To Clean vs. To Wash.....?

Question

So I was wondering where in the English language are the rules of when to use the verbs to "Clean" or to "Wash"?

We are basically just raised to know Clean this and Wash that.

They basically mean the same thing and are actually used in each other's definitions.

So who says I cant "Wash my toilet" or "Clean my hair"?

Why do those sound so ridiculous?
Why arent the words always interchangable?

Answer 1

basically they are synonyms but they are not always interchangeable. It's really a matter of convention which word is used when - as in the examples you cite.

I think one difference is that 'wash' implies water and soap, whereas 'clean' can be any kind of cleaning (eg scrub a tiolet)

Answer 2

Kind of what the poster above said, wash implies using water but clean can mean a whole slew of different things. Cleaning with chemicals, vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, etc. I believe that it is more than just semantics and that they imply completely different things.

Answer 3

Semantics?

Here's the etymology of each word, from Merriam Webster:

CLEAN: Etymology: Middle English clene, from Old English cl[AE]ne; akin to Old High German kleini delicate, dainty

WASH: Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wascan; akin to Old High German waskan to wash and perhaps to Old English wæter water