How to hire a cleaning and maintenance worker

How to hire a cleaning and maintenance worker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step cleaning and maintenance worker hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the cleaning and maintenance worker you need to hire. Certain cleaning and maintenance worker roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a cleaning and maintenance worker to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a cleaning and maintenance worker that fits the bill.

   This list presents cleaning and maintenance worker salaries for various positions.

   Type of Cleaning And Maintenance Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   Cleaning And Maintenance Worker	Janitors and building cleaners keep many types of buildings clean, orderly, and in good condition.	$10-15
   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... Show more	$11-18
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Building Floors
   • Plumbing
   • Clean Windows
   • Bathroom Fixtures
   • Customer Service
   • Safety Hazards
   • Office Buildings
   • Commercial Cleaning
   • Mop Floors
   • General Maintenance
   • Clean Bathrooms
   • Glass Partitions
   • Building Maintenance
   • Buff Floors

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Assist with light building repairs, maintain building cleanliness, strip and wax floors, order and manage supplies.
   • Perform emergencies work requests, schedule and unschedule maintenance program, emergencies and coordinate special projects as directed.
   • Operate buffers and burnishers to strip, wax and buff floors and corridors in various facilities.

   More cleaning and maintenance worker duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, cleaning and maintenance workers' average salary in south carolina is 39% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level cleaning and maintenance workers 36% less than senior-level cleaning and maintenance workers.
   • Certifications. A cleaning and maintenance worker 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 cleaning and maintenance worker's salary.

   Average cleaning and maintenance worker salary

   $12.80hourly

   $26,619 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level cleaning and maintenance worker salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average cleaning and maintenance worker salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$30,810	$15
   2	California	$29,758	$14
   3	New Hampshire	$28,895	$14
   4	Oregon	$28,209	$14
   5	Ohio	$27,994	$13
   6	Illinois	$27,983	$13
   7	Minnesota	$27,561	$13
   8	Maryland	$27,420	$13
   9	Wisconsin	$27,346	$13
   10	New York	$27,310	$13
   11	Arizona	$27,080	$13
   12	Kansas	$26,680	$13
   13	Georgia	$26,675	$13
   14	Colorado	$26,105	$13
   15	Michigan	$25,575	$12
   16	Kentucky	$25,534	$12
   17	Missouri	$25,419	$12
   18	Virginia	$24,726	$12
   19	Pennsylvania	$23,420	$11
   20	Texas	$23,202	$11

   Average cleaning and maintenance worker salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	House of Blues	$29,440	$14.15
   2	Meadow Lark Country Club	$29,082	$13.98
   3	Remedy Intelligent Staffing	$28,797	$13.84
   4	Daemen College	$28,716	$13.81	9
   5	Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County	$28,343	$13.63
   6	PeopleReady	$28,029	$13.48	177
   7	The Reserves Network	$27,946	$13.44	10
   8	Staffmark	$27,914	$13.42
   9	Marriott International	$27,898	$13.41	413
   10	Peabody Companies	$27,367	$13.16
   11	Adecco	$27,301	$13.13	106
   12	Bruce Transportation Group	$27,226	$13.09
   13	Johns Hopkins Medicine	$27,211	$13.08	38
   14	Aramark	$27,068	$13.01	1,614
   15	Live Nation Entertainment	$26,805	$12.89	38
   16	Randstad North America, Inc.	$26,500	$12.74
   17	Sonic Drive-In	$26,290	$12.64	73
   18	ABM Industries	$25,908	$12.46	2,477
   19	Service Master Clean	$25,904	$12.45	459
   20	Harvard Maintenance	$25,892	$12.45	53

4. Writing a cleaning and maintenance worker job description

   A cleaning and maintenance worker 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 cleaning and maintenance worker job description:

   Cleaning and maintenance worker job description example

   The Harvard Companies include entities working to serve the business community in the janitorial and protection services areas. Harvard Maintenance and Harvard Protection are two of the largest and fastest growing, privately owned providers of high quality janitorial and security services in the United States. We are an industry leader and are well known for our innovative thinking and entrepreneurial spirit. Our success over the last fifty years stems from Harvard's Inverted Pyramid , which recognizes that our front-line employees are the most important people in our organization. The Inverted Pyramid ensures that our employees feel valued, are given the tools to be successful, and are empowered to execute in their roles. People are also at the center of our Core Values. Our People First core value clearly states that "we are a family organization that promotes respect and embraces diversity".
   
   Basic cleaning, including cleaning of all common areas, restrooms, entrances, elevators, walkways, windows, furniture, fixtures, stairs, chairs, tables, telephones, drinking fountains, trashing, dusting polishing and other assigned items/areas. We have multiple shifts available as well as both full time, part time and seasonal opportunities.
   Essential Duties and Responsibilities
   
   + Responsible for all basic cleaning
   
   + Cleaning of restrooms includes restocking toilet tissue and other dispensers, emptying trash, clean and sanitize fixtures, clean mirrors, spot clean partition doors and walls, sweep and mop tile floors, and clean toilets and urinals
   
   + Move furniture, vacuum, reposition furniture, empty trash and replace liners
   
   + Check all trash containers prior to moving it
   
   + Cleaning includes dust mopping, damp mopping, sweeping, vacuuming, gum removal, dusting, picking up larger objects off the floor and spot cleaning glass
   
   + Performs additional duties as required, including attending to flooded areas, incidental spills, and related clean-up work for trash and restroom concerns
   
   + Restock carts and closets at the end of each shift
   
   Knowledge and Skill Requirements
   
   + High School Diploma
   
   + Minimum of 1 year experience
   
   + Strong communication skills
   
   + Must be willing to work assigned hours
   
   Compensation
   
   Harvard is offering a competitive salary structure including benefit package with medical, dental, life, and long-term disability (LTD) insurance along with 401K Savings Plan. An Equal Opportunity Employer --- M/F/D/V
   
   Schedule
   
   5:30pm- 7:30pm (Mon/Wed/Fri)
   
   Job Site LocationUS-MI-Bellaire
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find cleaning and maintenance workers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any cleaning and maintenance workers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level cleaning and maintenance workers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting cleaning and maintenance workers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   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 cleaning and maintenance worker

   Once you have selected a candidate for the cleaning and maintenance worker 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.

   To prepare for the new cleaning and maintenance worker first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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