A noisy teenager caused trouble for the school janitor and later felt guilty. He learned about the janitor’s life and decided to do something special for him. That’s when he realized something important.
“Wow!” Holden exclaimed when he saw the mess he had created on the floor. He and his friend were just trying to play a prank on another student by painting his locker. However, he accidentally dropped the paint can in the middle of the basketball court, which would definitely be noticed.
“Come on, Holden! Let’s go! Let’s go!” his friend, Andrew, shouted, and they both left everything behind and ran away.
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A noisy teenager caused trouble for the school janitor and later felt guilty. He learned about the janitor’s life and decided to do something special for him. That’s when he realized something important.
Holden and his friend were not bad kids, but they often skipped classes and liked to play pranks on others. They didn’t mean any harm; Holden just didn’t like school and wanted to have fun like many teenagers do.
“Wow. That’s terrible,” Holden said when he saw the mess he made. “Sorry. That was rude.” Luckily, no one found out about the incident, but later, he walked by the basketball court and saw the old janitor cleaning up. He also heard the principal, Mr. Figgins, yelling.
“We have the pep rally tomorrow, and scouts from all over are coming! This needs to be cleaned up right away!” the principal shouted at the poor man, who was trying to scrub the floor. The paint was oil-based, making the job hard.
Yes, Mr. Figgins. I’ll make sure it’s ready for tomorrow,” the janitor replied, still scrubbing. The principal waved his arms, yelled some more, and stormed off.
Holden felt awful watching the janitor clean the mess caused by his prank, so he did something surprising. He walked onto the court, grabbed a rag, knelt down, and started helping the janitor.
The old man looked at him and said, “I guess you did this, right?” He continued to scrub the floor.
“Sir, I’m really sorry. It was a mistake. I didn’t know you would get in trouble for it,” Holden said sincerely. “Please don’t tell the principal. My mom would be really mad.”
The janitor sighed and replied, “I won’t tell anyone, but you have to help me until this floor is clean.” Holden quickly agreed.
As they worked, they talked. The janitor’s name was Fred. At first, they chatted about basketball and football since the school had some of the best teams. But then Holden asked why Fred was still working at his age. He looked to be over 60.
“Well, I need to pay my mortgage,” Fred said with a frown. “I’m 76.”
“Wow, you still haven’t paid it off? That means I can’t even think about having my own house,” Holden said.
“Things are tough right now, kid. I never really wanted a house. I bought that house for my daughter because she needed a place to live,” Fred explained, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I helped her with the mortgage for years, but then she died in a car accident, and now it’s all my responsibility.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that,” Holden said quietly. They were silent for a moment. “Why not sell the house now?”
“Where would I go? With rent these days, I’d be homeless. I need to keep working to eat,” Fred said realistically.
“But you might never retire!” Holden added.
“That’s true. I just hope I can pay the mortgage before I die,” he continued.
“How much do you owe?” Holden asked.
“Well, it’s a little under $30,000,” Fred replied.
“Wow. That’s terrible,” Holden said, then widened his eyes. “Sorry, that was rude.”
But Fred laughed. “Let’s just keep working, kid.”
They finally cleaned up the paint, but it took a long time, and Holden went home late that night. He couldn’t sleep, thinking about how to help the old man who didn’t get him in trouble.
A few days later, he told his mother everything that happened and asked her how they could raise money for Fred. Maybe if they paid off his mortgage, he could retire.
His mother suggested that Holden mow lawns in the neighborhood. It was the right season, and many people needed help. So he got his dad’s lawnmower and started working hard.
But after a few days, he realized it was going to take a long time to earn the money. So he talked to his neighbors whose kids went to the same school. He took a picture of Fred from the school’s website and posted it online, sharing his story and creating a crowdfunding link to help the janitor.
To his surprise, the donations started coming in, and they raised $30,000 in just a week.
Then Holden and his mother spoke to the school principal about having a special ceremony to honor Fred and surprise him. Holden also had to tell the principal about the paint on the court, and Mr. Figgins agreed.
The whole school heard the story and gathered at the basketball court to cheer when Fred arrived. The old janitor had no idea what was happening since he didn’t use social media. Holden presented him with the money, and many people in the crowd cried as the two hugged. Fred officially retired that week.
Holden later learned that Fred had a granddaughter named Erin, who was only a few years younger than him. The janitor wanted to pay off the house for her to have when he was gone. Erin and Holden became good friends, and he started visiting Fred after school to help out.
