Sofia was still in her blue Harvard Maintenance uniform, her hair tied back, as we scuttled through the halls of an Emmanuel dorm in search of a private place to chat. She was unsure what the retaliation might be for speaking out. We settled for an empty kitchen where Sofia described what it’s like to clean up after college students, while not being paid enough to live without food stamps.

As an educated Nurse Practitioner in Central America, Sofia knew that immigrating would also mean shedding her service career. “I didn’t want to come to America,” she said. “I knew I would have to do manual labor.”

But, eventually she didn’t have a choice. “There was a war going on in my country,” Sofia said. “It was so dangerous.”

So her husband, who had been in the states for 30 years, helped her navigate the immigration process. It was an ironic gesture for a man who was living with his second wife in New York, something Sofia didn’t know about until she stepped off the plane.

Eight years later, Sofia has warmed up to America. Her constant smile widens when she shyly slips into the conversation that she passed her citizenship test last year.

But becoming a US citizen didn’t allow Sofia to reclaim her nursing credentials. Instead, she continues to work for Harvard Maintenance as part of the contracted cleaning staff at Emmanuel College. It’s the same job she’s had for seven years, but the work has increased recently.

“The cleaners [at Emmanuel] have too much work,” Sofia said. “We’re running. Especially when someone vomits, we have to work quickly.”

According to Sofia, the team that cleans Emmanuel has lost three workers recently. “Two of them got sick and had to leave and the third found another job,” she said. “But there are no other workers to replace them, they just add to our workload.”

Harvard Maintenance’s Chief Operating Officer, Daniel Duffy, wouldn’t confirm Sofia’s claim.

“I’m not aware of any issues with workload there,” Duffy said. “If that’s happening they should talk to their supervisor.”

The part-time cleaners at Emmanuel have from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm to wash away the remnants of a night, or sometimes a weekend’s worth of college shenanigans. It’s left Sofia with a collection of nose-wrinkling experiences.

“Let me tell you a story about hard work,” she said. “Someone smeared poopoo all over. It smelled very bad.”

Sofia chuckled as she described the image of herself cleaning human feces. “I had to wear a mask. I would spray disinfectant, then run away to take a breath, then come back to clean it.”

There are a few full-time cleaners working for Harvard Maintenance at Emmanuel, but most are part-time, which means minimal benefits.

“They give us small insurance,” Sofia said. “But it doesn’t cover anything.”

So, according to Sofia, many of her coworkers can’t have time off when the manual labor takes its toll. “All the women here are sick,” she said. “Many of them have arthritis because so much of the work is with their hands.”

Sofia and her daughter both work and take classes, making just enough to get by with the help of food stamps. Her other daughters are professionals in her home country; one is a lawyer and the other a college professor. Sofia is proud of their success, and feels lucky that she doesn’t need to send money home.

But, she was quick to recognize many of her colleagues who aren’t as lucky. “My friend has four young kids to support,” Sofia said. “But she has such a big heart, and is the best cleaner. She should be here to tell her story.”

Sofia says she is speaking up for her friends because they view her as the leader. “I want to fight for them,” she said. “We just want more hours and benefits.”

Sofia knows that what she’s fighting for is not an unreasonable request for college maintenance workers. In past conversations she pointed out that students at Harvard University worked with their cleaning staff to demand a transition from contracted to university employees. She envisions something similar at Emmanuel, where the security team recently made the same move.

But Emmanuel just renewed their contract with Harvard Maintenance last year.

“We had the option to go with a cheaper bid,” said Emmanuel’s Assistant Vice President of Operations, Kristen Conroy. “But we picked Harvard because they proposed the most fulltime workers. We don’t cut costs at the risk of human beings’ care.”

So, Sofia remains patient with the institution. “We like it here, the school isn’t bad,” she said. “And the union helps us a lot. Lately it’s just been a lot of work.”

Sofia’s name was changed and country-of-origin hidden to protect her identity.

Spring is in full force — with 80 degree days tempered by torrential rain tempered further by dry spells and brush fires here in New England. Gotta love the weather.

Spring cleaning is a chance to throw out the old and bring in the new. It is a chance to declutter and demessify your domicile. As a lover of gadgets and cleanliness (not extremely good at the latter) I decided to put out this little guide to gadgets that will not only help you be cleaner, they might axe some of the clutter on your desk and allow you to throw out a few monthly bills in the process. It’s spring, start anew!

IQAir HealthPro Plus

All the hundreds and thousands of dollars that people spend on devices and chemicals designed to eliminate allergens and make their homes smell better — it’s a waste. You need one product to improve the air quality in your home, and it’s the same device that hospitals use to purify air in some operating rooms. It’s the same company that’s been in business for 45 years. It’s not available in the Sharper Image catalog.

The Swiss-made IQAir HealthPro Plus is simply the best air purifier on the market today or ever.

Around 100x more powerful than a traditional HEPA filter, the HealthPro Plus eliminates particles down to 0.003 microns. It strips viruses, pet dander, dust mites, air pollution and harmful cigarette smoke. It allows you to live with a dog or cat despite your allergies.

