My name is Andrew & I have been a janitor since I was 14 years old. I am now 32. Ask me anything.

So you find people treat you differently when they learn of your profession?

Yes. I have had Tinder dates up & leave after finding out what I do for a living.

My uncle stopped talking to my step mom after he found out she was a cleaning lady

People are jerks, cleaning is very hard work!

My dad always said that it doesn't matter what your profession is, as long as it's legal it's respectable

I've had people be jerks to me for working as "just a waitress" but joke's on them, I'm one of the lucky few that actually enjoy their jobs

That’s great! Keep at it & screw the haters!

How, exactly, do you describe your profession on these dates?

I say I own a cleaning company. My rule is, if this turns out to be serious, I don’t want her to think I am ashamed of what I do, or that I was lying to her.

How much do you make a year? Do you have other employees?

$33,000 cash. Just me.

By stipulating that it’s cash are you saying that you don’t pay taxes on it?

• Totally not the IRS

By saying I get paid in cash I mean when tax time comes around, I always owe a lot.

I applaud you. I've worked as a master of the custodial arts and people treat you so terrible, like you are beneath them. My question is have you ever freaked out on someone for treating you poorly?

I have been fortunate enough to where the places I clean, the employees have always treated me with respect. I have a side gig as a film critic for local radio, so every week people ask me about the latest films in theaters.

That isn’t to say that there have never been assholes. But as the face of my parents founding company I try to keep those feelings in check.

Fuckin-A kudos man. Glad you're keeping up your family business.

I've always thought overnight janitorial work would be cool, because no one is there and you can work without having to worry about bothering other people

That honestly might be my favorite aspect of the job.

What's the most interesting thing you've seen overnight when nobody was about?

I think it’s hilarious that people will leave fake winning lottery tickets laying around on their desks to see if I’ll take it.

Are you kidding me?! That's fuckin cool! The custodial critic! You seem like you would be a local treasure, dude!

I work with the guys over at CinemaSins. I think that’s pretty cool.

What did you think of Captain Marvel?

I liked it. Not loved it. It was entertaining, but major flaws in the story & other negatives holding it back for me a bit.

What were the biggest flaws in your mind?

If you have warp technology, why do you need a lightspeed engine.

Why do you hate J.D.?

Edit: thanks for the gold, kind stranger!

Cause he put a penny in the door.

I did this sort of work for a while as a kid. You see any job specific stress related injuries? Problems with joints, legs, hips, etc. I can literally still feel the weight of all the stuff id have to carry with me up and down stairs when I used to do this kind of work.

At Any rate, you're a bad ass for doing it as long as you have.

I’m sure that any pains and aches I have had are no different than anything you will find with any type of blue-collar job. I have pains in my hands my back and shoulders. And I’m pretty sure I have the knees of a 50 year old man who has the knees of a 90 year old man. But as any typical Midwestern guy, if you ignore the pain long enough, you forget it’s there.

Hi Andrew, I am really appreciated your efforts for doing this.

I just want to ask what motivated you to start on the side jobs?

A combination of money and the curiosity to try different things. I started as a medical transporter to see if the medical industry would be something I would find fascinating and want to pursue a career in. Same with construction and content creation. But all of those jobs proved too stressful for me.

Is your YouTube channel still up? I'd love to take a look at any content you created, even if you don't do it anymore.

Yep. Flick Freaks

Turn off the coffee machine when you leave for the day. Make an effort to put trash in the trash can. (Sounds obvious but you would be surprised) & the big one.... flush.

I just wanted to say I really appreciate what you’re doing.

I’m 21 and started working a cushy desk job 3 days after I graduated high school. In July 2018 our head facilities manager asked me to work for his cleaning company. I’ve been cleaning a public works building for almost a year and I live in Maine. The floors are fucking rough in the winter, but luckily they’re getting better and hopefully our last bad snow is this weekend.

I’ve learned over the last few months that this is not a thankless job like I thought it was. I used to think of my school janitors as cool guys, but never really had any sort of profound respect for them (certainly no disrespect.) There’s a third shift at the buildings I clean and over the course of the winter, over a dozen men have thanked me for my cleaning and say I’ve the best they’ve had.

