Washes

Washes is a term with several related meanings across different contexts. As a verb, to wash means to clean something with water or another solvent, often to remove dirt, stains, or unwanted substances. As a noun, a wash can refer to the act of washing, the water used in cleaning, or the resulting dirty liquid and dirt that are rinsed away. In addition, the word appears in specific technical senses in art, geography, and industry.

In everyday use, washing commonly refers to laundering clothes and other textiles. This includes hand washing and machine washing, with detergents, fabric softeners, and varying temperatures and cycles chosen to balance cleaning power with fabric care and energy use. Washing also extends to dishes, cars, and household surfaces, where different cleaners and methods are employed.

In the arts, a wash is a painting or drawing technique produced by applying a broad, diluted layer of pigment or ink. Watercolors and ink drawings often rely on washes to create tonal ranges, depth, and atmosphere. Washes can be flat or graded, layered to build value, and varied in intensity to achieve different effects.

Geographically, a wash refers to a dry or intermittent streambed in arid and semi-arid regions, also called an arroyo. Such channels carry water only briefly after heavy rain, but can produce flash floods. They shape landforms and influence settlement, hydrology, and erosion processes.

In industrial and environmental contexts, wash can describe water used for cleaning processes or the waste liquid resulting from washing operations. Proper treatment of washwater is a consideration in water management and pollution control.