Por más que limpien el tambor, queda pelusa.

In this sentence, por más que means something like no matter how much, even though, or however much.

So:

• Por más que limpien el tambor, queda pelusa.
• No matter how much they clean the drum, lint remains.

It introduces a kind of concession: the action happens, but the result still does not change.

A useful pattern is:

• Por más que + subjunctive, ...

Examples:

• Por más que estudies, sigues nervioso. = No matter how much you study, you’re still nervous.
• Por más que lo intento, no puedo. = No matter how much I try, I can’t do it.

Because por más que often triggers the subjunctive when it expresses concession or something like no matter how much.

So:

• limpian = indicative
• limpien = present subjunctive

Here, limpien comes from the verb limpiar and is the present subjunctive form for:

• ellos/ellas
• ustedes

That is why the sentence uses:

• Por más que limpien...

rather than:

• Por más que limpian... (not natural here)

Spanish often leaves out the subject when it is understood from the verb form.

In limpien, the implied subject could be:

• they
• you all / you plural (ustedes)

So the sentence could be understood as:

• Por más que ellos limpien el tambor...
• Por más que ustedes limpien el tambor...

Spanish usually does not need to say ellos or ustedes unless the speaker wants emphasis or clarity.

Because pelusa here is being used as an uncountable mass noun, similar to lint in English.

So:

• queda pelusa = lint remains / there is lint left

The verb is singular because pelusa is treated as a singular substance.

Compare:

• Queda agua. = Water remains.
• Queda polvo. = Dust remains.
• Queda pelusa. = Lint remains.

If you were talking about separate bits in a more countable way, you might hear pelusas, but in this sentence pelusa is the normal choice.

Because Spanish often omits the article with uncountable nouns when speaking in a general sense.

So:

• queda pelusa = lint remains / there is lint left

This sounds natural because it means some lint remains or there is still lint.

Compare:

• Hay polvo. = There is dust.
• Queda comida. = There is food left.
• Queda pelusa. = There is lint left.

If you said queda la pelusa, it would sound more specific, as if referring to a particular lint that has already been identified.

Here queda means remains, is left, or still stays there.

It comes from quedar, which has several meanings depending on context. In this sentence, it means:

• to remain
• to be left over

So:

• queda pelusa = lint remains / there is still lint left

Other examples of this same use:

• Queda café. = There is coffee left.
• Quedan dos minutos. = Two minutes remain.
• Después de limpiar, queda grasa. = After cleaning, grease remains.

Because the second clause is presented as a fact or real result.

Structure:

• Por más que limpien el tambor = concessive clause, so it uses subjunctive
• queda pelusa = main statement of fact, so it uses indicative

The speaker is saying:

• no matter how much they clean it,
• the fact is that lint remains

So the two moods have different jobs:

• subjunctive after por más que
• indicative for the main result

Literally, tambor means drum. In this context, it most likely means the drum of a washing machine or dryer.

Since the sentence mentions pelusa (lint), the most natural interpretation is the drum of a laundry machine, especially a dryer.

So:

• el tambor = the drum

This is a normal word in appliance-related Spanish.

Yes, pelusa is a very common word for lint, fluff, or fuzz in many varieties of Spanish, including much of Latin America.

Depending on the country or context, people may also use other words, but pelusa is widely understood.

It can refer to:

• lint from clothes
• fluff on fabric
• little fuzzy fibers

So in a sentence about cleaning a machine drum, pelusa is very natural.

It could, but No matter how much they clean the drum, lint remains is more precise.

Why?

Because por más que emphasizes repeated effort or degree:

• however much they clean
• no matter how much they try to clean it

Even if they clean the drum is understandable, but it can weaken that sense of effort not changing the outcome.

So the best match is usually:

• No matter how much they clean the drum, lint remains.

Yes, that is possible, but it is not exactly the same.

• Aunque limpien el tambor, queda pelusa = Even if/although they clean the drum, lint remains.
• Por más que limpien el tambor, queda pelusa = No matter how much they clean the drum, lint remains.

Por más que sounds stronger and focuses more on the idea that their effort does not solve the problem.

So both are possible, but por más que is a better fit if you want to stress persistence or repeated effort.

Yes. In Latin America, ustedes is the normal plural you, and limpien is the present subjunctive form that goes with ustedes.

So this sentence could naturally mean:

• No matter how much you all clean the drum, lint remains.

It could also mean:

• No matter how much they clean the drum, lint remains.

The exact meaning depends on context, because limpien can match both ustedes and ellos/ellas.

A little, yes, but the original order is very natural.

Original:

• Por más que limpien el tambor, queda pelusa.

You could also say:

• Por más que limpien el tambor, la pelusa queda.

But that sounds less natural in ordinary speech.

Spanish often prefers:

• queda pelusa rather than
• pelusa queda

because with verbs like quedar, haber, or sobrar, the noun often comes after the verb when introducing what remains or exists.

So the original sentence sounds the most natural and idiomatic.