How to Hire a Cleaner

Why hire a cleaner?

The need for new staff can affect both your existing team and your bottom line.

A great cleaner hire can help your business:

• Perform routine cleaning of commercial buildings by wiping down communal areas, cleaning bathrooms and emptying trash
• Handle ad hoc cleaning requests
• Maintain an inventory of necessary cleaning supplies

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance cleaner

Before you post your job and start looking for candidates, consider the decision between hiring a full-time employee and using a freelance cleaner. If you have a regular cleaning load that can keep a full-time employee busy, hiring a dedicated staff member means you always have a cleaner ready when necessary. Your full-time cleaner knows where everything is, understands the necessary cleaning processes and is familiar with the layout of the building.

If you only need occasional cleaning, a freelance or outsourced cleaning service might be more cost-effective. Commercial cleaning companies offer various cleaning services, with options for cleaning once daily, once a week or at other intervals that work with your needs. This option gives you more flexibility, and you only have to pay when you need a cleaner.

What are the ranks of cleaners?

Small businesses often only need one cleaner or maintenance employee to keep the facility clean. Larger businesses or those with heavy cleaning needs might need multiple cleaning staff members. Having a hierarchy of cleaning staff members helps make the workflow more efficient. Some of the ranks for cleaners include:

• Cleaner: This person in this position is often entry-level and completes the hands-on cleaning. Some positions might also include light maintenance, such as painting. 
• Lead cleaner/supervising cleaner: When you have multiple cleaners, designating one or more lead cleaners can help keep the cleaning tasks organized. This person still handles cleaning but also does supervisory tasks to help lead the cleaning crew.
• Cleaning services manager: If you have a large cleaning team, having a department manager might be necessary. This person can handle scheduling and staffing concerns and assign duties to the cleaners. A cleaning department manager also collaborates with other department heads to ensure the cleaning services are efficient and meet the needs of other departments.

Where to find cleaners

To find the right cleaner for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Post flyers or a help wanted sign: Print flyers to post around town, or place a help wanted sign in your window if the area has foot traffic.
• Promote internally: If you’re looking for a supervising cleaner or a cleaning department manager, consider promoting one of your current cleaners to the leadership role.
• Ask for referrals: Employee referrals are often effective. Encourage your employees to spread the word about the cleaner opening.
• Post on social media: Reach out to your followers, who are already fans of your business, when you need to hire a cleaner. You might find someone in your fan base who wants a cleaning job, or they might know someone they can refer.
• Post your job online: Try posting your cleaner job on Indeed to find and attract quality cleaner candidates.

What are the ranks of cleaners?

Small businesses often only need one cleaner or maintenance employee to keep the facility clean. Larger businesses or those with heavy cleaning needs might need multiple cleaning staff members. Having a hierarchy of cleaning staff members helps make the workflow more efficient. Some of the ranks for cleaners include:

• Cleaner: This person in this position is often entry-level and completes the hands-on cleaning. Some positions might also include light maintenance, such as painting. 
• Lead cleaner/supervising cleaner: When you have multiple cleaners, designating one or more lead cleaners can help keep the cleaning tasks organized. This person still handles cleaning but also does supervisory tasks to help lead the cleaning crew.
• Cleaning services manager: If you have a large cleaning team, having a department manager might be necessary. This person can handle scheduling and staffing concerns and assign duties to the cleaners. A cleaning department manager also collaborates with other department heads to ensure the cleaning services are efficient and meet the needs of other departments.

Writing a cleaner job description

A thoughtful description is important in finding qualified cleaners. A cleaner job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your cleaner job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on cleaner jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Cleaning
• Housekeeping
• Cleaner
• Hiring immediately
• General labor
• Laborer
• Janitorial
• Custodian
• Janitor
• Office cleaning

Interviewing cleaner candidates

Strong candidates for cleaner positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Their knowledge of cleaning supplies and techniques
• Their ability to work without direct supervision
• Their general physical health and abilities

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of cleaner interview questions for examples (with sample answers).