Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Magic/Scourgify

Scourgify Spell (Charm) Cleans up foreign material Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Overview Scourgify is one of the cleaning charms, used to clean foreign material off surfaces. Extended Description In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we see it a couple of times; Tonks uses it with limited results to clean Hedwig's cage (she admits that she's not very good at that); and Ginny uses it to clean up the Stinksap that Neville's Mimbulus Mimbletonia has sprayed around the compartment of the Hogwarts Express. It is also used to "wash out" a young Snape's mouth in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Analysis Scourgify seems to be limited to surfaces; it cannot restore spilled liquids to a container, only eliminating them. It also is not used to remove foreign matter from a container; Evanesco is used for that – which may be why Tonks' attempt to clean Hedwig's cage, a container, does not succeed. There is also a charm Tergeo that seems to be used for almost the same purpose. Questions Greater Picture