Honestly at first I was just in it for the money. But it has taught me integrity in the way of doing a good job because it’s the right thing to do. No point in cutting corners, that will upset everyone and likely cost you the contract/job in the long run. This job has also helped me create better habits and has increased my general productivity.

I personally think that janitors are typically the nicest folk in a company, and they all deserve to be treated the same way people treat coworkers or even the CEO. If your company doesn’t have a janitor and they hire contractors, be sure to thank them if you see them on their way in/out!

My question to you would be: what interaction with an employee of a company you have cleaned for has stuck out to you the most, positive or negative?

I agree about cleaning during winter being awful. That road salt gets everywhere & is a nightmare to clean up.

I did briefly work for a place that kept asking for us to do extra work beyond what we agreed on. I would say I am happy to do it, but we would need to renegotiate our contract, but they refused, saying it shouldn’t be a big deal to do extra work for no pay.

How big is your key chain/ring?

7 keys

What are your plans for the future?

I’m looking forward to breakfast. Plan on getting french toast, bacon & eggs.

Can I ask you a question? How does one become a janitor?

You wanna become a janitor?

No, I just wanna know how one becomes a janitor, because Andrew here is very interested in pursuing a career in the custodial arts.

Oh really? You guys think I’m just some untouchable peasant, a servant — peon? Huh? Maybe so. Following a broom around after shitheads like you, I’ve learned a couple of things. I look through your letters, look through your lockers; I listen to your conversations. I am the eyes and ears of this institution, my friends. (...) By the way, that clock’s 20 minutes fast.

Great movie

Is the pay good for a janitor? Do you see yourself working in this profession for your whole life? Any other aspirations you have or had?

The pay is not great, but is long as I can pay rent and buy food for me and my dog, I’m set. I’ll never own a new car, but is long as I have one to get me to work I am more than content.

How do you deal with your dog and the job? Does it have a dog door that it can use during longer shifts?

I'm just thinking about this now, as I consider getting a dog. I think I can bring my dog to work (sometimes at least), but I guess at a cleaning company that might not fly, haha.

Dog door

This is a genuine question and I do not mean for it to sound negative at all, but is there any part of you that wants to do “better?” In 20 years do you think you’ll have any regrets for not trying to reach higher and be able to get more out of life?

I sometimes worry about that. But my favorite quote of all time is, “You need not die happy, when your day comes, but you must die satisfied. For you have lived your life from beginning to end.”

It just reminds me that if in the moment I am happy, it isn’t wasted. But if a day comes when I feel I need to do something different I will give that 100% as well.

1. Worst mess ever?

2. Guys or gals are dirtier?

3. MCU or DCU?

1. Whenever the sewage backs up in the industrial plant bathrooms.

2. In most of the places I work, there are few women in the fabrication business. So the plant bathrooms are primarily dirty guys. But in the front offices, there are a few women. I’d say the front office bathrooms are about even. But in the actual office section I notice that the women tend to have more clutter on their desks than some of the guys. There is one particular lady Whose office I clean who I swear could not put trash in her trash can to save her life. It’s as if she just drops it on the floor next to the trash can & says, “Close enough.”

3. Marvel movies, DC comics

Not really wanting to be in those kind of situations. When I was a medical transporter, part of my duties was to take the recently deceased to the morgue. Least favorite part of the job.

you are hot. what's your chest tattoo?

Thank you. & it is a bunch of geometric shapes I designed.

any chance we could see it? and #respect if you don't feel comfortable for job reasons

My instagram is also flickfreaks

How often do you lie about your occupation when others ask, because it’s got degrading connotations?

I have definitely exaggerated to an extent of what I do. There of been times and social gatherings where you stand around and people talk about what they do for a living, and when it gets to me I see that I work as a co owner of a corporation in the industrial district.

Had anyone ever mentioned that you look like you are built as per the proverbial brick shithouse?

I guess it’s just a flattering picture. I’m really not, lol

Are you happy?

I am bipolar. But right now. I am very happy.

Hey man! I remember you from your FF7 reaction video on YouTube! Just coming through to say it was the best reaction I've ever seen. Hope you have a nice day!

