The elevator shafts tell you what kind of people live in the building

Plzeň - If dust on the mesh and frames in the elevator shaft of a panel building were to ignite, which households have been "collecting" for up to 40 years, the entire entrance could burn down. The European Union has therefore ordered Czech owners and managers of panel buildings to replace old elevators and clean the shafts due to fire and hygiene standards. So that people don't think they only own their apartment and that the mess in the common areas belongs to the neighbors. "We are cleaning their souls," said one of the suppliers of these services to ČTK.
    "In every floor, I can tell who lives there, whether they are tidy or messy. It’s enough for me to look at the elevator cage and the walls around the staircase,” he added. His company also does wall paintings with plastic paints that prevent carving various symbols into the walls.
    Cleaning one shaft in a seven- to nine-story building, painting the mesh of frames and walls takes a three-member team an entire week. On average, they carry out half a quintal of mess from each shaft. Painters discover dozens of sanitary pads, injections with needles, but also dead cats, dogs, and rats. Therefore, they get vaccinated against hepatitis and tetanus every six months.
    According to representatives of other similar companies, residents of panel buildings do not have a problem paying four million crowns for insulation, but most do not understand why they should spend several tens of thousands on cleaning often smelly elevator shafts when no one has ever done it before.
    "We come to beautify their living environment, but they see us as enemies, and it’s often a problem to find somewhere to wash hands or go to the toilet," said one of the painters.
    In Plzeň, there are approximately 750 panel buildings, mostly constructed in the 70s and 80s. Each building has four to ten entrances. The EU has mandated the outfitting of buildings with new elevators, repairing, and cleaning cages since January.
    According to craftsmen, the biggest problem is the threat of fires and diseases. There is usually a two-centimeter layer of dust from top to bottom across all the mesh and on the frames, and furthermore, elevator technicians often leave cans of oil at the bottom of the shaft.