Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
What Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 5.5%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- 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.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.4/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.1/5
- English Languageimportance 2.9/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.7/5
- Transportationimportance 2.3/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 2.3/5
- Telecommunicationsimportance 2.2/5
- Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 2.1/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.6/5
- Spend Time Walking or Running4.5/5
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.5/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.4/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.2/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Dishwashers94% skill match
- Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons94% skill match
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers92% skill match
- Forest and Conservation Workers92% skill match
- Firefighters92% skill match
- Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs91% skill match
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation91% skill match
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers91% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Coordinationimportance 2.8/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.8/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.6/5
- Service Orientationimportance 2.5/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.4/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.3/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 2.3/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.1/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Other Software Used
- Eko
- Squeegee
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Cooperation
- Achievement Orientation
- Stress Tolerance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- SocialLow
- EnterprisingLow
- InvestigativeLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Ponce, PR3.26× national avg
- 2San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR2.19× national avg
- 3Mayaguez, PR2.06× national avg
- 4Sherman-Denison, TX1.99× national avg
- 5Aguadilla, PR1.67× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersCareer Change
- DishwashersCareer Change
- Floor Sanders and FinishersCareer Change
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping WorkersLateral Move
See the full career path from Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners →