Kiev

This city of 5-7 million (depending of who reports the guestimate) has contrasts between the past and the present. The Soviet times are reflected in the thousands of residential flats that are still the homes to millions of residents in Kiev and the other cities in Ukraine.

The flats are cement and brick construction blocks that range from 5 -15 stories but many are 9 stories. The floors are numbered different than in North America with the first floor being the ground. The exterior is often in very poor repair and often looks terrible. The balconies are often closed in and are often different colours and styles from each other. This tends to give a disheveled look of disrepair.
The interiors are as varied as the exteriors; the buildings of 5 stories or less do not usually have elevators. This is also true of the universities and office buildings that we have visited. Most of the 9 story buildings have a small elevator suitable for a maximum of 4 people. When people move it is difficult, as they have to use the stairways for all the bigger items. In some buildings we visit the elevator stops at a stair landing between the floors and you go either up or down half a level to the flats.

The garbage shute is a standard fixture in the residential buildings. In some buildings it too is only on the levels between floors, where the elevator stops. Depending on the state of maintenance, this may make a very strong impression on your sense of smell and maybe your eyes too!

Cleanliness varies throughout the city. In one area that I go to regularly, the cleaning staff swarms the property and cleans it with passion! The staff have uniforms, but they are only equipped with brooms that they use to swept the entire parking lot. They cut the grass with whipper snippers, I have only seen one power lawn mower in use, they are in some stores. Large areas of grass will be cut with whipper snippers, followed by a crew of mostly women to rake the grass onto tarpaulins that are lifted and dumped into wagons behind farm tractors. When the cleaners have swept the parking lot they wipe the lower portions of the walls of the building. Every morning the steps are washed and the exterior mats replaced with new clean mats.
So that sounds great but there are other areas where the garbage piles up at a bus stop near our flat and remains there for a week. Residential buildings with disgusting smells and walls that have not been cleaned or painted for years. This building is near a university where the sweepers are out every morning, sweeping the sidewalks, picking up trash and leaves at this time of year. A team of 6 women also recently painted the wrought iron fence around the University property and it is a large property.
So many contrasts and degrees of cleanliness throughout the city and the country. They wash floors with cloths stretched on frame. The larger the area, the larger the frame. They push this frame along the terrazzo floors and occasionally stop to put the cloth in water and wring it out. They also like to clean at the busiest time of day. The women especially like to clean the steps in the Metro stations at rush hours! They stand in the middle of the steps with a broom and dustpan and sweep as people walk around them!
The ladies that are on duty at our front door (I don’t think it is accurate to call them security! Maybe spies but not security) wash the steps and entrance every morning.