When you are seeking a job as a Cleaner, it is essential first to check out a top-notch Cleaner resume sample. You want to make sure your resume stands out from the rest by being both informative and compelling to read without bombarding the recruiter or hiring manager with irrelevant information. In this job your primary purpose is to keep the building or facility that you work in spotless and orderly.

Some cleaning jobs are more specialized, especially in manufacturing or engineering facilities where special training is required to clean equipment, work with hazardous materials and also conduct routine maintenance as part of your task list. Cleaners can work in a variety of industries and also in small, medium or large companies. Other job titles you can look out for under the Cleaner category include Building Custodian, Building Service Worker, Building Services Technician, Cleaner, Custodial Worker, Custodian, Floor Technician, Heavy Duty Custodian, Institutional Custodian, and Janitor.

How to create a resume into an interview-winning document, will be easier with our: How to Make a Resume Guideline for Cleaner Roles?

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Cleaner Resumes Examples

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Cleaner Resume Writing Guide

Resume Sections

1. Contact Information: Name, Address, Phone Number, Email, Driver's license. Be sure to include alternative contact channels, as well as your LinkedIn profile or Facebook URL details.

2. Profile Summary: This introduction to your resume must make an impact on the reader. Include a broad overview of your background, years of industry experience and the industry sectors of interest. You should be specific and state which job you are applying to (1-3 sentences max).

3. Qualifications Summary: Provide accurate details about the certifications and qualifications you have completed with the institution, qualification name, and dates. Don’t forget to include qualifications you are currently completing too. For Cleaner roles, a high school diploma is often the only requirement, but some job openings may need post-school certifications too. You may also want to list the short courses, workshops, and in-house training you have received to provide more credibility to your resume.

4. Relevant Cleaner Experience: Clearly state your employment history by giving details regarding the last ten years of experience, up until your current position. Use punchy sentences with bullet points to list your most essential cleaning and maintenance activities.

5. Other Employment Experience: This will consist of permanent work history outside of office cleaning or facilities cleaning duties, but still in facilities or maintenance environment or temporary and vocational jobs where you were involved in cleaning and maintenance activities. Only elaborate on these with job descriptions if you have less than five years of experience. Otherwise, just list job title company and duration as to make sure there are no gaps in your employment history.

6. Skills Summary/Key Skills: Incorporates keywords from the job posting and your specific skill set. This adds much-needed credibility to your resume.

7. Education/Licenses/Certifications/Relevant Coursework/Training: Start with post-school diplomas or accreditations if applicable.

What to Highlight in a Cleaner Resume

Blond cleaning lady holding up a cleaning supplies

Regardless of your experience as a Cleaner, there are a few vital things that recruiters and managers need to know about you to ensure that you are the right fit for their team.

Firstly, elaborate on your type of work setting. Are you employed at a school or in a large office building? Cleaners may work in a variety of industries from factories, to banks to sports stadiums or holiday resorts. Be specific about ‘’where’’ you conduct your duties.

The second aspect to highlight is the scope of your cleaning role, for example, ‘what kind of cleaning are you involved in. Are you using industrial cleaning equipment where chemicals need to be mixed or is your role more manual like hand-mopping, sweeping and vacuuming? Cleaners can also be employed in contract roles as part of disaster management, for instance after a chemical spill, flood, or to clean up in the aftermath of fires and explosions.

Next comes the cleaning environment, surfaces, objects or areas. Are you responsible for cleaning restrooms, floor services or furniture, appliances and equipment? Also indicate what kind of cleaning activities you conduct during your day for sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, vacuuming, and polishing.

Then you need to be specific about the equipment you can use which can either be manual (mops, brooms, polish carts) or industrial (pressurized steamers, electrical water sprayers, dryers).

Furthermore, a Cleaner may also be responsible for ad hoc tasks like mowing and trimming lawns, removing décor and furniture after events, removing debris and snow from walkways and doing general repairs and maintenance. Remember also to include the equipment you are comfortable using like power trimmers, snow plows, leaf blowers, and hand trucks.

More specialized cleaner jobs that often require certification and training are Hazardous Waste Cleaning roles and Crime Scene Cleaning jobs, If you have this kind of experience you would be able to land higher-paying jobs due to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certifications required in these positions

*Cool Tip for a stellar resume

You can really create an excellent first impression by creating a top 3 wow factor list and include this on the first page of your resume in a separate section. This wow factor is different from the accomplishments you will include later in your resume. Think about what you are most proud of or what you did in your career that had a definite positive impact. Now, describe the duty/action/project, then provide a result and then explain the benefit/value that followed.

