Cleansing jobs are available many types. Some concentrate on properties, others care for entire buildings, and a few deal with powerful, high-risk work like mould or biohazards, typically incomes greater pay however needing further coaching.
This information covers the primary duties and typical U.S. salaries for 10 frequent cleansing jobs—so whether or not you’re beginning a cleansing enterprise, rising your crew, or on the lookout for work, you’ll be able to rapidly evaluate your choices.
Key Takeaways
- Jobs within the cleansing {industry} might be categorized into entry-level, specialist/superior, and supervisory roles.
- Entry-level positions are nice for novices who begin working instantly.
- Specialised and superior roles are for skilled cleaners who do particular sorts of cleansing. These jobs typically require further coaching, certifications, and will contain working in higher-risk locations.
Entry-level cleansing jobs
Entry-level positions require minimal coaching and {qualifications}, making them ultimate for people who find themselves new to cleansing and wish to begin working instantly.
Listed below are 5 entry-level cleansing jobs, their duties, and estimated salaries (that are primarily based on common U.S. pay knowledge from ZipRecruiter and Certainly):
Residential/home cleaner
Residential cleaners carry out normal duties to maintain personal properties and flats clear. They will work as impartial contractors or as a part of a cleansing company.
What do home cleaners do?
Home cleaner duties embrace:
- Dusting, vacuuming, and mopping rooms.
- Cleansing loos, kitchens, and customary areas.
- Disinfecting steadily touched surfaces like handles and switches.
- Altering linens and making beds.
- Emptying trash bins and restocking provides.
- Speaking with purchasers about particular cleansing wants.
How a lot do home cleaners make?
Home cleaners make $17–$20 per hour, averaging $35,000–$49,000 a yr.
Janitor/custodian
A janitor or custodian maintains faculties, hospitals, small workplaces, or public buildings. Many custodians work after faculty or after workplace hours to organize the amenities for the subsequent day.
What do janitors and custodians do?
Janitor and custodian duties embrace:
- Sweeping, mopping, and buffing flooring.
- Cleansing and sanitizing restrooms and locker rooms.
- Emptying trash cans and changing liners.
- Washing home windows, doorways, and surfaces.
- Refilling cleaning soap dispensers and paper merchandise.
- Locking up buildings and securing amenities after hours.
- Reporting upkeep or restore must supervisors.
How a lot do janitors and custodians make?
The common wage for a custodian is $16 an hour or about $33,000 per yr.
Housekeeping attendant
A housekeeper or room attendant cleans the rooms, lobbies, hallways, and different public areas in accommodations and different lodging institutions.
What do housekeeping attendants do?
A housekeeper’s duties embrace:
- Cleansing and getting ready visitor rooms day by day.
- Altering mattress linens and changing towels.
- Vacuuming carpets and sprucing furnishings.
- Restocking facilities (toiletries, espresso, water).
- Sanitizing loos and checking for upkeep points.
- Reporting misplaced gadgets and damages to administration.
- Sustaining cleanliness in hallways and customary areas.
How a lot do housekeeping attendants make?
The common annual pay for a housekeeper or room attendant is round $31,000–$36,000.
Should you’re a enterprise proprietor, hiring for entry-level roles is an inexpensive approach to develop your organization and practice junior cleaners in response to your requirements. You should use the Connecteam worker coaching app to rapidly create quick, step-by-step coaching classes with ready-made templates that your cleaners can do on the go.

Workplace/industrial cleaner
A industrial cleaner or workplace cleaner maintains workplaces, retail areas, and company workplaces. They will work as impartial contractors in a cleansing crew or as a part of a industrial cleansing enterprise.
What do industrial cleaners do?
A industrial cleaner’s duties contain:
- Vacuuming carpets and cleansing workstations after hours.
- Emptying workplace trash and recycling bins.
- Cleansing breakrooms, kitchens, and restrooms.
- Restocking paper towels, cleaning soap, and cleansing merchandise.
- Following safety procedures whereas working in consumer workplaces.
How a lot do industrial or workplace cleaners make?
Industrial cleaners make a mean of $15/hour or about $30,000/yr.
Laundry attendant
Laundry attendants work in locations like accommodations, hospitals, and industrial laundries, the place they clear massive volumes of uniforms, linens, and different materials.
What do laundry attendants do?
Laundry attendant duties embrace:
- Working washing machines, dryers, and ironing gear.
- Sorting linens and separating gadgets by colour and material kind.
- Inspecting materials for stains or injury.
- Treating stains utilizing the suitable cleansing merchandise.
- Folding, urgent, and packaging cleaned linens.
- Maintaining the laundry space and gear clear.
How a lot do laundry attendants make?
Laundry attendants make a mean of $30,000 per yr.
Should you make use of cleaners, you’ll profit from a cleansing providers app like Connecteam. It lets managers and enterprise house owners monitor and handle operations throughout totally different work websites. You possibly can assign schedules, create customized types and checklists to make sure high quality cleansing, and a lot extra.