He stopped hanging out with Andrew and began taking his classes more seriously. The whole experience taught him that you have to work hard for everything.
Holden changed completely and graduated at the top of his class a few years later. The school staff was shocked and happy with his turnaround, as they rarely saw such changes. And it was all because of Fred and that afternoon spent cleaning up paint.
What can we learn from this story?
You should apologize and do your best to fix your mistakes. Holden got the janitor in trouble but sincerely tried to make it right.
It only takes one experience or person to change someone’s life. After meeting Fred, Holden changed for good, learning that life is tough, and only hard work can lead to happiness.
If you’re not a fan of spring cleaning, these 10+ Amazon gems will do the job for you
Even those of us who don’t like cleaning can enjoy the process and admire picture-perfect results with these 11 household gems from Amazon. Dust, dirt, grime, rust, grease, and mold don’t stand a chance of survival with these powerful cleaning products and tools that act fast and are super easy to use. Buy them now and have a fuss-free start to your spring cleaning!
1. Say goodbye to dirt and grime in your toilet with this cleaning pumice stone. It scours away mineral deposits, rust, stains, and limescale from toilets, sinks, tubs, and showers. The item quickly shapes into curved or flat surfaces, thoroughly removing the dirt without damaging the surface. The usage is super simple. Wet the pumice stone in water and gently rub the stain away using back-and-forth movements until the stain disappears.
Promising review:
We have good water except for calcium content. Consequently we had a noticeable water ring in the most used toilet bowl. Happened to see this product on Amazon. I had my doubts it would work as any cleaner failed to have any affect at all on removing the water ring. I was pleasantly surprised how easily it removed the water ring without any scratches to the bowl and made the bowl look brand new. — Mike H.
2. This rust stain remover powder will eliminate rust stains from surfaces inside and outside of your house, thanks to its powerful formula. This heavy-duty cleaner was specially formulated to quickly and easily rinse away the toughest rust spots without scrubbing. This multi-purpose product works equally well on toilets, tubs, showers, white laundry, and exterior surfaces.
Promising review:
- I have iron in my water. It’s ruined a lot of things. It’s been hard to keep sinks, tubs and toilets white until now. I tested this on a piece of plastic out of my washing machine that turned orange. No more orange. Back to white. Great buy. — Teresa Shankle
3. Stubborn oven grease and burnt-on food don’t stand a chance of surviving when you use this oven cleaner. Its formula is safe for everyday oven cleaning. This powerful product is easy to use. Just spray it on the stain and wipe. You won’t recognize your oven once you use this wonder-working product!
Promising review:
- Hands down the best oven cleaner ever! We’ve used this stuff to clean up heavily caked on parts of our smoker and BBQ. It works great! My wife just got through cleaning our oven and stove and was just again commenting on how good this stuff is compared to anything else we’ve ever used. This will be our go to cleaner! It’s just the best! — Richard C.
4. Amazon customers swear by this no-rinse evaporator coil cleaner. It will liquefy dirt, grease, oil, and other residues quickly and easily. The cleaner can be sprayed upside down for your ultimate convenience. Its powerful foam is completely self-rinsing and is safe to use on metals and other materials. The product leaves the area deodorized with a pleasant lemon scent, which is the cherry on top.
Promising review:
- I could not believe how good this product works! My dryer repair guy looked at my fridge coils after finding out that I had dogs. I was shocked at the amount of dust on them. He recommended this product and it works within seconds! — heyb
5. Cleaning hard-to-reach areas will not be a problem if you have this dryer vent cleaning vacuum hose attachment by your side. It can help you remove lint that has been accumulating for many years in the dryer vents, helping your appliance work more efficiently. The tool can get into curved corners, which makes it perfect for cleaning appliances that you can’t move.
Promising review:
- I honestly had no idea that so much lint was stuck when I removed my dryer lint screen. It was deep down in there. I figured let me give this a try. It’s not expensive so if it doesn’t work it wouldn’t be a big loss. I hooked it up to my small car vacuum which took about 2 seconds. There was so much lint that the little opening kept getting clogged. So I would pull the lint off and go in again, and repeat. Once all the big chunks were removed it finished the job. I highly recommend this. — Eileen L
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6. Put less elbow grease in cleaning your toilet tank with this powerful toilet tank cleaner. It removes hard-water deposits, rust, stains, and odor in the blink of an eye, eliminating the need for scrubbing. The product is safe for toilet tanks, bowls, and pipes. When you flush it, it leaves a pleasant citrus scent. Just look at the before and after photo collage below. It looks pretty impressive!
