General cleaners are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness of all the facilities of the company premises. A general cleaner also monitors the adequacy of cleaning materials in the storage area. They also respond to the visitors' inquiries and concerns, directing them to the appropriate personnel and department for their business needs. A general cleaner must be highly-organized, ensuring the safety of the establishment by following strict sanitary standards and cleaning procedures. They report defective items, inspect office equipment, and request additional supplies.

General Cleaner Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real general cleaner resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • 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.
  • Conduct preventative maintenance and cleanliness using store approve techniques.
  • Clean restaurants during the evenings and ensure protocols are followed according to restaurant cleanliness guidelines.
  • Clean laboratory equipment such as glassware or metal instruments using solvents, brushes, rags, or squeegees.
  • Place clean linens on beds, clean bathrooms, kitchen counter-tops and stoves.
  • Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operate sterilizers.

General Cleaner Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 14% of General Cleaners are proficient in Cleanliness, Break Rooms, and Light Fixtures. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Mechanical skills, and Physical strength.

We break down the percentage of General Cleaners that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Cleanliness, 14%

    Maintained proper cleanliness of facilities *Prepared clinic for incoming patients *Restocked and kept accurate inventory of monthly supplies in each facility

  • Break Rooms, 8%

    Cleaned break rooms, including sinks, counter tops, microwaves, coffeemakers, refrigerators, tables and chairs.

  • Light Fixtures, 6%

    General maintenance and repairs such as painting, fixing door knobs, replacing light fixtures and ceiling tiles.

  • Safety Regulations, 5%

    Stock and maintain supply rooms and followed health and safety regulations.

  • Mop Floors, 5%

    Sweep and mop floors, vacuuming, emptying trash receptacles and replace lining, clean windows and mirrors, dust furniture.

  • Trash Removal, 5%

    Trash RemovalLawn CareGeneral RepairClean outs of homes

Most general cleaners list "cleanliness," "break rooms," and "light fixtures" as skills on their resumes. We go into more details on the most important general cleaner responsibilities here:

  • The most important skills for a general cleaner to have in this position are interpersonal skills. In this excerpt that we gathered from a general cleaner resume, you'll understand why: "janitors and building cleaners should get along well with their supervisors, other cleaners, and the people who live or work in the buildings they clean." According to resumes we found, interpersonal skills can be used by a general cleaner in order to "assisted vendor freight bills conducting backroom stock inventory high customer service and interpersonal skills janitor"
  • Another trait important for fulfilling general cleaner duties is mechanical skills. According to a general cleaner resume, "janitors and building cleaners should understand general building operations." Here's an example of how general cleaners are able to utilize mechanical skills: "experience with floor cleaning machines, buffing and scrubbing machines, mechanical extraction carpet scrubbers. "
  • General cleaners are also known for physical strength, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a general cleaner resume: "janitors and building cleaners often must lift and move cleaning materials and heavy equipment" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "clean building floors by sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, or vacuuming gather and empty trash performing general physical activities"
  • A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "time-management skills" is important to completing general cleaner responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way general cleaners use this skill: "janitors and building cleaners should be able to plan and complete tasks in a timely manner." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical general cleaner tasks: "vacuum floors and under seats/seat cushions accomplishments always turned planes on time"
  • See the full list of general cleaner skills.

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    What Day Porters Do

    Day porters are skilled employees who are responsible for conducting daily building maintenance at a facility to ensure it looks neat and presentable to the public. These porters are required to clean all common room areas such as the kitchen, cafeteria, and lobby as well as prepare conference rooms before and after meetings. They must complete minor repairs and place safety hazard signs in the building to warn customers and employees. Day porters must also provide service washrooms while responding to major spills or other cleaning crises.

    We looked at the average general cleaner annual salary and compared it with the average of a day porter. Generally speaking, day porters receive $1,615 higher pay than general cleaners per year.

    While their salaries may differ, one common ground between general cleaners and day porters are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like cleanliness, light fixtures, and mop floors.

    These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A general cleaner responsibility is more likely to require skills like "break rooms," "safety regulations," "ventilation," and "exam rooms." Whereas a day porter requires skills like "work ethic," "strong work ethic," "abm," and "plumbing." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

    Day porters really shine in the utilities industry with an average salary of $28,643. Whereas general cleaners tend to make the most money in the construction industry with an average salary of $27,073.

    The education levels that day porters earn is a bit different than that of general cleaners. In particular, day porters are 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a general cleaner. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Rooming House Keeper?

    The extent of a rooming house keeper's responsibilities will vary on the organization or industry where one is employed. Most of the time, it is their job to perform various household chores such as cleaning bedrooms and bathrooms, washing dishes, doing the laundry, and even vacuuming particular areas. There are also instances where they must prepare meals, arrange closets, iron and fold pieces of clothing, and discard trash. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with other employees at all times and adhere to the directions of employers.

    Next up, we have the rooming house keeper profession to look over. This career brings along a higher average salary when compared to a general cleaner annual salary. In fact, rooming house keepers salary difference is $1,820 higher than the salary of general cleaners per year.

    Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. General cleaners and rooming house keepers both include similar skills like "light fixtures," "mop floors," and "trash removal" on their resumes.

    In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, general cleaner responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cleanliness," "break rooms," "safety regulations," and "customer service." Meanwhile, a rooming house keeper might be skilled in areas such as "clean laundry," "patient rooms," "guest rooms," and "residents rooms." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

    Rooming house keepers may earn a higher salary than general cleaners, but rooming house keepers earn the most pay in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $30,178. On the other side of things, general cleaners receive higher paychecks in the construction industry where they earn an average of $27,073.

    In general, rooming house keepers study at similar levels of education than general cleaners. They're 0.1% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a Housekeeping Aide Compares

    The primary job of a housekeeping aide is to maintain the cleanliness of an assigned area, including hospital rooms, hotel rooms, and corridors. This role will require you to perform various housekeeping chores as requested by the housekeeping manager, such as cleaning the restrooms and kitchens. You will be responsible for keeping the office pantries tidy and ensuring the availability of supplies for beverages such as chocolate and coffee at all times. Other duties include cleaning floors, clearing away garbage, and attending to the needs of guests.

    The third profession we take a look at is housekeeping aide. On an average scale, these workers bring in higher salaries than general cleaners. In fact, they make a $2,763 higher salary per year.

    While looking through the resumes of several general cleaners and housekeeping aides we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "cleanliness," "light fixtures," and "mop floors," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

    There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, a general cleaner is likely to be skilled in "break rooms," "safety regulations," "commercial property," and "office buildings," while a typical housekeeping aide is skilled in "patients," "guest rooms," "home health," and "rehabilitation."

    Interestingly enough, housekeeping aides earn the most pay in the hospitality industry, where they command an average salary of $30,153. As mentioned previously, general cleaners highest annual salary comes from the construction industry with an average salary of $27,073.

    When it comes to education, housekeeping aides tend to earn similar education levels than general cleaners. In fact, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a 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.

    Porters tend to earn a higher pay than general cleaners by about $2,656 per year.

    According to resumes from both general cleaners and porters, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "cleanliness," "light fixtures," and "mop floors. "

    Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a general cleaner might have more use for skills like "break rooms," "safety regulations," "commercial property," and "ventilation." Meanwhile, some porters might include skills like "excellent guest," "dexterity," "manual dexterity," and "good communication" on their resume.

    Porters earn a higher salary in the retail industry with an average of $30,781. Whereas, general cleaners earn the highest salary in the construction industry.

    Porters reach similar levels of education when compared to general cleaners. The difference is that they're 0.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree more, and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.