How to say "cleanup" in Japanese

• 浄化じょうかCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbA common word for the figurative sense: cleaning up something tainted, above all politics, by ridding it of corruption or wrongdoing; the nuance is moral purification, shading into 'purge'.
• クリーンアップ
  nounThe loanword for the plain act of cleaning up — making a place clean, clearing away dirt and mess. It is the less common choice; for cleaning up politics, 浄化 is the word.

Choose 浄化 for the figurative cleanup of something tainted, such as politics or an organization, where corruption is purged; 「クリーンアップ」 is the loanword for the plain act of cleaning up, and the less common of the two.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 浄化じょうかcleanup (e.g. of politics)
• クリーンアップcleanup