spot-clean

English

Alternative forms

• spotclean, spot clean

Verb

spot-clean (third-person singular simple present spot-cleans, present participle spot-cleaning, simple past and past participle spot-cleaned)

1. To clean only those parts that are soiled, rather than cleaning the entire thing, area, etc.
   • 1999, Jeff Bredenberg, Clean It Fast, Clean It Right, page 151:

     “You can ruin the cloth if you try to spot-clean it,” warns Susan Fritz, co-owner of Denver Doll Hospital, a doll-cleaning and restoration business.

   • 2002, Linda Cobb, The Queen of Clean's Complete Cleaning Guide:

     If you need to spot-clean a dryclean-only fabric, try using Energine Cleaning Fluid, available at grocery and hardware stores.

   • 2011, Mark Montano, Carly Sommerstein, Window Treatments and Slipcovers For Dummies, page 68:

     To spot-clean, you can either use a dry-cleaning solution or a very mild, nonperfumed soap or Woolite and water.