A cleaner , cleanser or cleaning operative is a type of industrial or domestic worker who is tasked with cleaning a space. A janitor (US and Canada), also known as a custodian , porter or caretaker , is a person who cleans and might also carry out maintenance and security duties. A similar position, but usually with more managerial duties and not including cleaning, is occupied by building superintendents in the United States and Canada and by site managers in schools in the United Kingdom .
23-524: A cleaner is an industrial or domestic worker who cleans. Cleaner ( s ) or The Cleaner ( s ) may also refer to: Cleaner According to the Cambridge English dictionary a "cleaner" is "a person whose job is to clean houses , offices, public places, etc.:"; the Collins dictionary states that: "A cleaner is someone who is employed to clean the rooms and furniture inside a building." However,
46-457: A cleaner does not always have to be employed and perform work for pay, such as in the case of volunteer work or community service . "Cleaner" may also refer to cleaning agents e.g. oven cleaner, or devices used for cleaning, e.g. vacuum cleaner. Cleaning operatives may specialize in cleaning particular things or places, such as window cleaners , housekeepers , janitors , crime scene cleaners and so on. Cleaning operatives often work when
69-406: A ladder should be seen as a last resort for a safe placement. The anchor point is usually a ring cemented into a slot in the brick wall to which the rungs of a ladder can be attached using rope for example, or a carabiner . If a leaning ladder is placed at the wrong angle, the risk of a fall is greatly increased. The safest angle for a ladder is 75.5°; if it is too shallow, the bottom of the ladder
92-500: A vertical surface such as a wall , and rollable ladders, such as those made of rope or aluminium , that may be hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or rails (US) or stiles (UK). Rigid ladders are usually portable, but some types are permanently fixed to a structure, building, or equipment. They are commonly made of metal, wood, or fiberglass , but they have been known to be made of tough plastic. Ladders are ancient tools and technology. A ladder
115-510: A window cleaner to be able or willing to clean a carpet. For example, according to International Standard Classification of Occupations and European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations , the profession of a cleaner can be divided into: In addition: The cleaning person may receive waste and carry out activities related to its transport to the place of storage, segregation and recycling . Cleaning can be done freely, free of charge and without employment e.g. social cleaning of
138-430: Is at risk of sliding, and if it is too steep, the ladder may fall backwards. This angle is achieved by following the 4 to 1 rule for a ladder placed on a vertical wall: for every four feet of vertical height, the ladder foot should move one foot from the wall. Both scenarios can cause significant injury, and are especially important in industries like construction, which require heavy use of ladders. The European Union and
161-530: Is featured in a Mesolithic rock painting that is at least 10,000 years old, depicted in the Spider Caves in Valencia, Spain . The painting depicts two humans using a ladder to reach a wild honeybee nest to harvest honey . The ladder is depicted as long and flexible, possibly made out of some sort of grass. Rigid ladders are available in many forms, such as: Rigid ladders were originally made of wood , but in
184-454: The 20th century aluminium became more common because of its lighter weight. Ladders with fiberglass stiles are used for working on or near overhead electrical wires , because fiberglass is an electrical insulator . Henry Quackenbush patented the extension ladder in 1867. The most common injury made by ladder climbers is bruising from falling off a ladder, but bone fractures are common and head injuries are also likely, depending on
207-596: The Netherlands, the number of cleaning companies grew from 5,000 in 2003 to 8,000 in 2008. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2023 the median pay of a janitor working in the US was $ 16.84 per hour. Cleaning is one of the most commonly outsourced services. Some of the reasons for this include: The cleaning industry is quite big as different types of cleaning are required for different objects and different properties. For example, cleaning an office space requires
230-505: The United Kingdom established a ladder certification system – ladder classes – for any ladders manufactured or sold in Europe. The certification classes apply solely to ladders that are portable such as stepladders and extension ladders and are broken down into three types of certification. Each ladder certification is colour-coded to indicate the amount of weight the ladder is designed to hold,
253-412: The activity performed and the situation for example: allergens , dust , biohazards , fall, possibility of contact with electric shock, slipping on a slippery surface, so safety equipment should be adapted to the situation. In addition: On the whole it is not recommended to perform this work for a person with severe allergies. The 2000 film Bread and Roses by British director Ken Loach depicted