Specialist and Superior Cleansing Jobs
Skilled cleaners can focus on varied kinds of cleansing providers. They will work independently or as a part of specialist or industrial cleansing firms.
These roles require certifications and experience in particular cleansing instruments or explicit work environments.
Specialist cleaners assist cleansing service companies ship premium providers to purchasers and generate greater cleansing enterprise income.
Listed below are some well-known specialist cleansing jobs:
Carpet cleansing technician
Carpet and furnishings cleansing technicians deep clear material surfaces utilizing skilled gear and cleansing options. They’re educated in chemical dealing with, machine operation, and stain identification.
What do carpet cleansing technicians do?
Carpet cleaner duties embrace:
- Inspecting carpets and fabric for stains and injury.
- Working steam cleaners, moist vacuums, and dryers.
- Making use of cleansing chemical substances and stain removers safely.
- Transferring and placing again furnishings.
- Treating carpets to cut back odors and sanitize them.
- Advising purchasers on carpet upkeep and stain prevention.
How a lot do carpet cleansing technicians make?
Carpet-cleaning technicians within the U.S. earn a mean hourly wage of $20. Specialists charging premium charges can earn much more.
Cleaners can earn extra certifications, such because the Carpet Cleansing Technician certificates, to show their experience and cost premium charges.
Biohazard cleaner
Biohazard cleaners clear and eliminate harmful and organic supplies. Examples embrace crime scene cleaners, who sanitize areas after crimes or accidents, and hazmat cleanup specialists, who take away poisonous waste, chemical substances, and different hazardous supplies.
These positions require coaching and certification, reminiscent of HAZWOPER certification by the Occupational Security and Well being Administration (OSHA) and coaching within the Hazardous Supplies Rules (HMR) by the U.S. Division of Transportation (DOT).
Connecteam lets cleansing enterprise house owners retailer their workers’ certifications, set expiration dates, and get alerts when certifications have to be renewed.
What do biohazard cleaners do?
The duties of a biohazard cleaner can embrace:
- Cleansing and disinfecting areas affected by blood or bodily fluids.
- Safely dealing with and disposing of biohazard and poisonous waste.
- Utilizing Private Protecting Gear (PPE), like gloves, respirators, and security fits.
- Eradicating contaminated supplies and furnishings.
- Deodorizing and sanitizing affected areas totally.
- Following OSHA, EPA, and native well being laws.
- Sustaining confidentiality and professionalism at trauma scenes.
How a lot do biohazard cleaners make?
Pay for biohazard cleaners varies by function. For instance, most hazmat cleanup specialists earn about $40,000–$60,000 per yr, whereas crime scene cleaners normally make round $28,000–$40,000 a yr, plus further pay for time beyond regulation and on-call shifts.
Mould remediation specialist
Mould remediation (mould cleanup) specialists determine and take away mould points in properties and companies. This function requires coaching and certification in environmental security, moisture management, and extra.
These specialists normally work with restoration firms or with property managers and insurance coverage suppliers.
What do mould remediation specialists do?
A mould remediation specialist’s duties embrace:
- Inspecting properties for mould progress and indicators of water leaks.
- Sealing off work areas to stop mould spores from spreading.
- Utilizing HEPA vacuums and air scrubbers for cleansing.
- Making use of antimicrobial therapies to surfaces.
- Eradicating contaminated drywall or supplies.
- Documenting cleanup progress and testing outcomes.
- Instructing purchasers the right way to forestall moisture issues and preserve air high quality secure.
How a lot do mould remediation specialists make?
The pay vary for a mould remediation specialist is $33,000–$80,000+ per yr.
Excessive-rise window cleaner
Excessive-rise window cleaners wash the exteriors of tall buildings, together with skyscrapers, typically utilizing ropes and scaffolds. Because it’s a dangerous job, cleaners have to be educated in rope entry, wind circumstances, peak security, and different technical procedures to carry out their work safely.
What do high-rise window cleaners do?
Excessive-rise window cleaners carry out duties like:
- Working rope entry methods, scaffolds, or lifts.
- Washing and wiping exterior constructing home windows.
- Cleansing frames, ledges, and constructing surfaces.
- Inspecting security harnesses, anchors, and ropes earlier than every job.
- Working with companions to make sure safe setups.
- Reporting constructing injury or security hazards.
- Sustaining cleansing instruments and resolution mixtures.
How a lot do high-rise window cleaners make?
The annual wage for a high-rise window cleaner can vary from $35,000–$50,000. Pay charges differ enormously and might be greater than common cleansing jobs, relying on the state.
Cleansing supervisor/supervisor
Supervisors and managers at totally different cleansing companies coordinate cleansing operations by supervising workers, coaching new hires, managing schedules, and guaranteeing service high quality meets industry-specific requirements.
Hospital cleansing supervisors, constructing custodial supervisors, and industrial cleansing managers are normal examples of supervisor roles within the cleansing {industry}.
What do cleansing supervisors and managers do?
The duties of a cleansing supervisor change relying on the particular place, however they embrace:
- Supervising and coaching cleansing workers.
- Scheduling shifts and assigning cleansing duties.
- Inspecting work high quality and ensuring requirements are met.
- Speaking with purchasers about their wants and issues.
- Managing budgets, payroll, and provide stock.
- Overseeing security requirements and crew efficiency.
- Discovering new purchasers and serving to the enterprise develop.
How a lot do cleansing supervisors and managers make?
The salaries of supervisors and managers differ relying on the kind of cleansing enterprise and particular roles. The general base pay vary for a supervisor function in most cleansing fields is about $32,000–$50,000 per yr, whereas supervisors in specialist fields (like hazmat or mould) can earn as much as round $80,000 per yr.
Supervisors/managers utilizing Connecteam can see which crew members are on website, who’s working late, and the way duties are progressing, proper from their telephones. They will additionally immediately message cleansing workers, replace schedules, and extra.

FAQs
Disclaimer
This text is for normal informational and academic functions solely. It isn’t meant as and doesn’t represent enterprise, monetary, or skilled recommendation, and shouldn’t be relied upon as such. Connecteam accepts no accountability for penalties arising from actions taken or not taken primarily based on the data current on this article.


