We determine when an element in a noncommutative ring is the sum of an idempotent and a radical element that commute. We prove that a $2\times 2$ matrix $A$ over a projective-free ring $R$ is strongly $J$-clean if and only if $A\in J\left(M_2\left(R\right)\right)$, or $I_2-A\in J\left(M_2\left(R\right)\right)$, or $A$ is similar to $\left(\begin{array}{cc}0& \lambda \\ 1& \mu \end{array}\right)$, where $\lambda \in J\left(R\right)$, $\mu \in 1+J\left(R\right)$, and the equation $x^2-x\mu -\lambda =0$ has a root in $J\left(R\right)$ and a root in $1+J\left(R\right)$. We further prove that $f\left(x\right)\in R\left[\right[x\left]\right]$ is strongly $J$-clean if $f\left(0\right)\in R$ be optimally $J$-clean.

A ring $R$ is (weakly) nil clean provided that every element in $R$ is the sum of a (weak) idempotent and a nilpotent. We characterize nil and weakly nil matrix rings over abelian rings. Let $R$ be abelian, and let $n\in \mathbb{N}$. We prove that $M_n\left(R\right)$ is nil clean if and only if $R/J\left(R\right)$ is Boolean and $M_n\left(J\left(R\right)\right)$ is nil. Furthermore, we prove that $R$ is weakly nil clean if and only if $R$ is periodic; $R/J\left(R\right)$ is ${\mathbb{Z}}_3$, $B$ or ${\mathbb{Z}}_3\oplus B$ where $B$ is a Boolean ring, and that $M_n\left(R\right)$ is weakly nil clean if and only if $M_n\left(R\right)$ is nil clean for all $n\ge 2$.

A matrix $A\in M_n\left(R\right)$ is $e$-clean provided there exists an idempotent $E\in M_n\left(R\right)$ such that $A-E\in {\mathrm{GL}}_n\left(R\right)$ and $detE=e$. We get a general criterion of $e$-cleanness for the matrix $\left[[a_1,a_2,\cdots ,a_{n+1}]\right]$. Under the $n$-stable range condition, it is shown that $\left[[a_1,a_2,\cdots ,a_{n+1}]\right]$ is $0$-clean iff $(a_1,a_2,\cdots ,a_{n+1})=1$. As an application, we prove that the $0$-cleanness and unit-regularity for such $n\times n$ matrix over a Dedekind domain coincide for all $n\ge 3$. The analogous for $(s,2)$ property is also obtained.