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What does a cleaner/shifter do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read

Cleaners or shifters clean and handle the light maintenance of a residential or commercial property. Commercial employers hire them to clean common and private areas in the building, and residential employers hire them to clean and reorganize their home. They must be reliable to keep any confidential information they see to themselves. Being healthy and knowing safety precautions is useful in this job because they clean with chemicals and waste materials that can be harmful to humans and the environment if not handled with care.

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Cleaner/shifter responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real cleaner/shifter resumes:

  • Execute commercial building following safety awareness to maintain cleanliness and neatness of working area and premises.
  • Clean multiple commercial building using industrialize buffers, scrubbers and/or vacuum equipment.

Cleaner/shifter skills and personality traits

We calculated that 85% of Cleaner/Shifters are proficient in Hand Tools, Clean Windows, and Office Space. They’re also known for soft skills such as Mechanical skills, Physical strength, and Time-management skills.

We break down the percentage of Cleaner/Shifters that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Hand Tools, 85%

    Clean containers, materials, supplies, or work areas, using cleaning solutions and hand tools.

  • Clean Windows, 7%

    Clean windows, glass partitions, and mirrors, using soapy water or other cleaners, and sponges.

  • Office Space, 6%

    Help clean houses, office spaces and any other need from clients.

  • Exterior Surfaces, 2%

    Removed graffiti from interior and exterior surfaces manually and/or with machine type devices and chemical cleaning devises.

  • Clean Rooms, 1%

    Blow off packaging materials before going into clean room.

Most cleaner/shifters use their skills in "hand tools," "clean windows," and "office space" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential cleaner/shifter responsibilities here:

Mechanical skills. One of the key soft skills for a cleaner/shifter to have is mechanical skills. You can see how this relates to what cleaner/shifters do because "janitors and building cleaners need to understand general building operations and should be able to make routine repairs, such as to leaky faucets." Additionally, a cleaner/shifter resume shows how cleaner/shifters use mechanical skills: "stripped and waxed floors; vacuum and shampoo carpets; and dusted assigned areas using manual or mechanical equipment. "

Physical strength. Another essential skill to perform cleaner/shifter duties is physical strength. Cleaner/shifters responsibilities require that "janitors and building cleaners often must lift and move heavy cleaning materials and equipment." Cleaner/shifters also use physical strength in their role according to a real resume snippet: "repair, maintain physical structures of school, office buildings,use of hand tools and power tools. "

Time-management skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of cleaner/shifters is time-management skills. This skill is critical to many everyday cleaner/shifter duties, as "janitors and building cleaners must plan and complete tasks in a timely manner." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "maintain time deadlines while still providing excellent customer service. "

All cleaner/shifter skills

The three companies that hire the most cleaner/shifters are:

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Compare different cleaner/shifters

Cleaner/shifter vs. Floor care specialist

A floor care specialist is in charge of the maintenance of floors in public or private establishments. They typically ensure the cleanliness of floors by sweeping, dry and wet mopping, disinfecting areas, extracting or sanitizing carpets, vacuuming, and scrubbing bathroom floors. They may also participate in installing or refinishing floor tiles, preparing facilities, and re-arranging furniture. Moreover, a floor care specialist must maintain the cleanliness of floors while maintaining an active communication line with co-workers and managers for a smooth and efficient workflow.

If we compare the average cleaner/shifter annual salary with that of a floor care specialist, we find that floor care specialists typically earn a $2,656 higher salary than cleaner/shifters make annually.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between cleaner/shifters and floor care specialist. For instance, cleaner/shifter responsibilities require skills such as "criminal background checks," "hand tools," "clean windows," and "office space." Whereas a floor care specialist is skilled in "patients," "home health," "floor care," and "rehabilitation." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Floor care specialists earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $34,345. On the other hand, cleaner/shifters are paid more in the transportation industry with an average salary of $31,770.floor care specialists tend to reach similar levels of education than cleaner/shifters. In fact, floor care specialists are 4.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Cleaner/shifter vs. 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. They typically serve food to patrons, clean and set tables, help in processing payments, monitor the supplies, and maintain the cleanliness of different areas. They may also assist customers by escorting them to their tables, answering inquiries, and delivering their bills. Furthermore, should there be any problems, the floor staff must report to the manager right away.

On average, floor staff earn a $1,677 higher salary than cleaner/shifters a year.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that cleaner/shifter responsibilities requires skills like "criminal background checks," "hand tools," "clean windows," and "office space." But a floor staff might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "pos," "phone calls," "cleanliness," and "math."

In general, floor staff achieve similar levels of education than cleaner/shifters. They're 0.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Cleaner/shifter vs. Custodian

A custodian, also referred to as janitor, is responsible for maintaining cleanliness and helping protect all facilities. Custodians make sure everything is clean, neat, in order, and free from clutter and safe. They perform routine maintenance tasks and heavy cleaning duties. They do everyday things to sweep floors, mop, scrub, vacuum, collect and empty trash, dust furniture, walls, and equipment. They mix solutions and chemicals in containers based on proportions for disinfecting windows, mirrors, and other partitions requiring cleaning. Some also do minor building maintenance and light repairs, while others are exposed to biohazardous materials.

On average, custodians earn lower salaries than cleaner/shifters, with a $1,334 difference per year.cleaner/shifters and custodians both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "clean windows," "office space," and "class rooms," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a cleaner/shifter is likely to be skilled in "criminal background checks," "hand tools," "routine maintenance," and "safety issues," while a typical custodian is skilled in "cleanliness," "work ethic," "customer service," and "building floors."

Custodians earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $31,075. Comparatively, cleaner/shifters have the highest earning potential in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $31,770.custodians typically earn similar educational levels compared to cleaner/shifters. Specifically, they're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Cleaner/shifter vs. Sanitation worker

A sanitation worker is employed to carry out valuable community tasks like garbage collection, hauling, and disposal. Sanitation workers take responsibility for the cleanliness and maintenance of the community. They ride or drive garbage trucks to collect trash from businesses and residents every day. They may work within companies as well following their respective corporate policies. One can become a sanitation worker if they have a college degree, high school degree, or any relevant job experience.

Sanitation workers average a higher salary than the annual salary of cleaner/shifters. The difference is about $1,649 per year.While both cleaner/shifters and sanitation workers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like cdl, safety regulations, and assembly line, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between cleaner/shifters and sanitation workers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a cleaner/shifter might have more use for skills like "criminal background checks," "hand tools," "clean windows," and "office space." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of sanitation workers require skills like "cleanliness," "pallet jack," "food safety," and "safety standards. "

The government industry tends to pay the highest salaries for sanitation workers, with average annual pay of $38,278. Comparatively, the highest cleaner/shifter annual salary comes from the transportation industry.The average resume of sanitation workers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to cleaner/shifters. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 2.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

Types of cleaner/shifter

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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