sterilization vs cleaning

sterilization and cleaning both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
sterilization	Yes	No	No	No
cleaning	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, cleaning is a hypernym of sterilization; that is, cleaning is a word with a broader meaning than sterilization:

sterilization: the procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)
cleaning: the act of making something clean

Other hypernyms of sterilization include cleansing, cleanup.

sterilization (noun)	cleaning (noun)
the act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce)	the act of making something clean
the procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)