Spülen

Spülen is a German verb meaning to wash off or rinse with water, often to remove dirt, residues, or irritants. It can be used transitively (etwas spülen) or intransitively (spülen). The related noun forms are Spülen or Spülung, referring to the act or process of rinsing.

In everyday language, spülen commonly describes cleaning by water. This includes washing dishes after a meal (Geschirr spülen), rinsing kitchen utensils, or cleaning fruits and vegetables. It can also refer to oral hygiene (den Mund spülen) or rinsing wounds and other body parts in medical contexts.

In plumbing and sanitation, spülen denotes flushing a system or component with water to remove sediment, air, or contaminants. Examples include Leitungen spülen (flushing the pipes) or spülen der Toilette (flushing the toilet). Water used for this purpose is often called Spülwasser.

In medical and laboratory contexts, Spülung describes irrigation with a sterile or prescribed solution to cleanse a wound, a cavity, or a device. Spülungslösung is a prepared irrigating fluid, and Spülung is a common term in dentistry, surgery, and nursing for irrigation procedures.

Beyond domestic and clinical use, spülen also appears in technical and industrial settings, where it refers to flushing processes in water treatment, manufacturing lines, or mining and sediment transport to separate materials or remove contaminants.

Overall, spülen covers a range of water-assisted cleaning and flushing actions, from everyday dishwashing to specialized procedures in health, industry, and environmental contexts.