Cleaning, maintenance, and upkeep: breaking down these terms of cleanliness

Hygiene has always been one of the most important aspects of society, helping prevent the spread of diseases and epidemics. In light of the current COVID-19 health crisis, we will take a look back in time to understand how hygiene has evolved and why cleanliness remains a critical factor in social cohesion, despite the shifting meaning of the term over the years.

From ancient times, maintaining cleanliness in homes and workplaces was a key focus, although formal health regulations only appeared in the 19th century.

In antiquity, stagnant water was a major source of disease. Most large cities were built around bodies of water—coastlines or rivers—which aided agriculture, transportation, and waste disposal but could also jeopardize urban hygiene.

The Romans and Greeks were among the first to establish sanitation teams responsible for garbage collection and maintaining public toilets and sewers. Citizens left their daily waste in pots at their doorsteps, and “muckrakers,” the early predecessors of modern garbage collectors, would empty these into pits outside the city. Farmers nearby used this waste as fertilizer for their fields.

During the Middle Ages and after the fall of the Roman Empire, urban and household cleanliness declined due to weak central power and lack of regulations.

In rural areas, people washed in rivers and slept in the same bed, often alongside livestock, which consumed waste and helped warm the house. In towns, each resident had their own approach to sanitation. Waste was typically thrown into the streets, with the cleaner edges reserved for horses to "trot" outside the piles of garbage. This marked the birth of sidewalks, clearing a path through streets covered in excrement, trash, and wastewater.

Starting in the Renaissance, major epidemics, including the plague, raised alarms among doctors and the public. People believed diseases spread through water and skin, so they resorted to perfumes and heavy clothing instead of bathing.

In France, the royal family took responsibility for Paris's garbage collection in the early 16th century. A service for waste removal was established, funded by an unpopular special tax. Personal hygiene, however, was largely neglected, even within the royal court, where people relieved themselves wherever convenient, often behind a curtain or in a designated "corner" (a term that persists).

Louis Pasteur, 1822-1895

In 1778, the Royal Society of Medicine was founded to study epidemics and address their causes. The fight against unsanitary conditions began again.

Hygiene practices changed drastically after Louis Pasteur's discoveries in the late 19th century. Waste became recognized as a potential source of infection. People were encouraged to wash to protect their own health and that of others, clean their homes and workplaces, and keep public spaces sanitary. This marked the start of regular "cleaning," a habit that took time to catch on, even among health professionals.

As new regulations proved difficult to enforce, cities gradually began contracting private companies for waste removal and street cleaning. The concept of hygiene began to diverge from that of “cleaning,” which now focused on maintaining spaces, while hygiene referred to personal care and broader public health measures.

With the rise of cleaning companies, street sweeping became a profession. Cleanliness increasingly required not only equipment but also skilled personnel.

During the 19th century, Haussmann redeveloped Paris and improved its sanitation system, introducing a modern sewer network. In 1884, Eugène Poubelle mandated the use of special containers with lids for household waste, which were placed outside homes. These waste bins—later called "poubelles"—were collected by municipal services. The city also introduced waste sorting, with three separate containers for organic materials, paper and rags, and glass.

With the Industrial Revolution came the rise of businesses, and cleaning and hygiene began to evolve into industrial cleaning services, which typically involve:

• Washing and drying floors
• Cleaning walls and fabrics
• Removing stains, oil, and grease
• Window cleaning
• Ventilation duct cleaning

In retail spaces, supermarkets, or any other stores, cleanliness became key to visual appeal, alongside employee hygiene to ensure a healthy and risk-free work environment. The cleaning industry continued to professionalize, leading to the establishment of AAF La Providence in 1961.

Today, the term "cleanliness" is preferred over "housekeeping," with the latter increasingly referring to domestic tasks. For your office or business maintenance, La Providence offers its expertise accumulated over the last 60 years in cleaning, maintenance, and hygiene to meet all of your company's needs.