The women and men who clean London at night
May 8, 2017
As others head home, a community of cleaners start work in insecure jobs that often leave them vulnerable to abuse.
London, UK – From Monday to Friday between 9 and 11pm, Ramona* works at an office building near Finsbury Square, in the commercial heart of London.
As the last employees trickle out through the rotating glass doors, she puts on her uniform.
Then she begins cleaning: vacuuming five storeys along with another cleaner, clearing out all the rubbish, and washing and drying all the used cutlery and crockery in the communal kitchens which are often filthy by the time she arrives. She has just two hours to complete her work.
Her least favourite task, she says, is cleaning the toilets.
“If the stench of human waste doesn’t bother you, the bleach will,” the 36-year-old explains.
It is exhausting work, particularly as she has another cleaning job in the afternoons. But Ramona tries to lighten her mood by putting on earphones and listening to salsa music.
Apart from the awkward greetings of those who pass her on their way out, Ramona barely speaks to anyone, but she says she doesn’t mind.
