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Dutch Everyday: Laundry and Cleaning

vies click to hear (vieze click to hear 2 3 / vies/vieze click to hear 2 ‑>>) 'dirty' - also: 'bad-tasting'
vuil click to hear 2 (vuil/vuile click to hear 2) 'dirty' - more below
schoon click to hear (schoon/schone click to hear) 'clean' - more - in older Dutch, 'schoon'  meant 'beautiful' and in the South of The Netherlands and in Belgium it still has that meaning. Dutch (de) schoonheid click to hear 2 still means 'beauty' and NOT 'cleanliness.' There is no good Dutch word for 'cleanliness.'
schoongemaakt click to hear 2 'cleaned'
(het) schoonmaakmiddel click to hear 2 'cleaner' (picture below)
(de) vlek click to hear 2 'stain'
The common Dutch word for 'beautiful' is mooi click to hear (mooi / mooie click to hear 2) and 'ugly' is lelijk click to hear 2 (lelijk / lelijke click to hear 2) - more
[empty laundry basket]
wasmand click to hear
[laundry basket with laundry]
wasmand met was click to hear
[washer, washing machine]
wasmachine click to hear - 2
[a measuring cup with detergent]
waspoeder click to hear = wasmiddel click to hear - 2
[clothespins]
wasknijpers click to hear
[rack for drying clothes]
droogrekje click to hear
[rack for drying clothes]
droogrekje click to hear
[clothesline]
waslijn click to hear
[dryer]
droogtrommel click to hear - 2
[dryer]
droogtrommel click to hear - 2
[(ironing) iron]
strijkijzer click to hear
[ironing board]
strijkplank click to hear
[a large and a small bucket]
emmer en emmertje
[a bucket]
emmer click to hear
[a small bucket]
emmertje click to hear
[rag for wet-cleaning floors]
dweil click to hear - 2
[brush]
borstel click to hear
[a broom]
bezem
[a broom]
bezem click to hear
[a push broom]
schrobber
[a push broom]
schrobber click to hear
[duster and dustpan]
veger en blik click to hear
stoffer en blik click to hear 2
[a vacuum cleaner]
stofzuiger click to hear - 2
[dusting cloth]
stofdoek click to hear - 2
[a sponge]
spons click to hear
[squeegee]
trekker click to hear
[small wastebasket]
prullenbakje click to hear
[wastebasket]
prullenbak click to hear - 2
[small garbage can]
afvalbak click to hear
[garbage can]
vuilnisbak click to hear
[cleaner]
schoonmaakmiddel click to hear - 2
(het) afval click to hear 2 trash, garbage / (het) vuilnis click to hear garbage, trash
Afvalbak and vuilnisbak are interchangeable - also notice that the second I in vuilnis is said as a voiceless E. The big things that are put out on the street for the City to collect are nowadays usually called 'containers.'
Before 'squeegees' (trekkers click to hear) soapy windows were wiped of with a zeem click to hear ('chamois') also called zeemleer click to hear - originally a kind of leather rag (not pictured.)
The plural of spons ('sponge') click to hear is sponzen click to hear .
(de) witwas click to hear 'white laundry' - white stuff to be washed
(de) bonte was click to hear 2 'colored laundry' - colored stuff to be washed

(de) was
(de) wasmand
(de) wasmachine
hear - 2
(laundry)
(laundry basket)
(washer)
(het) waspoeder
(het) wasmiddel
(de) waslijn
hear - 2
(detergent (powder))
(detergent)
(clothesline)
(de) wasknijper
(het) droogrekje
(de) droogtrommel
hear - 2 - 3
(clothespin)
(rack for drying clothes)
(dryer)
(de) bezem
(de) veger
(het) blik
(de) schrobber
hear - 2
(broom)
(duster; broom)
(dustpan)
(push broom)
(het) stof
(de) stofzuiger
(de) stofdoek
hear - 2
(dust)
([dust sucker] vacuum cleaner)
(dusting cloth)
(de) emmer
(het) emmertje
(de) dweil
hear - 2
(bucket)
(small bucket)
(rag for wet-cleaning floors)
(de) spons
(de) zeem
(de) trekker
hear - 2
(sponge)
(chamois)
(squeegee)

opruimen click to hear (rooms, houses, messes) to 'clear up,' tidy up, put things in their place, clear up messes, throw out garbage etc. - more below
het huis opruimen click to hear 2 to 'clear up' the house
Heb je je kamer opgeruimd? click to hear 2 3 Have you cleared up your room?
Opgeruimd staat netjes click to hear - [Cleared up, stored away looks neat] 'Out of the way looks good'

Maandag wasdag click to hear ('Monday laundry-day' - not a good idea)
Een kind kan de was doen click to hear 2 3 - ['a child can do the laundry'] - it's a very easy job
De was hangt te drogen click to hear 2 3 4 The laundry is hanging out to dry

(Continued from top-of-the-page)
vies click to hear 2 (vieze click to hear 2 3 - vies/vieze click to hear 2 ‑>>) 'dirty' - also: 'bad-tasting'
vies en voos click to hear 2 [dirty and dirty] - very dirty
Te vies om waar te zijn click to hear 2 3 [Too dirty to be true] - Impossibly dirty 't Is niet vies ... click to hear 2 3 It doesn't taste bad ...
Maar 't had lekkerder kunnen zijn click to hear 2 But it could have been better (-tasting) Maar 't is ook niet bijzonder click to hear 2 But is isn't very special either
't Ziet er vies uit click to hear 2 'It looks unappetizing' vieze thee click to hear bad-tasting tea
vieze vis click to hear bad-tasting fish
een vieze lucht click to hear 2 3 a bad, unpleasant smell, a stench, a stink stinken click to hear to smell bad, stink ‑>> (de) viezigheid click to hear 2 3 1. (literally) dirt, muck
2. (figuratively) smut, filth
Gatverdamme! click to hear 2 3 a mild curse, said when coming across something disgustingly dirty or extremely bad-tasting
It's a mild form of a very serious curse
‑>> - not for use in polite company

vuil click to hear 2 (vuil/vuile click to hear 2) 'dirty'
De vuile was buiten hangen click to hear 2 3 (saying) [hanging the dirty laundry outside] - airing the dirty laundry (a public showing of private problems) (het) vuil click to hear - dirt, garbage
(het) vuiltje click to hear 2 3 speck. little piece of dirt
oud vuil click to hear 2 3 [old garbage] - absolute garbage, trash that needs to be carted off
(de) vuiligheid click to hear 2 3 dirt, filth // smut
vervuild click to hear 2 polluted, 'dirtied'
(de) vervuiling click to hear 2 pollution, contamination
(het) huisvuil click to hear 2 [household, non-industrial] garbage, trash
(het) vuilnis click to hear garbage, trash
((het) vulles click to hear ('garbage' - also figuratively - slang for vuilnis))
(de) vuilnisbak click to hear garbage can, dustbin
(de) vuilnisman click to hear 2 garbageman, dustman, sanitation engineer
vuilnisman / vuilnismannen click to hear
(de) vuilniswagen click to hear 2 garbage truck
Ik heb de vuilnisbakken buiten gezet click to hear 2 3 I have put out the garbage cans (I've put them outside for collection) Zet je de vuilnisbak aan de straat? click to hear 2 3 Will you put the garbage can [on the street] on the curb, to the side of the street? (het) afval click to hear 2 trash, garbage, refuse
In British English, when you hear someone speak nonsense, you can say (or think) "That's rubbish! That's a load of rubbish!" but the Dutch words 'vuilnis'  and 'afval'  only have the literal meaning, the stuff that hopefully carted off by the dustman. In Dutch, you could say (de) onzin click to hear 2 or (de) nonsens click to hear 2 3
Wat een onzin! click to hear 2 Such nonsense! Allemaal onzin! click to hear 2 3 It's all nonsense! 't Is allemaal onzin click to hear 2 It's all nonsense Wat een onzin allemaal! click to hear 2 3 4 Such nonsense! All of it is such nonsense! (de) rommel click to hear or (de) rotzooi click to hear 2 is 'junk,' items of low value or low quality, or a chaotic collection of stuff you look down on. A salesperson could use these words for the stuff sold by the competition: "It's garbage!"

smerig click to hear 2 3 (smerige click to hear 2 3) '(unpleasantly, disgustingly) dirty, filthy, soiled'
ongelooflijk smerig click to hear 2 3 4 [unbelievable] 'impossibly dirty'
(de) Smeerkees click to hear 2 a person who carelessly gets dirty doing a job
(de) Smeerpoets click to hear 2 3 a generally dirty, unclean person
verontreinigd click to hear 'contaminated, polluted, fouled' ('rein' click to hear 2 is an old-fashioned word for 'clean' or 'pure')
verontreinigd met click to hear 2 3 contaminated by (a substance) (de) luchtverontreiniging click to hear 2 3 air pollution

