cleaned off/up our trays

[diamondcutter]

We cleaned off our trays and went back to our classroom.

Source: Mrs. Roopy Is Loopy, a novel for children by Dan Gutman

The previous context is that the children were eating and chatting in their school lunchroom.

I’d like to know if the “cleaned off” should be “cleaned up” in this context.

 

[GoesStation]

No.

Cleaned up = "made orderly".
Cleaned off = "removed all the items from".

 

[diamondcutter]

Thanks for your reply, GoesStation.

Could I say we cleaned off our trays means we cleaned food residue off our trays?

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes.

 

[GoesStation]

Could I say we cleaned off our trays means we cleaned food residue off our trays?

Partially. You also removed any cutlery, dishes, glasses, etc.