A person whose job is to clean buildings, rooms, or other spaces.
Cleaner comes from 'clean,' which derives from Old English 'claene' meaning 'pure' or 'innocent,' not just physically spotless. The original concept was moral and spiritual purity rather than hygiene. Medieval 'cleaning' often involved religious purification rituals, not just removing dirt. The shift to purely physical cleanliness happened gradually as germ theory developed in the 1800s, when 'cleaner' as a job title became common alongside new understanding of disease prevention.
For most of history, being 'clean' meant being morally pure, not just dirt-free! Medieval people worried more about spiritual contamination than germs. The job of 'cleaner' as we know it only emerged when science discovered that physical cleanliness could prevent disease - before that, cleaning was often a religious act, not a health measure.
Historically feminized labor; 'cleaning lady' reinforced women in low-wage service roles; occupational prestige gap by gender.
Use gender-neutral 'cleaning professional' or role title; acknowledge if discussing wage/status disparities in care work.
["cleaning professional","custodian","janitor"]
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