Learning to Appreciate Under-Appreciated Cleaners

One of the most thankless jobs in today's society is that of those who clean up after people: janitors, housekeepers, hotel cleaners, and those who work for maid services such as Merry Maids. These jobs are thankless, but necessary. Imagine if everyone in the U.S. who did any type of cleaning all went on strike on the same day. It would be terrible. Despite the fact that they provide an incredibly important service, those who clean are grossly underappreciated. Most of the time, they go unacknowledged by those who enjoy their services, and when they are acknowledged, it is often because someone feels they have done something wrong.

After I graduated college, I worked for the housekeeping department of my college campus for the summer to save up money to take a trip. I noticed three distinctive ways that people reacted to me: some seemed as though they did not even notice or care that I was there, some went out of their way to avoid eye contact (or any kind of contact) with me (as though I had something contagious), and others simply looked at me strangely. Even those who seemed friendly often treated me in a condescending manner. No one ever thanked me.

While my college housekeeping job was relatively easy, as there are far less students in the summer, most college housekeepers are not so lucky. During the school year, the amount of grossness can be out of control, especially in freshman dorms and ESPECIALLY in bathrooms. I have seen and heard about all manner of vileness on college campuses. Such messes are frequent. But the students, even the "socially active, justice and peace-seeking, politically correct" students at the college I attended, rarely give much thought to who cleans up the mess. (Unless, of course, the mess is not cleaned up. Then they are livid.) True, maybe they are friendly and nice to the cleaning staff when they see them, but it's nicer to not leave used private objects in the sink or stuck to the wall. While these things are not done out of malice, they do involve a large amount of self-absorption and a flagrant lack of consideration.