Spick-and-span means perfectly clean and neat, without a speck of dirt or clutter anywhere. When your room is spick-and-span, the floor is spotless, books are organized on their shelves, and everything is exactly where it belongs. A spick-and-span kitchen has gleaming counters, dishes put away, and not even a crumb on the floor.

Today we use it for anything impressively clean: a spick-and-span classroom after everyone pitches in to tidy up, a spick-and-span car after a thorough wash and vacuum, or a spick-and-span hospital room ready for patients. The phrase means spotless, with real attention to detail and care taken to make everything look its absolute best.