Building custodian vs cleaner

The differences between building custodians and cleaners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a building custodian has an average salary of $28,125, which is higher than the $28,075 average annual salary of a cleaner.

The top three skills for a building custodian include GRASS, building floors and ladders. The most important skills for a cleaner are commercial cleaning, building floors, and ventilation.

Building custodian vs cleaner overview

	Building Custodian	Cleaner
Yearly salary	$28,125	$28,075
Hourly rate	$13.52	$13.50
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	36,128	74,355
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Building custodian vs cleaner salary

Building custodians and cleaners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Building Custodian	Cleaner
Average salary	$28,125	$28,075
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $36,000	Between $21,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Lawrence, MA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Washington
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Government	Education

Differences between building custodian and cleaner education

There are a few differences between a building custodian and a cleaner in terms of educational background:

	Building Custodian	Cleaner
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Building custodian vs cleaner demographics

Here are the differences between building custodians' and cleaners' demographics:

	Building Custodian	Cleaner
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 74.9% Female, 25.1%	Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 5.0% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between building custodian and cleaner duties and responsibilities

Building custodian example responsibilities.

Use of floor scrubbers and carpet machine.s.
Clean all bathrooms including fixtures, urinals, toilets, washbowls and wall tiles.
Sweep all floors, scrub interior and exterior surfaces including underside lips of commodes, urinals and wash basins.
Maintain a positive accountability for cleanliness for a secure government building.
Perform mechanical repairs and services to plumbing, electrical, mechanical systems and large rotating equipment including refrigeration systems.
Perform emergencies work requests, schedule and unschedule maintenance program, emergencies and coordinate special projects as directed.

Cleaner example responsibilities.

Operate a forklift for logistic, to manage and relocate BMW's fixture material.
Remove snow from sidewalks, using snow blowers, and/or snow shovels, and spread snow melting chemicals.
Use of various equipment used for methods of cleaning areas in the school such sweepers and snow blowers.
Maintain church building and grounds by handling general maintenance including electrical and plumbing and providing custodial services
Complete weekly order for PPE.
Clean Toyota after trucks build.

Building custodian vs cleaner skills

Common building custodian skills

GRASS, 10%
Building Floors, 9%
Ladders, 6%
Light Fixtures, 6%
Cleanliness, 6%
Building Maintenance, 5%

Common cleaner skills

Commercial Cleaning, 8%
Building Floors, 8%
Ventilation, 8%
Cleanliness, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
Work Ethic, 6%

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Building and Grounds Maintenance Industry
Building Custodian
Building Custodian vs Cleaner

Updated January 8, 2025

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