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#1733094295135276-500: The certification class and its use. The color of the safety label specifies the class and use. A common superstition in English-speaking countries is that walking under a ladder is seen as bad luck . Some sources claim that this stems from the image of a ladder being propped up against a wall looking similar to a gallows , while others attribute it to ancient Egyptian traditions involving pyramids and triangles representing
299-399: The forest from garbage. Cleaning is sometimes done by convicts for rehabilitation or leniency purposes. Cleaning as a substitute punishment. However, in the other hand in some cases, cleaners are checked against criminal records . Office cleaning staff perform many of the same duties as janitors. However the tasks are divided among different members. Additional tasks include: Most of
322-437: The nature of the accident. Ladders can cause injury if they slip on the ground and fall. To avoid this, they tend to have plastic feet or base pads which increase friction with the ground. However, if the plastic is badly worn, the aluminium may contact the ground increasing the chance of an accident. Ladder stabilizers are also available to increase the ladder's grip on the ground. One of the first ladder stabilizers or ladder feet
345-548: The people who otherwise occupy the space are not around. They may clean offices at night or houses during the workday. The word janitor derives from the Latin "ianitor" , meaning doorkeeper or porter, itself from " ianua" , meaning door, entrance or gate. This derives from " Janus ", the Roman god of doors , gates and portals . Its first recorded use meaning "caretaker of a building, man employed to see that rooms are kept clean"
368-435: The services of a commercial cleaner, whereas cleaning a house requires a residential cleaner or residential cleaning service. Depending on the task, even these categories can be subdivided into, for example, end-of-lease cleaning, carpet cleaning , upholstery cleaning, window cleaning, car cleaning services etc. Cleaners specialize in a specific cleaning sector or even a specific task in a cleaning sector, and one cannot expect
391-399: The situation and the type of cleaning. in addition: ladder , rake , bags for leaves. Not always, but depending on the situation, (for example during cleaning dusty or dangerous substances or places, window cleaning at high heights, being on a busy street or in factories) items used by cleaning staff can include safety equipment such as: The exposure of a cleaner to hazards depends on
414-621: The struggle of cleaners in Los Angeles, California , for better pay and working conditions and for the right to join a union . In an interview with the BBC in 2001, Loach stated that thousands of cleaners from around 30 countries have since contacted him with tales similar to the one told in the film. Ladder A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps commonly used for climbing or descending. There are two types: rigid ladders that are self-supporting or that may be leaned against
437-426: The top of the ladder. It has become increasingly common to provide anchor points on buildings to which the top rung of an extension ladder can be attached, especially for activities like window cleaning, especially if a fellow worker is not available for "footing" the ladder. Footing occurs when another worker stands on the lowest rung and so provides much greater stability to the ladder when being used. However footing
460-406: The trinity of the gods, and passing through the triangular shape made by a ladder against a wall was seen as desecration. Ladders have also been linked to the crucifixion of Christ , with author and scientist Charles Panati noting that many believe a ladder rested against the cross that Christ hung from, making it a symbol of wickedness, betrayal and death. In comedic children's media, the image of
483-416: The work performed by janitors and building cleaners is indoors. Office and school buildings are usually cleaned when they are vacant, so most of the office janitorial staff work during the evening. The work can be physically taxing and sometimes dirty and unpleasant. General janitor duties often include the following tasks: The following are some items used by cleaning staff: However, the equipment depends on
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#1733094295135506-501: Was in 1708. Between 17% and 23% of the total illegal immigrant population living in the United States work in the cleaning industry (and growing at a rate of 1/2% to 1/3% percent per year). In addition to this population offering an abundant source of inexpensive labor, janitorial work is mostly undertaken at night, making it an appealing option for janitorial companies to employ illegal workers seeking clandestine employment. In
529-412: Was offered in 1936 and today they are standard equipment on most large ladders. A ladder standoff, or stay, is a device fitted to the top of a ladder to hold it away from the wall. This enables the ladder to clear overhanging obstacles, such as the eaves of a roof , and increases the safe working height for a given length of ladder because of the increased separation distance of the two contact points at
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