• Scottish Gaelic: neach-glanaidh m|f

• Finnish: siivooja (1), puhdistusaine (2)

Etymology 2

clean + -er

Adjective

cleaner

1. comparative of clean

A cleaner is a type of industrial or domestic worker who cleans homes or offices for payment. Unlike other servants, their primary task is just cleaning, except by personal arrangement. Cleaners may also be specialised according to the type of task they perform, such as window cleaners.

The 2000 film Bread and Roses by British director Ken Loach depicted the struggle of cleaners in Los Angeles, California to fight for better pay and working conditions, and the right to join a union. In an interview with the BBC in 2001, Loach stated that over 9000 cleaners from around 30 countries have since contacted him with tales similar to the one told in the film.

See also

• Domestic worker
• Industrial worker

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