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What does an office cleaner do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does an office cleaner do
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Office cleaner responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real office cleaner resumes:

  • Operate a forklift for logistic, to manage and relocate BMW's fixture material.
  • Use of heavy cleaning equipment-buffing machines, scrubbers, wall washing.
  • Use and maintain assign power equipment and hand tools; buffers, auto scrubbers etc.
  • Mix cleaning solutions to clean, disinfect and deodorize urinals, toilet bowls, and sinks.
  • Sanitize restrooms including sinks and urinals.
  • Clean restaurants during the evenings and ensure protocols are followed according to restaurant cleanliness guidelines.
  • Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operate sterilizers.

Office cleaner skills and personality traits

We calculated that 18% of Office Cleaners are proficient in Commercial Cleaning, Window Sills, and Office Buildings. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Mechanical skills, and Physical strength.

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

  • Commercial Cleaning, 18%

    Utilize the client's customized commercial cleaning checklist to perform all tasks to the standards established by The Dust Collectors.

  • Window Sills, 16%

    Cleaned bank facilities, dust and wiped clean all offices and furniture, files, fixtures and window sills.

  • Office Buildings, 14%

    Cleaned office buildings after hours utilizing effective window and carpet cleaning practices

  • Trash Removal, 8%

    Preformed a broad range of tasks including vacuuming, dusting, trash removal, and cleaning and disinfecting bathrooms.

  • Clean Restrooms, 6%

    General house cleaning, dust furniture, sweep, vacuum and mop floors, clean restrooms, clean windows, etc.

  • Office Space, 3%

    Cleaned and prepared business offices, office spaces, and rest areas for the next business day.

Common skills that an office cleaner uses to do their job include "commercial cleaning," "window sills," and "office buildings." You can find details on the most important office cleaner responsibilities below.

Interpersonal skills. The most essential soft skill for an office cleaner to carry out their responsibilities is interpersonal skills. This skill is important for the role because "janitors and building cleaners must interact well other cleaners and the people who live or work in the buildings they service." Additionally, an office cleaner resume shows how their duties depend on interpersonal skills: "general maintenance of grounds other routine maintenance duties as assigned skills used good communication and interpersonal skills. "

Mechanical skills. Another essential skill to perform office cleaner duties is mechanical skills. Office cleaners responsibilities require that "janitors and building cleaners need to understand general building operations and should be able to make routine repairs, such as to leaky faucets." Office cleaners also use mechanical skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "detail cleaning, operate mechanical buffer, mop and clean windows. "

Physical strength. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of office cleaners is physical strength. This skill is critical to many everyday office cleaner duties, as "janitors and building cleaners often must lift and move heavy cleaning materials and equipment." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "utilited industrial strength scrubber and polisher to clean floors. "

Time-management skills. For certain office cleaner responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "time-management skills." The day-to-day duties of an office cleaner rely on this skill, as "janitors and building cleaners must plan and complete tasks in a timely manner." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what office cleaners do: "initiated cleaning services for specified clients provided world class customer service by being organized, professional and on time. "

All office cleaner skills

The three companies that hire the most office cleaners are:

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Compare different office cleaners

Office cleaner vs. Housekeeping aide

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.

We looked at the average office cleaner salary and compared it with the wages of a housekeeping aide. Generally speaking, housekeeping aides are paid $2,515 higher than office cleaners per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both office cleaner and housekeeping aide positions are skilled in commercial cleaning, window sills, and trash removal.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, office cleaner responsibilities require skills like "office buildings," "office space," "vacuum floors," and "shampoo carpets." Meanwhile a typical housekeeping aide has skills in areas such as "patients," "guest rooms," "customer service," and "cleanliness." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Housekeeping aides earn the highest salaries when working in the hospitality industry, with an average yearly salary of $30,153. On the other hand, office cleaners are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $27,888.housekeeping aides tend to reach similar levels of education than office cleaners. In fact, housekeeping aides are 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Office cleaner 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.

A career as a porter brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of an office cleaner. In fact, porters salary is $2,408 higher than the salary of office cleaners per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Office cleaners and porters both require similar skills like "commercial cleaning," "trash removal," and "clean restrooms" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, office cleaner responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "window sills," "office buildings," "vacuum floors," and "paper towels." Meanwhile, a porter has duties that require skills in areas such as "excellent guest," "dexterity," "manual dexterity," and "customer service." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, porters earn a higher salary than office cleaners. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, porters earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $30,781. Whereas office cleaners have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $27,888.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Porters tend to reach similar levels of education than office cleaners. In fact, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Office cleaner vs. Housekeeping attendant

A housekeeping attendant provides comfort to guests in hotels, motels, inns, or resorts. They ensure that guest rooms are clean and that all guests' needs are met. Their key duties may vary from establishment to establishment, but they will generally receive work assignments from their supervisor. Aside from carrying out routine cleaning operations, they replenish room supplies and report maintenance issues.

On average scale, housekeeping attendants bring in higher salaries than office cleaners. In fact, they earn a $578 higher salary per year.office cleaners and housekeeping attendants both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "commercial cleaning," "window sills," and "trash removal," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from office cleaner resumes include skills like "office buildings," "clean restrooms," "office space," and "clean bathrooms," whereas a housekeeping attendant is more likely to list skills in "cleanliness," "customer service," "patients," and "patient rooms. "

Housekeeping attendants earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $28,938. Office cleaners earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $27,888.housekeeping attendants typically earn similar educational levels compared to office cleaners. Specifically, they're 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Office cleaner vs. Day porter

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.

Day porters average a higher salary than the annual salary of office cleaners. The difference is about $1,367 per year.While both office cleaners and day porters complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like commercial cleaning, window sills, and office buildings, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between office cleaners and day porters, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an office cleaner might have more use for skills like "shampoo carpets," "exam rooms," "dust furniture," and "polish floors." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of day porters require skills like "customer service," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "abm. "

In general, day porters earn the most working in the utilities industry, with an average salary of $28,643. The highest-paying industry for an office cleaner is the finance industry.In general, day porters hold similar degree levels compared to office cleaners. Day porters are 0.2% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of office cleaner

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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