A large man grunts and groans under the weight of a barbell. As he heaves
the weight to the ground, sweat sprays off his brow. He grabs a towel, wipes
his face clean, gives the mirror in front of him a rub and then throws the
towel to the floor.
Just outside the weight room, 50 people are stepping to the beat in an
aerobics class. Sweat beads on their foreheads; the carpet is crushed beneath
their feet. After the class, some of the participants take a dip in the hot
tub, and then track wet stains across the pool room to the showers.
After scrubbing down and changing into clean clothes, they leave the building.
The fitness center finally shuts down at midnight. But even then the building
isn't quiet. Just after the last customer leaves, a team of janitors steps
in to clean the day's mess.
Some of the janitors roll up their sleeves and tackle the dripping and
dirty bathrooms. "On a Monday, anywhere from 800 to 1,100 people go through
the center," says Art Simmer, a janitor in Florida. "If you start to think
about all those people going through 10 or 12 showers, you get an idea of
the mess."
While some of the janitors are making the change room showers, toilets,
sinks, floors and walls sparkle, others are working in the pool room. "Cleaning
up the pool room is physically demanding," says Simmer. "There's just water
everywhere to mop up."
Cleaning the bathrooms and the pool area is the wettest and dirtiest work,
but all areas of the facility need to be worked on. "Fitness clubs are extremely
hard jobs -- every part of them," says Simmer.
Even facing the acres of dirty carpet can be a challenge. The aerobics
floor has close to 7,000 square feet of carpeting, and every bit has to be
vacuumed. And it can't just be a gentle run across the floor. "The sweat is
ground in all day and the nap is crushed. It takes a lot of work to get them
clean."
Facing a sea of uninterrupted carpet can be tough on the mind. "If you're
vacuuming for six hours straight in an area that doesn't even have furniture,
it can be pretty boring." It usually takes four janitors more than two hours
to clean all the carpets in the fitness club.
Considering the alternatives, some of the janitors prefer to vacuum. One
of the most difficult jobs at the club is cleaning the handball courts. "We
have to rub off every single ball mark," says Simmer. "That's a real pain."
Because fitness centers are so difficult to clean, Simmer's company has
since moved on to different types of jobs. "Fitness clubs are definitely the
hardest to scrub, and you usually have to work late hours," he says.
One of Simmer's favorites is bowling alleys. Janitors aren't required to
clean the bowling lanes, but must keep the areas where people sit clean. "It's
different and fun," says Simmer. "There's a great variety and more open areas."
Simmer also cleans office buildings. "This can be a bit more repetitive,"
says Simmer. "The rooms are the same, floor after floor."
Cleaning an office often means much more than just emptying garbage cans.
"You'd be surprised," says custodian Rhoda Dunbar. "Some commercial places
are real pigpens."
Dunbar goes on initial visits to buildings that need to be cleaned. She
inspects the building and then draws up a contract.
"At first I didn't look around too much," she says. But that's changed.
She now gets on her hands and knees, peers under desks, runs her fingers over
window ledges, and inspects fridges. "You don't want any surprises."
Dunbar has had a few in the past. "Doing this work certainly opens your
eyes. Some places are like a smack in the face. You just wouldn't believe
the mess."
Janitors notice more dirt than the average person because they've been
trained. "Before I got into this business, I'd go into the mall and nothing
would catch my eye," says Dunbar. "Now, everywhere I go, I spot dirt."
Even in the midst of the worst grime, she wouldn't trade her job for another.
"It isn't easy work, but I get a good feeling from finishing a job."
Janitor Mike Blotnicky agrees. "It's great to get a job done on time and
do a good job of it," he says.
Every janitor enjoys different chores. "I find that dusting is difficult
for some people, and others find working with heavy-duty machinery hard,"
Blotnicky says. "It all depends on what's your cup of tea."
No matter what area appeals to a janitor, they must enjoy
getting things clean. "I just love to get that good feeling when I look at
a place that was a pigsty and see it shining," says Dunbar.