Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Overview

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Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Experience

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Education

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Job Training

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Examples

These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, desktop publishers, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters and simultaneous captioners, and medical assistants.

Keep buildings in clean and orderly condition. Perform heavy cleaning duties, such as cleaning floors, shampooing rugs, washing walls and glass, and removing rubbish. Duties may include tending furnace and boiler, performing routine maintenance activities, notifying management of need for repairs, and cleaning snow or debris from sidewalk.

Yearly Salary

High: $46K
Median: $29K
Low: $20K

Demand

Career Demand by State Career Demand by State Legend

Core Tasks

  • Clean building floors by sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, or vacuuming.
  • Gather and empty trash.
  • Service, clean, or supply restrooms.
  • Monitor building security and safety by performing tasks such as locking doors after operating hours or checking electrical appliance use to ensure that hazards are not created.
  • Notify managers concerning the need for major repairs or additions to building operating systems.
  • Follow procedures for the use of chemical cleaners and power equipment to prevent damage to floors and fixtures.
  • Mix water and detergents or acids in containers to prepare cleaning solutions, according to specifications.
  • Clean windows, glass partitions, or mirrors, using soapy water or other cleaners, sponges, or squeegees.
  • Dust furniture, walls, machines, or equipment.
  • Requisition supplies or equipment needed for cleaning and maintenance duties.
  • Strip, seal, finish, and polish floors.
  • Remove snow from sidewalks, driveways, or parking areas, using snowplows, snow blowers, or snow shovels, or spread snow-melting chemicals.
  • Clean and polish furniture and fixtures.
  • Make adjustments or minor repairs to heating, cooling, ventilating, plumbing, or electrical systems.
  • Drive vans, industrial trucks, or other vehicles required to travel to, or to perform, cleaning work.
  • Move heavy furniture, equipment, or supplies, either manually or with hand trucks.
  • Set up, arrange, or remove decorations, tables, chairs, ladders, or scaffolding to prepare facilities for events, such as banquets or meetings.
  • Spray insecticides or fumigants to prevent insect or rodent infestation.
  • Clean chimneys, flues, and connecting pipes, using power or hand tools.
  • Mow or trim lawns or shrubbery, using mowers or hand or power trimmers, and clear debris from grounds.
  • Steam-clean or shampoo carpets.

Technology Skills

Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Cloud-based data access and sharing software
Squeegee
Desktop communications software
Eko
Electronic mail software
Microsoft Outlook
Office suite software
Microsoft Office software
Operating system software
Operating system software
Spreadsheet software
Microsoft Excel
Word processing software
Microsoft Word

Tools Used

Tool
Example
Cleaning and janitorial supplies
Dry mops
Computer Equipment and Accessories
Desktop computers
Construction and maintenance support equipment
Portable scaffolding
Hand tools
Power grinders
Heavy construction machinery and equipment
Snowplows
Industrial pumps and compressors
Air compressors
Janitorial equipment
Floor buffers
Material handling machinery and equipment
Hand trucks
Personal safety and protection
Protective ear plugs

Top 10 Knowledge Required

Public Safety and Security
68%
Importance

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Administration and Management
63%
Importance

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

English Language
59%
Importance

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Customer and Personal Service
54%
Importance

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Transportation
47%
Importance

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Law and Government
46%
Importance

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Telecommunications
44%
Importance

Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

Personnel and Human Resources
42%
Importance

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Communications and Media
40%
Importance

Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Administrative
39%
Importance

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Top 10 Skills

Active Listening
60%
Importance

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking
60%
Importance

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Coordination
55%
Importance

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Critical Thinking
55%
Importance

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Monitoring
55%
Importance

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Time Management
55%
Importance

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Active Learning
53%
Importance

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Social Perceptiveness
53%
Importance

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Reading Comprehension
50%
Importance

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Service Orientation
50%
Importance

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Top 10 Abilities

Near Vision
65%
Importance

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Trunk Strength
65%
Importance

The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.

Arm-Hand Steadiness
60%
Importance

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Extent Flexibility
60%
Importance

The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Manual Dexterity
60%
Importance

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Oral Comprehension
60%
Importance

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression
60%
Importance

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Problem Sensitivity
60%
Importance

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Static Strength
60%
Importance

The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.

Information Ordering
58%
Importance

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Top 10 Work Activities

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
83%
Importance

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
78%
Importance

Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Performing General Physical Activities
76%
Importance

Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
75%
Importance

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems
75%
Importance

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Getting Information
73%
Importance

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Handling and Moving Objects
72%
Importance

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Developing and Building Teams
71%
Importance

Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
70%
Importance

Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
69%
Importance

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Clean facilities or sites.
  • Dispose of trash or waste materials.
  • Clean building walls or flooring.
  • Monitor building premises to ensure occupant or visitor safety.
  • Confer with coworkers to coordinate maintenance or cleaning activities.
  • Prepare chemicals for work application.
  • Clean furniture or fixtures.
  • Select equipment, materials, or supplies for cleaning or maintenance activities.
  • Clean equipment or supplies.
  • Move furniture.
  • Remove snow.
  • Drive trucks or other vehicles to or at work sites.
  • Maintain equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.
  • Treat facilities to eliminate pests.
  • Decorate indoor or outdoor spaces.
  • Remove debris from work sites.
  • Trim trees or other vegetation.
  • Operate grounds maintenance equipment.

Education

Interests

Realistic
97%
Importance

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Conventional
65%
Importance

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Social
30%
Importance

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Enterprising
23%
Importance

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Investigative
16%
Importance

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Artistic
15%
Importance

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Work Values

Relationships
62%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Support
43%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Independence
29%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Working Conditions
29%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

Achievement
24%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Recognition
19%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.