clean up

You can use it as a general verb. You can also split it up. For example, you can clean up the room or clean the room up. Both are totally fine. If you use a pronoun like it, you must put it in the middle: clean it up. Don't say clean up it or your friends might look at you funny!

Use it whenever a mess exists. Use it after a big dinner party. Use it when your kids leave toys everywhere. It is perfect for the office when a meeting ends. You can even use it for yourself. If you look messy, you might need to clean up before a date. It’s a very versatile phrase for daily life.

Don't use it for deep, professional sterilization. A surgeon doesn't just clean up before surgery; they 'scrub in'. Also, avoid using it for a single tiny speck of dust. If you just wipe one crumb, you are 'wiping', not 'cleaning up'. It usually refers to a larger task or a whole space.

In Western culture, 'cleaning up' is often a social contract. If you go to a friend's house for dinner, offering to help clean up is the ultimate polite move. It shows you value their effort. In sports or gambling, clean up has a fun slang meaning. It means to win a lot of money or all the prizes very easily.

You will often hear clean up your act. This doesn't mean washing your hands. It means improving your behavior or working harder. There is also a clean-up crew, which refers to the specific people hired to fix a mess after a big event like a concert.