It’s good for asthma, too.

Depending on where you live, an air purifier is a must-own device. Save yourself money, trouble, and failure. At under $1,000, this is an investment in your health. I’ve used the IQAir HealthPro Plus for months, and it’s the best air purifier you can own.

Altec Lansing inMotion Air — $179

This six-pound, battery or AC powered modern boom box lets you stream any audio wirelessly, up to 300 feet away via Bluetooth or any Apple device via the Apple Remote App.

You can take your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphone and Bluetooth devices and play your music in crystal clear, CD quality excitement with the Altec Lansing inMotion Air.

I’m a big fan of all things Altec Lansing. I’ve been reviewing their products since 1996, and I haven’t found anything to dislike. This is a great way to do spring cleaning, because it can replace a bulky bookshelf unit and all the wires that it brings. You also save energy by blasting you music without having to power up your home theater or PC equipment.

netTALK Duo WiFi

For $60, you get a year of phone service.

The tiny size and free Enhanced 911, 411, visual voicemail, call waiting, conference calling, and fax service make the netTALK Duo WiFi a great way to remove a monthly bill from your stack and ditch your phone company. You clean up by removing outdated equipment from your house and you REALLY clean up with the money you’ll save.

Honeywell with Febreze Freshness Cool & Refresh Fan

Fabreze is all the rage right now, and it’s no surprise that a fan maker finally caught on and incorporated “Fabreze Freshness” into a room fan. Honeywell’s Cool & Refresh Fan does both of what it says — it cools you off and makes a room smell better. It’s not a replacement for the IQAir HealthPro Plus, but if you have a room that the pets tend to stay in or a bedroom that needs a freshness boost, Honeywell has made a very affordable winner for only an astounding $30.

While we’re talking about fans, Honeywell would like to point out that 65 percent of Americans say that they get a better night’s sleep with a fan, while 73 percent use one at night for white noise. I had a fan in my bedroom — it was old, dirty, and didn’t look right in the room. Honeywell cleaned the room up and styled it up at the same time.

iHome iDM11B Wireless Speaker

There are wireless “sound bricks” you can get for your iPad or smartphone in the $99 and $150 range. This one does it for about $70 and sounds amazing. We know the iHome brand. We’ve been reviewing these guys since 2007. We like the quality and love the price.

The iDM11B is a Bluetooth speaker system with a rechargeable battery. No wires. No mess. Sounds great. Clean looking.

The speaker works with tablets, media players, smartphones, laptops, and anything else that works with Bluetooth. Great bass and crisp highs make this one a good value and a good way to clean up your desk.

Swingline Stack-and-Shred 60X

Talk about the ultimate cleaning device for any home, or office, or home office. You need a heavy duty shredder, and the Stack-and-Shred is the one. You can feed a few sheets up top, or you can open it up and toss in up to 60 pieces of paper for mega-massive destruction. It also takes out credit cards.

Everyone needs a reliable shredder in this day and age. The Swingline not only shreds documents but destroys them with cross-cutting blades. Try putting that back together again.

CBTL Americano single cup coffee maker

OK, I’ll say it, if you already have a Keurig coffeemaker, you can skip this section. But if you still have an old, 2006ish Tassimo single-cup coffeemaker, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s CBTL single serve beverage system is a great upgrade and a very interesting alternative to the Keurig.

I first encountered this system in an upscale hotel, and was pleasantly surprised. It makes a fantastic espresso and makes everything from tea to various shades and flavors of traditional coffee. It costs a little more than an entry-level Keurig, and New Englanders won’t be too moved by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf brand, which is much bigger on the West Coast. But if you still have a Tassimo, toss it and upgrade.

If you’re interested in cleaning greener, there are many sources of natural cleaning recipes online. Or check out the cleaning products aisle at your local natural food store, where you will find a wide range of cleaning formulations safe for your health and the environment. Pictured: Earth Friendly Products' “Safeguard Your Home” retail pack. (Media credit/Earth Friendly Products)

When it comes to household cleaning products, most mainstream brands make use of chlorine bleach, ammonia or any number of other chemicals that can wreak havoc on the environment and human health.

Ammonia is a volatile organic compound that can irritate the respiratory system and mucous membranes if inhaled, and can cause chemical burns if spilled on the skin. Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, which can cause eczema and other skin ailments as well as breathing difficulties if inhaled. And when it reacts with other elements in the environment, toxic “organochlorines” can form, damaging the ozone layer and causing health issues such as immune suppression, reproductive difficulties and even cancer.

Fortunately, growing public concern about the health effects of toxic exposure have led to an “explosion of environmentally friendlier and non-toxic products,” says the health information website, WebMD. “There are many products in this category—from laundry detergents and fabric softeners to multi-surface and floor cleaners, to tile and bathroom cleaners—that are…safer for people and the planet.”

WebMD warns that while many are indeed safer, others are “greenwashed,” meaning they are “marketed as natural while still including suspect chemicals.” How does one know? “Get in the simple practice of looking at product labels to see if the cleaning manufacturer is clearly disclosing all ingredients,” reports WebMD. “If it is not…it could mean the manufacturer is trying to hide a particular suspect ingredient.”

