What does clean email mean? A marketer’s guide

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If you work in business or anywhere close to the email marketing space, you’ve likely heard the phrase “clean email”. Other phrase variations might include cleaning emails, scrubbing emails, or cleaning email lists.

But why does anyone need clean email, and what is the importance of email list cleaning?

This guide will detail why every company and marketer requires clean email lists. We’ll also show you how ZeroBounce helps you clean emails reliably so that you can quickly improve your email marketing performance.

What is clean email?

Clean email includes any email address that is valid and in use by an actual person. If you send an email to a clean, valid email, you can expect your email to deliver successfully.

Logic follows that an “unclean email” is invalid. An invalid email is a nonexistent address, and sending an email to one will prompt your message to bounce.

However, there are many other email types that we also consider do not consider clean. These emails either have a solid potential for a bounce or can cause further damage to your email marketing campaigns.

Infographic explaining the types of email addresses to differentiate valid, clean emails from high-risk ones

Learn more about risky emails

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Frequently asked questions about clean email


You can get a clean email list using an email validation and verification service.

All you need to do is upload your list of email contacts and allow the tool to clean your emails. It will identify invalid addresses, correct typos when possible, and eliminate high-risk emails like disposable emails, spam traps, and abuse emails.

Keeping a clean email list provides the following benefits:

  • Reduced email bounce rate
  • Fewer spam complaints
  • Better email deliverability
  • Improved sender reputation
  • Improved campaign performance
  • Better email marketing ROI

ZeroBounce offers free email verification to all users. Sign up for a free account and get 100 email validation credits deposited into your account monthly.

Users can add more credits to their plan or subscribe to a monthly plan at any time. Free credits are always available and never expire.

You should delete any of the following email addresses from your email list:

  • Invalid emails
  • Disposable emails
  • Spam traps
  • Abuse emails
  • Do-not-mail addresses
  • Toxic domains

Eliminating these from your list will help reduce your email bounces and protect your sender reputation.

You should clean your email list at least once a quarter (every three months). This includes uploading your entire list to an email verification tool and allowing it to remove all invalid and high-risk emails.

You can keep your email list clean and reduce the need for frequent cleaning by using a real-time email verification API. Add the API to your registration forms, and it will automatically block any unwanted email addresses.