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Has the White House been deep-cleaned? Why Joe Biden was told to ‘wait a week or two’ after $500,000 contract

A team of 90 people reportedly packed and sent off Trump and Melania's stuff to make space for the incoming president and his wife

The Times They Are a-Changin'... Bob Dylan's song is the first that comes to mind as US President-elect Joe Biden attends a service at Washingtons’ Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle with incoming first lady Jill Biden. Before the 78-year-old makes way into the White House, Americans can't help but wonder if it has been thoroughly deep-cleaned. 

At Donald Trump’s final hour, a team of 90 people reportedly packed and sent off first lady Melania Trump and his stuff to make space for the incoming president and his wife. Shedding light on the changes in the 132-room 55,000-square-foot complex, a report by the New York Times quoted Betty Monkman, a White House curator for more than three decades, who said, “It’s a mad dash,” adding, “Sometimes beds have to be brought in, sitting rooms are converted into bedrooms.”

If reports are to be believed, the US government will spend almost $500,000 on a deep clean of the White House before Biden takes office on January 20.

Who cleans the White House?

With the Covid-19 threat, there has to be the biggest cleaning process this year and presidential historian Kate Brower Andersen told ABC, “There's always been a deep clean between administrations, but we've never seen anything like this.”

As for who cleans the White House, the janitorial staff includes around 100 people. According to CNN, the contracts for housekeeping work include $127,249 on '2021 Inaugural Cleaning', $44,038 on carpet cleaning, and $29,523 on curtain cleaning.

The White House staff is also concerned what precautions the Bidens will take once they enter. “I hope that they strictly enforce masks,” one employee told The Atlantic. “I would hope the new administration tells the truth, good or bad” about infections in the building, he said. Another Biden transition official said, “It’ll be a sea change, obviously...” Reports say that the incoming administration will mandate vaccines for aides, limit the number of people working inside the West Wing, hold regular tests along with mandating masks. 

Deadly infections in the White House

Before Biden steps in, here's a record of how the White House dealt with deadly infections before. Who doesn't know about the serial Trump family Covid-19 contractions? Here's a list of other presidents who were ill in the White House.

Reportedly, two presidents — William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor — died due to deadly infections started by the building’s water supply, which was allegedly contaminated by an upstream sewage dump.

Not just that, President Abraham Lincoln was diagnosed with smallpox and while he survived the disease, it took the lives of his longtime barber and valet. Moreover, President Woodrow Wilson, his personal secretary, his chief usher, his stenographer, multiple Secret Service members, and his eldest daughter all contracted the flu during the 1918 pandemic. Amid all the fuss about deep cleaning, should Joe Biden wait a week or two? 

‘Perhaps wait a week or two’ 

Wondering how much manpower it took to deep-clean the White House, one social media user said, “I just said the same thing to my daughter. They actually clean/clean out the White House repaint and bring in personal belongings and furniture of the new incoming President... Now the sage gonna need a truck full! Time to purge the swamp vibes for sure!” and another posted, “How much manpower did it take for the staff to clean & disinfect the White House?? With covid in place, I can only imagine.”

Many others were concerned if the White House can ever be cleaned after Trump's exit and wanted Biden to be careful. “Do they have enough time to really clean the White House and sage every nook and cranny before President and Dr. Biden move in? It’s been nasty for the last 4 years,” one concerned Twitter user asked and another said, “I kind of wish that @JoeBiden would wait another day to move into the @WhiteHouse just to clean out the garbage and germs.” 

A third said, “How is it possible to ready the #WhiteHouse in mere hours for the Bidens? To clean, disinfect, and check for listening devices, hidden cameras, do a complete curatorial inventory, check for Russian neurotoxins on every surface- seems to be a daunting task. Serious question-how?” A fourth went on to say, “They are going to really have to clean the White House. The moving vans arrive the morning of the inauguration but if I were President Biden I would not move in until that White House is thoroughly cleaned. Perhaps wait a week or two.” 

Do you think the Biden family will be safe in the White House? Share your thoughts in the comments below.