For example:

Implement a cleaning schedule and categorized all cleaning duties according to urgent and important with priority rankings from 1-3 (this is the ACTION part).
As a result, various areas in the facility were identified that required urgent maintenance and repairs like door handles, locks, tile cracks and rotting door frames (this is the RESULT).
Saved the company over $100 000, because preventative maintenance could be done, instead of replacing all delipidated fixtures and floors (this is the BENEFIT/VALUE).

Make sure to include the following details

The locations or regions you are willing to work in
Many Cleaner positions require employees to work during weekends, holidays and for extended hours in the early evening if the company operates on 24hour schedules. You need to state your willingness to the outside of regular office hours or workweeks.
Cleaners in factories and engineering plants are required to wear protective gear which is hot and uncomfortable. You need to state your preferences of what you would and won’t wear as to avoid wasting anyone’s time
Clearly state your knowledge regarding Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and mention the machinery that you are allowed to operate such as pressure washers, extractor fans, or HAZMAT machinery.

Cleaner Career Summary & Examples

Hiring managers have large numbers of resumes to screen and limited time to read them all in detail. Keep your career summary concise and to the point. Add the most relevant information first to capture their attention while they’re quickly scanning your resume. They want to see immediately that you can handle multiple tasks simultaneously and keep facilities clean and organized.

Start your career summary with your years of experience in the industry and the primary duties you performed. Use the job description as your guide when deciding on which tasks to add. The more your resume relates to the job description of keywords, the better fit you will seem.

Next, add a line that showcases any outstanding qualities that will add value to the company. A hiring manager would be interested to know if you have “ are physically fit, detail orientated, can work systematically and show responsibility and accountability at all times.” It’s important to note that these qualities should be proven with examples in the professional experience section to re-enforce your message.

Examples of different Career Summaries:

Example 2 (three years of experience)

Conscientious janitor with three years of experience in commercial office cleaning in high-rise buildings of Wall Street. Work mostly night shifts and was also entrusted with general security and maintenance duties. Supervise four-night cleaners and currently completing an Associates Degree in Industrial Cleaning Technology.

Example 1 (five of experience)

Dedicated cleaner with five years of experience at a nuclear plant and exemplary knowledge of safety standards and disaster protocols. Completed HAZOP and HAZMAT training and currently pursuing a Diploma in Facilities Management and Administration.

Cleaner Job Descriptions, Responsibilities and Duty Examples

An employer would expect to see the following proven foundational duties and skill sets within an applicant’s resume. Herewith a few examples of primary Cleaner duties in various industrial environments.

Examples

A Cleaner at a Secondary School may:

Gather and empty trash and trash bins
Sweeping, mopping, vacuuming and polishing floors and internal walkways
Clean restrooms and shower facilities and restock them with supplies
Keep buildings secure by locking doors at the end of the academic day
Clean spills and debris with the appropriate equipment
Wash windows, walls, and glass surfaces
Order cleaning supplies
Take care of minor repairs and maintenance activities
Make a list of major repairs and notify the facilities manager thereof

A Cleaner at an Industrial Facility may:

Prepare designated areas for cleaning and scrubbing
Wash ceilings, walls, floors and staircases
Clean office areas and vacuum carpets
Empty waste bins and kitchen trash cans
Remove graffiti and chewing gum on wall surfaces
Cleaning ceilings, walls, floors, windows, and staircases.
Emptying and cleaning storage tanks
Cleaning vehicles and machinery
Ensuring cleaning products and equipment are stored appropriately and keep an inventory report of all supplies

A Cleaner with Hazmat experience may:

Adhere to strict safety procedures during cleanup activities
Wear a Hazmat suit at all times
Conduct spot tests on hazardous materials to determine the proper way to clean up
Set up scaffolding and containment areas with appropriate signage before cleaning up
Remove, neutralize, and dispose of hazardous materials that are found or spilled following Hazmat protocols
Clean contaminated equipment for reuse
Keep records and incident reports of cleanup activities

Highlight Your Accomplishments

You may be tempted to copy and paste the list of duties you performed under your accomplishment section. The drawback to doing this though is that you won’t stand out from the other applicants with similar experience.

Your goal is to think about what sets you apart, what you are most proud of, or what you achieved in your previous roles. Now communicate these through action-packed statements that grab the reader’s attention.

Examples:

Flat, Simple Duty:

Do troubleshooting and inspection on cleaning equipment

Accomplishment Statement:

Reduced accident probabilities caused by defective or contaminated cleaning equipment by 90% with a preventative maintenance and repair schedule for each piece of machinery.

Quantifying Your Resume

When writing your resume, you should be answering questions like “How much?” or “How many?” It would be best if you include numbers which provide a ‘’proof of work’’ element to your resume. For instance:

What is the size of the facility you are cleaning?
Mention saving on costs or improving process efficiency?
How many manager diaries are you responsible for?

Example 1
– Responsible for general cleaning of a 10000 square feet facility and basic landscaping of outside gardens.