Also, just because a product has an eco-certification printed on its label doesn’t necessarily mean it should be trusted. To make sure, check the Eco-Labels section of Consumer Reports’ Greener Choices website, which gives the low-down on what labels really mean and whether they are backed up by government regulations. Another good resource is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Household Products Database, which provides ingredient lists for thousands of products on U.S. store shelves.

If you want to play it safe and natural when cleaning your home, WebMD suggests using white distilled vinegar—it kills mold and mildew, eliminates soap scum and sanitizes, all in one fell swoop—to clean windows, tile, cutting boards and countertops. Another effective yet gentle natural cleaner for countertops and bathtubs is baking soda, especially when mixed with a few drops of mild soap. Borax can be called in for tougher stains. If you’re interested in cleaning greener, there are many sources of natural cleaning recipes online. Or check out the cleaning products aisle at your local natural food store, where you will find a wide range of cleaning formulations from the likes of Seventh Generation, Ecover, Green Works and Earth Friendly Products (which sells a “Safeguard Your Home” retail pack that includes one each of a window cleaner, an all-purpose cleaner, a dishwashing liquid, an automatic dishwasher gel, a laundry detergent and a fabric refresher), among many others.

CONTACTS: WebMD, www.webmd.com; Greener Choices, www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels/eco-home.cfm?redirect=1; Household Products Database, hpd.nlm.nih.gov.

Old keyboards from the 80s aren’t exactly washable, but they took a licking and kept on typing. One of the computers in my parents’ house still has an old Dell keyboard that suffered the indignity of having had an entire glass of milk spilled over the top of it — the result of an errant joystick movement. It still types.

That said, the brand new Kensington Washable Keyboard looks and feels indescribably retro. The white 104-key device with full size and full depth keys feels like typing in a bygone era in computing. I even fired up Doom 2 for a little spin around the arrow keys.

The keyboard is no relic, however. That old Dell keyboard still types, but it also still sticks from the milky punishment.

You can immerse this baby in soap and water and scrub it down like a dinner dish and come out with a new, clean keyboard.

The board also has antimicrobial coating to prevent the growth of molds, mildews and fungi that can get you sick.

Let’s face it, the keyboard is one of the dirtiest surfaces you touch all day. In the newsroom, we often share old keyboards, and they’re just grungy. I read a study once that claimed that the average keyboard holds more bacteria that a toilet seat!

Try trying to rinse out your illuminated keyboard when it gets dirty. (You could try Cyber Clean though.)

I soaked the Kensington and put it through scrubbing and rinsing and then let it dry. Let me tell you, putting a computer keyboard under the sink is NOT a natural task. The whole time I felt like I was breaking some major commandment of computing. But lo and behold, once the keyboard sat for a few and dried, it worked perfectly.

My only complaint about the keyboard is that the folding legs at the top are a little cheap. I broke one of the little legs by accident, which is enough to prevent the keyboard from being a perfect “10.”

The keyboard is comfortable to type on. A lot of newer keyboards have taken a page out of the laptop world with shallow keys, but this is a regular keyboard that feels very traditional.

With that take on things, the Kensington Washable Keyboard is a winner. It’s a regular keyboard. It’s wired — no batteries to replace. It has all the standard, regular keys that a keyboard should have. It’s the perfect solution for an office or a computer user that just wants to clean up a bit.

No one ever said love was easy, especially if you love couture handbags. While not many will purchase Chanel’s Diamond Forever tote (available in December 2007, for those of you making a wish list, with the diamond-encrusted price tag of $260,150), the demand for high-end handbags has skyrocketed. Online retailer eLuxury.com saw sales of luxury handbags (those over $500) increase 11% last year.

With this kind of investment, proper cleaning and maintenance is essential. Hallak Cleaners, a leading couture dry cleaners that specializes in high-end products and handbags, recommends the following tips for keeping handbags and purses looking their arm-candy best:

• Store it in the dust cover or a soft pillow case when not in use
• Handle your bag with clean hands
• Avoid handling after applying beauty products, face foundations or hand creams
• Keep newspapers, photocopies or other printed materials at a safe distance
• Always avoid contact with ink
• Most important: If your purse gets dirty or stained, don’t experiment with cleaning methods yourself. Doing so might permanently damage your bag. Seek expert advice

"The most important thing is not to try cleaning it yourself," said John-Claude Hallak. "Even simple stains can ruin a purse, and special leather, suede and fabric each take different cleaning methods to bring them back to life. The ‘ring’ left by an improperly cleaned stain can render an expensive bag unwearable."

For best results, Hallak recommends having all handbags cleaned when they are lightly to moderately soiled.

A good cleaners should hand-clean the bags and refinish them to original beauty. Fabric handbags are protected against future stains with DuPont Teflon or Scotchgard. Suede handbags are evaluated to determine which cleaning processes are best suited for that type of skin. Oils and colors are restored to the bags after hand cleaning to make the appearance look as rich as they day you bought it.

Hallak also provides service to many famous New York boutiques including Tod’s, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Burbery, Chanel and many more.