Thanks man. Always cool to hear from someone back in the YouTube days.

I am also a janitor. What do you do when your company you work for does not provide the essential tools to clean all of your areas in one shift? Also, how do you stay positive? It's a lonely job in my experience.

It does get frustrating when the building forgets to order toilet paper & they ask why I haven’t refilled them.

I don’t mind the solitude. Less stressful.

I am a lady janitor at a steel fab shop. I work with mostly men and they act like I'm their fucking maid. How do I get some respect?

In my experience, you can’t fix stupid. & misogynistic assholes definitely fit that bill. If it becomes harassment, take it up with their employer. If they do nothing, contact the better business bureau.

My last comment got auto-modded because they said I didn't have a question, but I for sure did, it was just buried - will this one get auto-modded too?

Dude, first off, you're an entrepreneur who took over the family business and didn't run it into the ground, that's killer, to the idiots lower down who are downplaying it on some "just a janitor" shit, fuck that. That's a lot harder than people might realize.

People just getting up in the middle of a tinder date after finding out that you're a successful entrepreneur is insane (Success is relative, but getting your bills paid and keeping busy and having the freedom of not having a boss = success, full stop.) Like, literally insane of them to not realize that you've got a very impressive skillset that goes far beyond mopping up her nasty snail-trail as she crawls off in search of a doctor or a lawyer.

What's your reaction to people who have the mentality of, say, throwing their garbage on the floor becasue "If I picked up after myself, the janitor wouldn't have a job..." I remember kids saying that in school, for instance. I'm guessing maybe it's a bit different when you run your own business as opposed to the school janitor who is there for 8 hours a day regardless?

Idiots guarantee me job security. Also the fact I know I would destroy them at a trivia night makes me laugh.

One question, how' you livin' brother?

So much fun it should be illegal.

You run a cleaning company, how successful is it?

Successful is relative. I would say we are reputable, but so much of that is accredited to my father who built this company & worked his ass off in order to be known as the best cleaning company around. We are not a large operation, but I feel if we were to contract out to another business we would have plenty of satisfied businesses recommend us.

Do you have an army of stuffed squirrels?

No, but I do have a Raven named Sanchez

Over

I’ve seen you talking about the best aspects of your job. What are some of the worst?

Hard to have a social life when most everyone works a nine to five & you work nights.

Janitor in scrubs was great

Hey, fellow Janitor from Norway here!

I just want to say that you are the man! I expect to see you on the next annual International Janitor convention, (date/location secret, of course, im sure you got the messenger pigeon.)

I was curious, whats your idea of job security? Do you think something like the #trashtag is bad for business?

Confidimus Puro, brother.

I didn’t even know about this trashtag thing. I just feel as long as humans are sloppy pigs, then they’ll need us. & it’s a good feeling to be needed.

Andrew I had a roomate that started as janitor ( we were 19 years old ) , he went to opening a pub with money he saved with janitor work ( cleaning offices was profitable back than, and he saved all his money ) - The pub, went to club, club went to several clubs. He went to owning 2 Jaguars. 2 divorces and than to bancrupcy. Sometimes he says he will go back to being janitor :)

My question for you : How come you started at age of 14 ?

I wanted money & my parents said I had to earn it. So when they went to work at night. I started cleaning.

Mind you My sister & I were going with my mom & dad to these buildings anyway ever since we were little kids. My parents could not afford a baby sitter, so we just went to work with them. We’d stay in the break room & do our homework. Then go home & sleep.

What are the perks, the things that non-janitor people don’t know about, daily or not, that you get from your job ?

Since the buildings are empty when I am there, I can sing to my heart’s content & not be ashamed.

Oh nice! So among those jobs that you have tried, besides the janitor one, which other you would like to pursuit or any other new jobs you also want to try?

Working in construction & building things introduced me to a fascination with wood working. To turn something like a tree into a work of art. I have always been artistic, drawing, acting, singing, so perhaps that would also be a factor in why I like it.

Thank you for doing one of the jobs that are helpful. My question: Do you know Roger Wilco? If not, you should.

Just looked him up. That’s cool. Might need to give those a look.

