Después de usar el colador, lo limpio con agua y jabón.

Because después de is followed by a noun or an infinitive.

• después de + noun → después de la cena
• después de + infinitive → después de usar el colador

In Spanish, after a preposition like de, you normally use the infinitive form of the verb if you mean after doing something.

So:

• Después de usar el colador = After using the strainer

Not:

• después uso → this would mean something like later I use, which is a different structure
• después de uso → ungrammatical here

El colador means the strainer, sieve, or sometimes colander, depending on context.

It is a masculine noun, which is why it uses el:

• el colador

In kitchen contexts, it usually refers to something used to strain or drain food or liquids.

Lo is a direct object pronoun meaning it.

It refers back to el colador:

• el colador → masculine singular
• direct object pronoun for masculine singular → lo

So:

• Después de usar el colador, lo limpio...
• After using the strainer, I clean it...

Spanish often avoids repeating the noun and uses a pronoun instead.

In Spanish, object pronouns usually go before a conjugated verb.

So:

• lo limpio = I clean it
• la veo = I see her / it
• los compro = I buy them

That is the normal position with a finite verb.

Pronouns can go after the verb in some cases, but mainly with:

• infinitives: limpiarlo
• gerunds: limpiándolo
• affirmative commands: límpialo

But here limpio is a normal conjugated verb, so the pronoun goes before it: lo limpio.

Limpio is the first person singular present tense of limpiar:

• yo limpio = I clean

In Spanish, the present tense can cover several English ideas depending on context:

• I clean it
• I do clean it
• sometimes even I’m cleaning it, though that is less likely here

In this sentence, it most naturally sounds like a habit or routine:

• After using the strainer, I clean it with water and soap.

Spanish often uses the simple present where English might use different present forms.

Spanish often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• limpio already tells you the subject is yo = I

So both are possible:

• Lo limpio = natural, normal
• Yo lo limpio = also correct, but more emphatic

You would add yo only if you want contrast, emphasis, or clarity:

• Yo lo limpio, pero tú lo guardas.
• I clean it, but you put it away.

Because Spanish often leaves out the article when talking about substances or materials in a general way.

So:

• con agua y jabón = with water and soap

This means water and soap in general, not specific water or a specific soap.

If you were talking about a particular soap, you might use an article or determiner:

• con el jabón que compré ayer = with the soap I bought yesterday

But in this sentence, the general form without articles is the most natural.

Yes, possibly, but the meaning changes slightly.

• limpiar = to clean
• lavar = to wash

In many contexts, both could work, but they are not always identical.

• Lo limpio con agua y jabón emphasizes making it clean.
• Lo lavo con agua y jabón emphasizes washing it.

With kitchen tools, both are possible, but limpio is a very natural choice if the point is that you clean the item after using it.

The comma separates the introductory time phrase from the main clause:

• Después de usar el colador, → introductory phrase
• lo limpio con agua y jabón. → main clause

In Spanish, this comma is very common and helps readability.

You may sometimes see short introductory phrases without a comma, but here the comma is standard and natural.

Yes, that is completely correct.

It means:

• After using it, I clean it with water and soap.

Here, usarlo combines:

• usar
  • lo

This is possible because object pronouns can attach to an infinitive.

So both are correct:

• Después de usar el colador, lo limpio con agua y jabón.
• Después de usarlo, lo limpio con agua y jabón.

The first version is clearer if you want to name the object explicitly. The second is more compact.

This is actually one place where Spanish and English are quite similar.

In both languages, when you mean a substance in general, you often do not use an article:

• with water
• with soap
• con agua
• con jabón

Spanish would only add an article if you mean a specific one:

• con el jabón del baño = with the bathroom soap

So con agua y jabón is the normal general expression.

Después is pronounced roughly des-PWES.

The written accent mark shows where the stress goes:

• desPUÉS

Without the accent mark, the stress rules of Spanish would suggest a different pronunciation, so the accent is necessary.

A rough breakdown:

• des = like dess
• pués = like pwes

So: des-PWES

The accent mark is not optional; it is part of the correct spelling.