Promising review:
- According to the instructions I was supposed to use the whole bottle but being that it was so big and that I had 2 toilets needing to be cleaned I only used half. Other than that I followed the instructions, stirring to make sure it was dissolved and then letting it sit overnight. I used a cheap (new) toilet brush from the dollar store to scrub the rust off the sides before flushing. I took these before and after photos to compare and I was pleasantly surprised. The toilet tank is from the 1960’s and I doubt it’s been cleaned within the last few decades. — Nicole
7. This carpet cleaning machine will finally remove all those stubborn stains that other products failed to remove. The appliance works perfectly well on carpets and rugs where pet messes happen, lifting dirt and dust that an ordinary vacuum cleaner may leave behind. Its compact design makes cleaning easy and convenient. This is a must-have for households with pets.
Promising review:
- This cleaner is really lightweight and easy to use. It’s also very powerful and effective for such a budget friendly and small machine. This is perfect for area rugs. I imagine it would be less suitable for large carpeted rooms as it does need emptying and refilling frequently due to the smaller tanks. In addition, this model lacks an upholstery brush, so consider that if you are looking for something more versatile. Overall I would recommend this machine, it’s effectively cleaned and refreshed our area rugs that had gotten dingy and were holding pet odors. — Sll1977
8. Don’t miss out on this heavy-duty cleaner specially designed for cleaning brick and stone fireplaces. This safe and non-abrasive gel swiftly removes soot, creosote, ash, and all sorts of grime from your fireplace. Its concentrated formula can break through the toughest spots and works great on surfaces such as brick, stone, tile, and rock.
Promising review:
- It works really well, and it’s great that it’s non-toxic and non-abrasive. You can literally apply it with your bare hands. You do need to scrub it in pretty well after applying. And make sure to «rinse» the brick afterwards. It’s slow work, but it pays off. — Amazon Customer
9. If your hot tub needs cleaning, this hot tub cleaner is just what you need. It quickly and effectively removes residue from dirt, sweat, grime, and bath products. One bottle is enough for up to 2 cleaning sessions. Dirty filters and poor flow can negatively affect your hot tub. This product solves this problem, making your hot tub clean in about an hour.
Promising review:
- Our hot tub was so much grosser than I could have imagined. The amount of ick that this stuff got out of the jets was surprising. Honestly, it’s so embarrassing. I drained and cleaned the tub a few months ago but did not think to get this jet cleaner. I will not make that mistake again. The hot tub smells so clean now. I will definitely use this again next time I drain the tub. — Kaerlia
10. This electric high-pressure washer is a real hit on Amazon with more than 56,000 ratings. The appliance tackles a variety of cleaning tasks: homes, buildings, RVs, cars, trucks, boats, decks, driveways, patios, and more. It automatically shuts off the pump when the trigger is not engaged to save energy and prolong pump life. Its long spray wand guarantees extended reach for your ultimate convenience.
Promising review:
- This power washer was easy to use and did the job well. I used it on my driveway, paver path and patio. The attachments for soap and the various angle heads snap on quickly and are conveniently stored on the unit. Some assembly is required out of the box, but it is simple and only requires a screwdriver. — Michael
11. Get rid of mold in your house with this amazing mold cleaner. Its highly effective concentrated gel formula clings to tiles, silicone sealant (around windows, sinks, and baths), shower heads, and more. The usage is pretty simple. Just apply the gel evenly on the surface you want to clean, let sit for 3-5 hours, and then rinse with water or wipe with a towel.
Promising review:
- I was skeptical that this product would work because I have tried a lot of different things with no luck. After one application almost all of the staining is gone! I was also shocked that this product has no smell! No harsh chemical odor at all. I have a couple spots I want to treat again to see if I can get it completely clean, but my tub looks 100% better than it did before. It’s super easy to use. I’m so happy with the results. — Kerri
In this selection of Amazon best sellers you will find even more cleaning products that will help you get rid of stains and dirt in every corner of your house.
Bright Side gets commissions for purchases made through the links in this post. Reviews may have been edited for length and clarity.
Preview photo credit Haj / Amazon, Emojipedia
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