Personal Story Of Cleaner Keeping Nebraska School Sparkling

When Dave Mildenstein started work as a maintenance man at Grand Island Central Catholic in Grand Island, Neb.,  11 years ago, he said he “pretty much took over a mess,” according to an article on The Independent website.

“It hadn’t been well taken care of in a long time,” Mildenstein said. “It had been taken care of by volunteers.”

When he began work at Central Catholic, Mildenstein said his specialty was the floors and “making sure everything was taken care of.” The floors had experienced a lot of wear and tear due to years of use, so he started stripping them.

When the Central Catholic building completed a new addition, Mildenstein said, his duties with cleaning floors doubled. He made some suggestions on how to make his work easier.

“One of the big things I suggested, due to all the linoleum floors, was to get a sit-down scrubber so we get twice as much done and keep it clean on a regular basis with less manpower,” he said in the article.

While he never thought he would be a custodian before he did it, Mildenstein said he has found himself enjoying his work and feels he has left his mark on Central Catholic and its students.

Mildenstein said he fell in love with his job due to the interactions he has with students and teachers.

“I guess the reason I got so involved in custodial work is because I really enjoy it,” he said in the article. “It just keeps me busy. I get a good dose of everything. I get good exercise during the day and I get to mingle with the kids to keep my brain going.”

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