CleanDirty

CleanDirty is a term used in design, art, and consumer culture to describe projects or products that intentionally merge elements associated with cleanliness and dirt. Works labeled CleanDirty often juxtapose pristine surfaces with worn, weathered, or intentionally soiled components to challenge prevailing standards of neatness and to foreground processes of making, use, and decay.

The term grew in contemporary design discourse as an expression of materiality and authenticity, drawing on associations with patina, grime, and visible labor. Proponents argue that embracing dirt can reveal the life of objects and environments, while critics worry that the approach risks aestheticizing neglect or becoming a marketing trope.

In practice, CleanDirty appears across disciplines. In architecture and interior design, surfaces may age deliberately or be finished to look imperfect, highlighting materials' inherent textures. In fashion, garments may blend clean-cut forms with deliberate distressing. In product design and branding, packaging or interfaces may reveal micro-impurities, fingerprints, or wear to communicate sustainability or honesty about production.

Supporters see potential for reducing waste by prioritizing durability and repairability, while opponents caution that the concept can obscure real hygiene concerns or downplay cleaning needs in public spaces.

Related ideas include wabi-sabi, patina, grime aesthetics, and material honesty.