The answer would probably be because it’s dirty, untidy and in need of an overall clean up. However, we are obviously not looking at the whole city; what we are concerned with here is individual buildings within the city and discussing whose job it is to keep them neat, tidy and well maintained.
Maid, Janitor, Caretaker, Domestic Helper, Custodian, Etc
There are quite a number of terms that we use to describe someone who we pay to tidy up after us; but the main point is that they do most of our cleaning and, often, quite a number of other duties as well. Some of these people may be in our direct, full time employ and might even live at their job site; or, in our homes. Others might be employed part time either directly or, these days, more often through an agency. Strictly speaking, it is unlikely that we would employ a janitor (janitress if female) for our home use since the word is more usually associated with larger establishments such as schools, hospitals, office buildings, whole apartment blocks, etc.
Duties Of A Janitor
These are not hard and fast and will be negotiated between the person paying for the services and the person who carries them out. However, janitors are expected to do more than simply remove rubbish and do elementary clearing up work, such as mopping and sweeping floors, etc. Usually, they are also responsible for basic maintenance work and some elementary security.
These extra duties might include things like ensuring the washrooms and toilets have sufficient supplies of toiletries and tissues, etc; and/or basic plumbing repairs like clearing blocked drains or fixing leaky faucet washers. Most of their work will be within the building; but, they might be charged with some basic outdoor work depending on the nature of the building and its surrounding grounds. The garbage bins will also come under their purview. In many ways, janitors are almost (but not quite) building superintendants.
Hiring One
If you have other cleaning staff, the janitor will be their on site “boss” as well as being effectively in charge of your building while you and the other managers are away – notably at night and over weekends. Obviously, whoever you choose for this position must be fully vetted for honesty and reliability as well as their basic job skills. Visit the site for more details.
