How to hire a building cleaner

How to hire a building cleaner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step building cleaner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a building cleaner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new building cleaner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The building cleaner hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect building cleaner also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of building cleaners and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Building Cleaner	Description	Hourly rate
   Building Cleaner	Janitors and building cleaners keep many types of buildings clean, orderly, and in good condition.	$10-16
   Porter	A porter is responsible for managing the building's cleanliness and orderliness, together with the cleaning maintenance team. Duties of a porter include ensuring the premises' safety, operating cleaning tools and equipment, and performing basic troubleshooting for defective machines... Show more	$11-17
   Floor Staff	The duties of floor staff depend on their line of work or industry of employment. In restaurants and similar establishments, floor staff is in charge of performing support tasks for the wait staff... Show more	$10-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Polish Furniture
   • Clean Bathrooms
   • Cleanliness
   • Clean Windows
   • Hot Water
   • Bathroom Fixtures
   • Shovels
   • Clean Restrooms
   • Office Buildings
   • Mop Floors
   • Clean Building
   • Air-Conditioner Filters
   • Office Space
   • Routine Painting

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain cleanliness of all floors in apartment building, sweeping and mopping.
   • Respond appropriately to the physical, emotional and developmental needs of patients.
   • Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operate sterilizers.

   More building cleaner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your building cleaner job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A building cleaner can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, building cleaners' average salary in louisiana is 51% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level building cleaners 40% less than senior-level building cleaners.
   • Certifications. A building cleaner with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a building cleaner's salary.

   Average building cleaner salary

   $13.21hourly

   $27,481 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level building cleaner salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 27, 2025

   Average building cleaner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$30,083	$14
   2	California	$29,839	$14
   3	Wisconsin	$29,125	$14
   4	New York	$28,513	$14
   5	Arizona	$28,385	$14
   6	Oregon	$28,090	$14
   7	Michigan	$28,045	$13
   8	Connecticut	$27,513	$13
   9	Iowa	$27,510	$13
   10	Colorado	$27,488	$13
   11	Pennsylvania	$26,437	$13
   12	Indiana	$26,130	$13
   13	South Dakota	$25,631	$12
   14	Nebraska	$25,454	$12
   15	Ohio	$25,341	$12
   16	Utah	$24,619	$12
   17	Texas	$21,245	$10

   Average building cleaner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Robbinsdale Area Schools	$32,999	$15.86	2
   2	Nestlé	$30,379	$14.61	2
   3	Zingerman's	$29,928	$14.39	2
   4	Fred's	$27,697	$13.32	1
   5	The Blick Center	$27,543	$13.24
   6	Skills for Rhode Island's Future	$27,332	$13.14
   7	ABM Industries	$27,252	$13.10	2,021
   8	Enviro-Clean	$27,240	$13.10	25
   9	Service Master Clean	$27,239	$13.10	489
   10	Harvard Maintenance	$27,231	$13.09	47
   11	Monroe Community College	$27,207	$13.08
   12	Pritchard Industries, Inc.	$27,172	$13.06	116
   13	Clean Power	$27,163	$13.06	17
   14	Spotless	$27,162	$13.06	6
   15	American Cleaning	$27,162	$13.06
   16	Klein Freelance	$27,159	$13.06
   17	Goodwill Staffing Services	$26,809	$12.89
   18	Sun Valley Resort	$26,567	$12.77

4. Writing a building cleaner job description

   A building cleaner job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a building cleaner job description:

   Building cleaner job description example

   Job DescriptionAt Office Pride, our goal is to help candidates find a position that provides a high level of flexibility. We value our employees' busy lives and work to find a schedule that fits your desired hours and availability. This position will earn you up to
   $700 per month extra income and a place to contribute as a valuable team member. We are looking for a cleaner in the Greenfield area. This position offers 2 to 4 evening shifts totaling 10-15 hours/week. The shift start time is 4:30pm or after and the job pays up to $12/hour.
   
   Location - Greenfield
   
   This job is FLEXIBLE and PART TIME.
   
   **FAST GROWING COMPANY WITH ROOM FOR ADVANCEMENT**
   We are looking for a person who:
   
   Demonstrates honesty, integrity, and a hard work ethic Enjoys being on your feet and moving around Is reliable, friendly, and detail oriented Has reliable transportation Commercial Cleaner/Custodian Responsibilities:
   
   Maintain and clean: offices, lobbies, restrooms, breakrooms, public use areas Collect/empty trash Dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping floors Cleaning of glass and doors We Offer:
   
   Weekly pay Free company shirts to wear on job site Paid training time Bonuses paid to team members who refer qualified applicants hired by us Job Type: Part-time You will be applying for a job with an independently owned and operated Office Pride franchised business and not with Faith Franchising Company, Inc., the franchisor of the Office Pride system, or any of its affiliates. Each franchise handles all employment matters for their specific location. Office Pride® is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right building cleaner for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with building cleaners they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit building cleaners who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your building cleaner job on Zippia to find and recruit building cleaner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with building cleaner candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new building cleaner

   Once you have selected a candidate for the building cleaner position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new building cleaner. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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