(de) bende click to hear 1. mess (dirty, chaos) 2. gang
Dat wordt een bende! click to hear 2 3 That's going to be a mess! (needing a lot of clean-up) Wat een bende! click to hear 2 Such a mess!

schoon click to hear (schoon/schone click to hear) 'clean' - in older Dutch,  'schoon' meant 'beautiful' and in the South of The Netherlands and in Belgium it still has that meaning. Dutch (de) schoonheid click to hear 2 still means 'beauty' and NOT 'cleanliness.' There is no good Dutch word for 'cleanliness.'
schone kleren click to hear 2 clean, laundered clothes (fresh?)
schone handen click to hear 2 3 clean hands (literally and figuratively)
schoonmaken click to hear 2 3 to clean - see also - below
schoongemaakt click to hear 2 'cleaned'
De sergeant deed het schoonmaken voor click to hear 2 3 The sergeant showed the cleaning procedure (het) schoonmaakmiddel click to hear 2 'cleaner' (liquid or solid)
(de) schoonmaker click to hear cleaner (person)
ongewassen click to hear 2 unwashed
De Schone Slaapster click to hear 2 ['the pretty (female) sleeper'] The Sleeping Beauty Filips de Schone click to hear 2 3 Philip the Fair
Geduld is een schone zaak click to hear 'Patience is good (but difficult)' - 'Patience is a virtue' Met een schone lei beginnen click to hear 2 Starting with a clean slate (a new beginning without baggage) (De) schoonfamilie click to hear 2 in-laws more
It's somewhat funny to say Hallo schoonheid click to hear 2 3 'hello clean-beauty' to a partner emerging from the shower

(de) vlek click to hear 2 'stain'
You'd think that vlekkeloos click to hear 2 3 would mean 'stainless' but it usually means a procedure or an action went off perfectly, 'without a hitch'
hygiëne click to hear 2 3 'hygiene' - hygiënisch click to hear 2 'hygienic'
(de) smet click to hear 2 'stain, spot, smudge, blemish'
smetteloos click to hear 2 'without blemish, very clean, spotless, without any stain'
(de) besmetting click to hear 2 'infection, contagion' - besmettelijk click to hear 'contagious, infectious' - Medical
ontsmetten click to hear 'to desinfect'

The common Dutch word for 'beautiful' is mooi click to hear (mooi / mooie click to hear 2)
and 'ugly' is lelijk click to hear 2 (lelijk / lelijke click to hear 2) - more

Some Dutch verbs are compound words that split up in most forms:

EnglishDutch
infinitive
simple
present
singular
simple
present
plural
simple
past
singular
simple
past
plural
perfect
tense
English
example
to say I say we say I said we said I have said
to wash
(do laundry)
wassen ik was wij wassen ik waste wij wasten ik heb gewassen click to hear
to wash
(yourself)
zich wassen ik was me ik waste me ik heb me gewassen click to hear 2
to clean schoonmaken ik maak schoon wij maken schoon ik maakte schoon wij maakten schoon ik heb schoongemaakt click to hear
to tidy up,
clear
opruimen ik ruim op wij ruimen op ik ruimde op wij ruimden op ik heb opgeruimd click to hear
to polish poetsen ik poets wij poetsen ik poetste wij poetsten ik heb gepoetst click to hear

The Verb Rules - Verb Examples - More Verb Examples - Splitting Verbs - Reflexive Verbs

tanden poetsen click to hear brushing teeth
schoenen poetsen click to hear 2 3 shining, brushing shoes
voeten vegen click to hear 2 3 4 wiping feet
(de) deurmat click to hear 3 4 doormat
afvegen click to hear 2 3 to wipe

stofzuigen click to hear 2 3 [to suck dust] - to vacuum
Ik stofzuigde click to hear 2 I vacuumed
Ik heb gestofzuigd click to hear 2 3 I have vacuumed
The root verb zuigen click to hear 'to suck' is ''strong'
zuigen
to suck
- zoog
sucked
- gezogen
sucked
click to hear

More Pictures with Dutch Words of Everyday Items

[grapes]
food
[pan]
kitchen
[rose]
flowers
[cows]
animals
[a building]
buildings
[flame]
fire
[lightswitch]
electricity

>>

email - Copyright © Marco Schuffelen 2008. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Don't be a dief (thief) / dievegge (female thief) - diefstal (theft) - stelen (to steal) - heler (dealer in stolen goods) - hear Dutch - 2