What does a cleaning crew member do?

The responsibilities of a cleaning crew member depend on the delegated tasks from a leader. Most duties will revolve around sweeping and mopping floors, wiping windows and mirrors, cleaning bathrooms and kitchens, dusting corners, and vacuuming. There are also instances when a cleaning crew member must take out garbage, collect laundry, and replenish essential supplies such as soap and tissue. Furthermore, it is crucial to coordinate with the team and organize cleaning tools and supplies, ensuring that nothing is left behind on work areas.
Cleaning crew member responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real cleaning crew member resumes:
- Used power hoses, power sprayers and squeegees.
- Maintain cleanliness and organization of basement stock area.
- Maintain kitchen equipment, assuring cleanliness and safe operation.
- Demonstrate ability to lift and move heavy objects owing to exceptional physical dexterity.
- Keep storage areas well stock, clean and tidy, wash windows, disinfect equipment, and wash dishes.
Cleaning crew member skills and personality traits
We calculated that 30% of Cleaning Crew Members are proficient in Cleanliness, Window Sills, and Bathroom Fixtures. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Mechanical skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Cleaning Crew Members that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cleanliness, 30%
Maintain cleanliness and safety throughout restaurant
- Window Sills, 12%
Dust fixtures, window sills, and furniture in rooms.
- Bathroom Fixtures, 8%
Washed and sanitized bathroom fixtures daily with germicidal solution.
- Office Buildings, 6%
Cleaned office buildings in the winter months and did lawn maintenance for various businesses in the Duluth area in the summer months
- Public Restrooms, 5%
Sanitized and disinfected all public restrooms.
- Squeegees, 5%
Use and maintain assigned power equipment and hand tools; buffer, auto scrubber, high pressure washer and squeegees.
Most cleaning crew members use their skills in "cleanliness," "window sills," and "bathroom fixtures" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential cleaning crew member responsibilities here:
Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for a cleaning crew member to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what cleaning crew members do because "janitors and building cleaners must interact well other cleaners and the people who live or work in the buildings they service." Additionally, a cleaning crew member resume shows how cleaning crew members use interpersonal skills: "general maintenance of grounds other routine maintenance duties as assigned skills used good communication and interpersonal skills. "
Mechanical skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling cleaning crew member duties is mechanical skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "janitors and building cleaners need to understand general building operations and should be able to make routine repairs, such as to leaky faucets." According to a cleaning crew member resume, here's how cleaning crew members can utilize mechanical skills in their job responsibilities: "change filters and light bulbs, assemble furnishing, report mechanical damages to techs and oversea all operations of said equipments. "
Physical strength. This is an important skill for cleaning crew members to perform their duties. For an example of how cleaning crew member responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "janitors and building cleaners often must lift and move heavy cleaning materials and equipment." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a cleaning crew member: "sweep and vacuum floors; clean and maintain bathrooms; and maintain the physical upkeep of furniture. ".
Time-management skills. A big part of what cleaning crew members do relies on "time-management skills." You can see how essential it is to cleaning crew member responsibilities because "janitors and building cleaners must plan and complete tasks in a timely manner." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical cleaning crew member tasks: "maintain large volumes of residential and commercial units to meet constricted deadlines, providing high quality and professional grade customer service. "
The three companies that hire the most cleaning crew members are:
- Cracker Barrel1,759 cleaning crew members jobs
- Hooters88 cleaning crew members jobs
- Live Nation Entertainment19 cleaning crew members jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable cleaning crew member resume templates
Build a professional cleaning crew member resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your cleaning crew member resume.Compare different cleaning crew members
Cleaning crew member vs. Maid
Maids are individuals who perform domestic chores like ironing, grocery shopping, cleaning, and laundry. Primarily, maids oversee the maintenance of wardrobes, serve meals, and lay out clothes. They can carry out their job independently and adhere to the strict schedules set for them. They maintain the cleaning records as well as the supply inventory in organizations or residences. Maids are expected to be equipped with physical capabilities, along with cleaning, time management, customer service, and organizational skills.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between cleaning crew members and maid. For instance, cleaning crew member responsibilities require skills such as "cleanliness," "bathroom fixtures," "public restrooms," and "squeegees." Whereas a maid is skilled in "taking care," "laundry room," "customer service," and "bed sheets." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Maids earn the highest salaries when working in the construction industry, with an average yearly salary of $27,826. On the other hand, cleaning crew members are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $28,983.The education levels that maids earn slightly differ from cleaning crew members. In particular, maids are 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a cleaning crew member. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cleaning crew member 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.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real cleaning crew member resumes. While cleaning crew member responsibilities can utilize skills like "window sills," "safety regulations," "stainless steel," and "routine inspections," custodians use skills like "work ethic," "customer service," "minor maintenance," and "ladders."
On average, custodians earn a higher salary than cleaning crew members. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, custodians earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $31,075. Whereas cleaning crew members have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $28,983.custodians earn similar levels of education than cleaning crew members in general. They're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cleaning crew member vs. 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. Other tasks include assisting visitors with their inquiries, leading clients to the appropriate departments, adhering to the highest safety standards and procedures, and answering maintenance calls. A porter must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to ensure daily smooth operations.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a cleaning crew member is likely to be skilled in "window sills," "bathroom fixtures," "office buildings," and "public restrooms," while a typical porter is skilled in "excellent guest," "dexterity," "manual dexterity," and "customer service."
Porters make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $30,781. On the other hand, cleaning crew members are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $28,983.When it comes to education, porters tend to earn similar degree levels compared to cleaning crew members. In fact, they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Cleaning crew member vs. Custodian/substitute custodian
A custodian is primarily responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of a particular area, including preparing and setting-up equipment for public or private use. Although their duties depend on their area of assignment or industry of employment, those duties often include conducting routine maintenance checks on facilities, performing basic repairs, cleaning floors and windows, replacing fixtures, monitoring supply inventories, and ordering new supplies as necessary.
Types of cleaning crew member
Updated January 8, 2025











