Every day can be Thank Your Cleaner Day

Every day, our cleaners — nearly 4000 of them — go out to work in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand to keep our communities and public places clean, hygienic and safe.

Cleaners are our invisible, essential workforce, who support each and every one of us in some way.

This year Thank Your Cleaner Day will be on Wednesday, 19 October.

While this is one specific day to think about the important work they do, that doesn’t stop us from thanking our cleaners for their work every day.?

In Nelson, Estelle Courtney finds much joy and reward in her cleaning role at the Superloo.

“My role is so much more than cleaning. I just love meeting the people that come through every day from all walks of life and other parts of the world. I have the chance to make a real difference in their lives — it’s all about valuing people,” she says.

Estelle is well known for the fresh flowers that adorn the Superloo and the extra special effort she makes each Christmas to decorate the facility.

But it’s the extra mile she takes for people in need where Estelle’s community spirit and work ethic really shines. And she’s not the only one making a difference.

At 80 years young, Margaret Houston is one of oldest commercial cleaners in Aotearoa New Zealand.

She works tirelessly to clean the South Westland Area Practice, Hari Hari Clinic and takes great pride in her work. She keeps the clinic clean and hygienic for patients, nurses and doctors — especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Margaret knows her work is valued and she is an integral part of keeping the clinic running smoothly. And it’s not just cleaning where our team goes above and beyond.

Rizheil Regidor (pictured above) was hard at work at Christchurch’s Air New Zealand Koru Lounge when she noticed an upset customer speaking to lounge staff about a precious family heirloom they had just lost.

Springing into action, Rizheil searched the lounge high and low for the piece and was pleased to be able to reunite it with its owner.

Cleaning is one of the important industries in the world, yet most of the people undertaking this work are invisible to most of us.

It’s time to recognise the hard work that often goes unnoticed — we all like to feel valued and appreciated.

I encourage you to recognise the effort your cleaner puts in every day, and especially on Thank Your Cleaner Day 2022.

If anything, a simple thank you can go a long way.