I did cleaning services when I was in Uni to help friends cash in extra money. Cleaning is personally therapeutical to me so I didn't give much thoughts initially and went ahead thinking I'd have great time.

It was partially true though. My friend and I were aware of my OCDness but we didn't foresee the job would sometimes escalate pretty quickly. One house we did had just renovated so messiness was expected. What didn't and actually happened: used and wet diapers laying around floors, dead rats, kitchen area filled with cat urine odor etc - overall, it was horribly dirty and everything was a nightmare.

My questions, have you ever encountered scenarios so bad you had to exit for a while and resume back? And do you have any cleanliness pet peeves?

Also what's your favourite indie film?

Times I had to take a break & step back: the downside to this job is I am technically a contractor. Meaning I am not entitled to any benefits or time off. I am expected to do my job every day that business is open. One time, A building my families company had been cleaning for over 20 years moved to Mexico. Everyone there got a severance package except us. Even the temps got one so long as they’d been there over a year. Another time my dog died & it was the worst day ever, but I had to go to work. Luckily I was alone all night so no one saw me crying.

Cleaning pet peeves. Probably the biggest one is when the building doesn’t turn off the coffee pot over the weekend & when I get there it is a charred volcanic chunk I have to spend 20 minutes scraping out the pot.

Favorite indie film: Whiplash

What do you put on hot dogs?

Ketchup, mustard, onion, relish, cheese, chili

Is there anything you learned working as a janitor that you think we all should know? Or interesting to know?

People use too much toilet paper sometimes.

I just lift.

Don’t know if you’re still answering questions but I’ll ask anyways. How do you find better paying jobs being a janitor? I’m 19 and have been working a cleaning company for a while now. Great job but it’s shit pay with lots of overtime, no vacation, no sick days, and no benefits.

Yep. That’s janitorial work for you.

The cleaning company is just you or do you have a team?

Just me

What's your favorite aspect of your job?

That I can kind of start working anytime I like, so long as I finish all of my duties before the morning shift arrives. Also, I can turn on audiobooks and listen to them while I work as there is no one else around while I am cleaning to disturb.

Probs asked below but what was the worst mess you had to clean and have you ever thought of leaving the janitor job behind?

Oh, for sure. But maybe it’s the fact I like structure & am not a fan of change that keeps me staying with it.

How are you happy with living life with just you and your puppy?

You obviously haven’t met my dog.

What is the best way to mop a stage after your neighbor gets booed off stage? Is it back and forth or side to side?

Back & forth. That way you are actively scrubbing the floor. Side to side just leaves streaks.

Thank you Sir for your service. We bow in respect to you...Have you ever found a math or any other problem/equation scribbled on the board and solved it just for fun?

Math is by far my worst subject. Numbers & calculations are so baffling. Now history or art I am all over.

How many hours do you work per week?

It varies depending on the time of year, how quickly I move, how much there is to clean. Most of the time around 40-50 hours a week.

are you anything like the janitor we all know and love?

​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v2mEg9Cpvs&feature=youtu.be&t=87

I relate more to Scruffy Scruffington

What have you seen, Andrew? What secret do you have on someone that will ruin their career instantly? Share all the gory details!

I’m taking them to the grave!!!

Honestly nothing. I don’t look through people’s trash or read memos on their desks. That would be wasted time keeping me from my home & dog.

Being a janitor and owning your own janitorial business are two very different things. Maybe choose a more accurate title?

Either way, I’m the one cleaning the toilets

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In the picture I am standing next to one of my mop buckets. Not sure what else I can do to prove. Never thought I’d have to prove I was a janitor.

So when is your rap career going to take off?

I hope the world is never exposed to the horror that is my inability to rap.

18 years as a janitor. Did you never aspire to achieve more in your life or were you incapable of actually doing it? Are your parents proud of you?

I for sure had plenty of things that I wanted to try doing professionally. From a young age I really wanted to be an actor. But as everyone knows it is an incredibly frustrating and difficult industry to get into. Also the fact that I have suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks my whole life, it has made it difficult for me to find employment in high stress work. There is something cathartic about the repetition of cleaning. You know what’s expected of you, & if you do your job To the best of your abilities then it’s not that stressful.