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You’ve got to admire the enthusiasm of someone who greets a day of cleaning Portaloos with a shout of ‘let’s get ready to rumble!’ ‘Sanitation service engineer’ Alex isn’t the only one who’s psyched about getting his hands dirty, either – just about everyone featured in this extremely familiar but oddly charming glimpse into the lives of Britain’s cleaning industry is as jolly as pigs in the proverbial. Only the sour-faced Gillian McKeith-alike who spends her days poking her swabs around public places does anything to stifle the upbeat tone; frankly, if she’s upset to find that you can get ill by licking the wall of a pub toilet, she’s probably beyond Prozac.
Nothing you won’t have seen before, but there are striking moments of warmth: take the heavy-duty cleaners sent in to take care of a neglected property left behind by a recently departed elderly couple. Before decaying curtains are torn down and bathroom fittings blasted with industrial-strength chemicals, boss Richard takes a moment to reflect on what the property must have been like in years gone by. It’s touching stuff – until he starts yanking the carpets up.