It was not a pretty sight.

When Dorm Crew suffered from labor shortages last year, the Adams House bathroom of Kate F. Douglas '02 , became a haven of filth and dirt which accumulated "a layer of black unidentifiable substance," she says.

The rare visits from the cleaning crew not only attacked the grime but also became opportunities for spontaneous celebration.

"When [Dorm Crew] came last year we were so happy we talked about it for days," she says. "But they only came like three times."

This year, however, Dorm Crew has rebounded, cleaning 50 percent more bathrooms than last year, according to Robert F. Wolfreys, a Facilities Maintenance Operations (FMO) official who is Dorm Crew's supervisor. The group now cleans three quarters of bathrooms on campus, up from just half last year.

"We have more people working and people working more hours," Wolfreys says.

Dorm Crew staff members attribute the turnaround to more aggressive recruiting efforts and better communication with contract cleaning companies that allow bathrooms to get cleaned even when labor shortages prevent Dorm Crew from getting the job done.

And while some rooms still go uncleaned, many others, like Douglas, are finding their bathrooms spic-and-span.