Building custodian vs general cleaner

The differences between building custodians and general 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 $27,205 average annual salary of a general cleaner.

The top three skills for a building custodian include GRASS, building floors and ladders. The most important skills for a general cleaner are cleanliness, break rooms, and light fixtures.

Building custodian vs general cleaner overview

	Building Custodian	General Cleaner
Yearly salary	$28,125	$27,205
Hourly rate	$13.52	$13.08
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	36,128	96,320
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Building custodian vs general cleaner salary

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

	Building Custodian	General Cleaner
Average salary	$28,125	$27,205
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $36,000	Between $21,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	Lawrence, MA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Washington
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Boston Medical Center
Best paying industry	Government	Construction

Differences between building custodian and general cleaner education

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

	Building Custodian	General Cleaner
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Building custodian vs general cleaner demographics

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

	Building Custodian	General Cleaner
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 74.9% Female, 25.1%	Male, 51.0% Female, 49.0%
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, 10.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 4.0% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between building custodian and general 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.

General cleaner example responsibilities.

Operate a forklift for logistic, to manage and relocate BMW's fixture material.
Service, supply and clean restrooms including all fixtures; toilets, urinals, partitions, walls, vents and mirrors.
Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides, orStream operate sterilizers.
Utilize a variety floor care tools including vacuums, steamers, buffers etc.
Used hand and power tools such as floor polishers, ladders, vacuum cleaners and mops.
Assign to the Honda plant, cleaning body repair booths, paint booths, sludge pits and paint ovens.

Building custodian vs general cleaner skills

Common building custodian skills

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

Common general cleaner skills

Cleanliness, 14%
Break Rooms, 8%
Light Fixtures, 6%
Safety Regulations, 5%
Mop Floors, 5%
Trash Removal, 5%

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Building Custodian vs General Cleaner

Updated January 8, 2025

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