Example 2
– Reduced cleaning costs 70% by suggesting the use of locally produced cleaning chemicals and found a vendor who sells cleaning equipment in bulk bathes reducing equipment costs by 35%.

Example 3
– Introduced a green garbage disposal system that decreased compacting time by 30% and also contributed to the facility receiving an improved environmental responsibility rating

Cleaner Education Section Example

The education section forms an integral part of your resume even if you do not have a degree. Cleaners these days also have access to career development training. In short, indicate What, Where and When regarding your qualifications, certifications or courses or workshops completed. The name of your qualification, institution, and date of completion is more than sufficient.

Completed Secondary and Post School Education must be listed as follows:
Start with the commencement date and completion date for diplomas and associate degrees. For courses, you can just list the date of completion. Next comes the full name of the qualification, then the full name of the institution and then the City or abbreviated State name. List your high school diploma details similarly, but only include this when you have less than five years of working experience.

Here are some examples of a Cleaner Resume in terms of education:

2017 – Registered Environmental Services Executive (RESE), Illinois Environmental Health Association (IEHA), Westerville, IL

2014 – 2016 Associate’s Degree in Industrial Maintenance Technology, Mt. Hood Community College, Springfield, AR

2012 – 2013 Medical Cleaner Certificate, Lincoln Technical College, Bloomington, IN

2011 – Custodial Technician Training and Certification, Cleaning Management Institute (CMI), Albany, NY

2010 – Bio recovery Course, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Online

2009 – Hazmat Certification, OHSA Training Institute, Reston, VA

Cleaner Resume Skills Section

Although the reception field requires specific technical skills, employers also consider soft skills. These are the personality traits or skills that indicate to your fit as a Cleaner who will add value by meeting set out KPI’s, has adequate knowledge, and sufficient experience answer customer queries or direct them to the appropriate contact person. Incorporate these into your summary, or profile, and into your accomplishment statements.

Technical Skills Examples

Educational Attainment: A university degree is not generally required to become a Cleaner, but you may list diplomas, short courses or workshops you have completed.
Technical Aptitude: Tools and equipment expertise in heavy-duty buffing machines, trash compactors, incinerators, industrial mopping, and spraying machines and dryers.
Other technical skills of importance include: Chemical Use, Cleaning, Dusting, Mopping, Polishing Furniture Safety Protocols, Sanitation, Scrubbing, Sweeping, Washing Floors, Washing Windows, Waxing, General Housekeeping, Electronics Care and Cleaning, Floor Maintenance, Stain Removal

Soft Skill Examples

Accurate
Friendly
Approachable
Communicator
Helpful
Attention to Detail
Communication
Punctuality
Reliability
Careful
Dedicated
Task Orientated
Diligent
Self Motivated
Punctual
Trustworthy
Detail orientated
Work Ethic
Organized
Communication Skills
Neat and Tidy
Physically Fit

Qualifications/Certifications associated with Cleaners

Certified Building Services Executive (CBSE)	Registered Building Service Manager (RBSM)	Diploma Business Records Management
Biorecovery Course	Hazmat Certificate	CMI Custodial Technician
Registered Environmental Services Executive (RESA)	Hazop Certificate	Associates Degree in Industrial Maintenance Technology

Action Verbs for your Cleaner Resume

Scrubbing	Vacuuming	Allocating
Wiping	Sorting	Selecting
Dusting	Repairing	Ordering
Stripping	Maintaining	Prioritizing
Buffing	Removing	Organizing
Sweeping	Mopping	Communicating

Types of Cleaner Roles

Air Duct Cleaner
Aircraft Cleaner
Airport Cleaner
Apartment Cleaner
Barge Cleaner
Building Cleaner
Bus Cleaner Resume
Cabin Cleaner
Casino Cleaner
Coach Cleaner
Commercial Cleaner
Construction Cleaner
Equipment Cleaner
Facility Cleaner
Floor Cleaner
Glass Cleaner
Hospital Cleaner
Hotel Cleaner
House Cleaner
Industrial Cleaner
Kitchen Cleaner
Office Cleaner
Oil Tank Cleaner
Pool Cleaner
Public Area Cleaner
Restaurant Cleaner
Street Cleaner

Professional Information for Cleaners

Sectors: Various
Career Type: Cleaning, Removing, Sanitizing, Maintaining,
Person type: Helper, Communicator, Supporter, Organizer
Education levels: High School Diploma to Post School Diplomas
Salary indication: General Cleaner $25k per annum, Facilities Cleaner $34k per annum. Crime Scene Cleaner $37k per annum. Hazardous Materials Cleaner $60k per annum.
Labor market: Estimated 10% growth between 2016 – 2026
Organizations: Hospitals, Prisons, Health clubs, Schools, Offices, Retail outlets, Factories, and other industrial facilities.