Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 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.

  • This role centers on 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..
  • The work relies on active listening and speaking among the skills shown below.
  • Common backgrounds include high school or ged and a range of related job titles.

Quick facts

Top skillActive ListeningHighest importance score at 3
Most common educationHigh school or GEDReported by 62.41% of workers
Typical experience6–12 monthsReported by 33.36% of workers
Job title variations110 titlesCommon titles found in source data

What this career is really about

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 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. The role turns occupational data into practical guidance for people exploring this path.

Day-to-day success depends on skills such as active listening and speaking. These abilities support the communication, problem-solving, and coordination that the work requires.

Education paths vary, but high school or ged is the most commonly reported background. Related work experience also plays a role, with many workers bringing relevant practice before stepping into this position.

This career suits people who want a structured role with clear skill and education signals drawn from real workforce data.

Common job titles

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners may appear under many titles. The names below come directly from the source dataset and reflect different employer naming conventions for similar responsibilities.

  • Airport Attendant
  • Alley Cleaner
  • Blinds Cleaner
  • Blinds Washer
  • Brass Cleaner
  • Brass Polisher
  • Building Attendant
  • Building Custodian
  • Building Exterior Cleaner
  • Building Maintenance Custodian
  • Building Services Technician (Building Services Tech)
  • Building Services Worker
  • Camp Attendant
  • Camp Tender
  • Campground Cleaning Attendant
  • Carpet Cleaner
  • Carpet Cleaning Technician (Carpet Cleaning Tech)
  • Casino Porter
  • Change House Attendant
  • Chimney Sweep
  • Chore Worker
  • Cleaner
  • Cleaning and Maintenance Worker
  • Cleaning Custodian
  • Cleaning Handyman
  • Cleaning Helper
  • Cleaning Laborer
  • Cleaning Porter
  • Cleaning Technician (Cleaning Tech)
  • Coach Cleaner
  • Commercial Cleaner
  • Custodial Aide
  • Custodial Engineer
  • Custodial Laborer
  • Custodial Maintenance Worker
  • Custodial Worker
  • Custodian
  • Day Porter
  • Dormitory Keeper
  • Duct Cleaner
  • Environmental Services Aide
  • Environmental Services Associate
  • Facilities Worker
  • Facility Services Associate
  • Floor Buffer
  • Floor Care Specialist
  • Floor Cleaner
  • Floor Person
  • Floor Polisher
  • Floor Scrubber
  • Floor Sweeper
  • Floor Technician (Floor Tech)
  • Floor Waxer
  • Furnace Caretaker
  • General Cleaner
  • Hall Cleaner
  • Heavy Duty Custodian
  • Hired Man
  • Hired Worker
  • Home Restoration Service Cleaner
  • Hospital Cleaner
  • Industrial Cleaner
  • Industrial Plant Custodian
  • Industrial Sweeper
  • Institutional Cleaner
  • Janitor
  • Janitorial Associate
  • Janitorial Cleaner
  • Janitorial Maintenance Worker
  • Janitorial Worker
  • Labor Custodian
  • Lamp Replacer
  • Latrine Cleaner
  • Light Bulb Replacer
  • Light Fixture Servicer
  • Maintenance Aide
  • Maintenance Assistant
  • Maintenance Custodian
  • Maintenance Helper
  • Maintenance Janitor
  • Maintenance Worker
  • Marble Cleaner
  • Multi-Story Window Cleaner (Multiple-Story Window Cleaner)
  • Night Cleaner
  • Odd Jobs Day Worker
  • Office Cleaner
  • Office Sweeper
  • Paper Cleaner
  • Patch Worker
  • Pool Cleaner
  • Power Washer
  • Project Crew Worker
  • Sanitation Worker
  • School Custodian
  • School Janitor
  • Scrub Woman
  • Scrubber
  • Station Cleaning Porter
  • Sweeper
  • Swimming Pool Servicer
  • Tobacco Sweeper
  • Utility Person
  • Utility Porter
  • Utility Worker
  • Wall Cleaner
  • Wall Washer
  • Wallpaper Cleaner
  • Washhouse Worker
  • Window Cleaner
  • Window Washer

Skills that carry the work

The skill pattern shows active listening as the leading requirement, followed by speaking and critical thinking. These strengths shape how workers perform the core duties described above.

Active Listening
3
Speaking
3
Critical Thinking
2.75
Monitoring
2.75
Reading Comprehension
2.5
Writing
2.38

Scores shown on a 0–5 scale using the importance value from the provided skills table.

Education

The education distribution is varied. High school or GED is the single largest group at 62.41%. Other credentials are also represented, indicating multiple possible paths into this career.

High school or GED62.41%
Bachelor's Degree23.48%
Less Than High School13.51%
Post-Doctoral Training0.6%
High school or GED is most common

About 62.41% of workers in this role report high school or ged as their highest level of education.

Several educational routes appear

Other reported backgrounds include bachelor's degree and less than high school, showing flexibility in preparation.

Reported backgrounds, not requirements

These figures describe the education workers have reported, not a mandatory checklist for entering the role.

Experience

Experience levels vary. The largest group reports 6–12 months, followed by 1–2 years. This suggests that many people enter the role after building relevant experience.

6–12 months33.36%
1–2 years21.89%
None required19.38%
Up to 1 month16.2%
1–3 months9.17%

A realistic way into this career

There is no single path into this role. Many people build related skills and experience first, then move into positions with greater responsibility. The steps below are a common pattern.

Build foundational skills

Start in roles that develop active listening and speaking. These abilities form the base for the day-to-day work described in the source data.

Gain related experience

Work in adjacent positions where you can apply those skills in real situations. This builds judgment, confidence, and the practical knowledge employers look for.

Move into the target role

With relevant experience and the right credentials, step into a janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners position and take on the full scope of responsibilities.

Good fit signals

Comfort with structured tasks

You work best when there are clear processes, goals, and measurable outcomes to track.

Strong communication habits

You can apply skills like active listening and speaking to coordinate with others and keep work moving.

Willingness to keep learning

You are open to building experience and education over time rather than expecting an instant entry path.