How to Use the CLEAN Function in Excel
Today, we’ll explore the CLEAN function in Excel and Google Sheets, an essential tool for tidying up text by eliminating non-printable characters that can disrupt your data.
How CLEAN Works
The CLEAN function is designed to take a single argument: the text from which you need to remove non-printable characters. It processes this input by stripping out these characters, returning a cleaner version of the text.
Example
Consider the following scenario where you have text in cell A1:
| Original Text | Hey! This is a test with some non-printable characters:àĈţ |
By applying the CLEAN function like so: =CLEAN(A1)
The result would be a text free from non-printable characters: “Hey! This is a test with some non-printable characters:”
Common Uses
The CLEAN function proves incredibly useful when dealing with text imported from external sources, which often contains non-printable characters. It ensures the text is clean and suitable for further analysis or reporting.
Implementation
To effectively use the CLEAN function in Excel and Google Sheets, follow these steps:
Excel
- Type the text you wish to clean in a cell.
- In another cell, input the formula
=CLEAN(cell), replacing “cell” with the reference to the cell containing your text. - Press Enter to display the text devoid of non-printable characters.
Google Sheets
- Replicate the steps used in Excel to enter your text and apply the CLEAN formula.
- The result will update automatically as you alter the original text.
By mastering the CLEAN function, you enhance your ability to prepare and clean text data in both Excel and Google Sheets, making it an invaluable resource for your data processing tasks.
More information: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/clean-function-26f3d7c5-475f-4a9c-90e5-4b8ba987ba41