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    types:
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    disinfestation
    the activity of getting rid of vermin
    spring-cleaning
    the activity of cleaning a house thoroughly at the end of winter
    scouring, scrub, scrubbing
    the act of cleaning a surface by rubbing it with a brush and soap and water
    dry cleaning
    the act of cleaning (fabrics) with a solvent other than water
    sweeping
    the act of cleaning with a broom
    purge, purging
    an act of removing by cleansing; ridding of sediment or other undesired elements
    purification
    the act of cleaning by getting rid of impurities
    sterilisation, sterilization
    the procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)
    sanitation, sanitisation, sanitization
    making something sanitary (free of germs) as by sterilizing
    depilation, epilation
    the act of removing hair (as from an animal skin)
    bathing, washup
    the act of washing yourself (or another person)
    housecleaning
    the act of cleaning the rooms and furnishings of a house
    mopping, swabbing
    cleaning with a mop
    abreaction, catharsis, katharsis
    (psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions
    catharsis, katharsis, purgation
    purging the body by the use of a cathartic to stimulate evacuation of the bowels
    pasteurisation, pasteurization
    partial sterilization of foods at a temperature that destroys harmful microorganisms without major changes in the chemistry of the food
    shave, shaving
    the act of removing hair with a razor
    electrolysis
    removing superfluous or unwanted hair by passing an electric current through the hair root
    shower, shower bath
    washing yourself by standing upright under water sprayed from a nozzle
    bath
    you soak and wash your body in a bathtub
    sponge bath
    you wash your body with a sponge or washcloth instead of in a bathtub
    Turkish bath, steam bath, vapor bath, vapour bath
    you sweat in a steam room before getting a rubdown and cold shower
    type of:
    improvement
    the act of improving something
  2. adjective
    cleansing the body by washing; especially ritual washing of e.g. hands
    synonyms: ablutionary
    purifying
    freeing from noxious matter
  3. adjective
    acting like an antiseptic
    synonyms: purifying
    antiseptic
    thoroughly clean and free of or destructive to disease-causing organisms
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