How to Hire a Janitor

Why hire a janitor?

An efficient janitor’s primary responsibility is to ensure the overall cleanliness of the office building by carrying out routine inspections, performing cleaning activities and taking care of overall maintenance.

Contributions of a great janitor include:

• Deep cleaning of the designated areas and corners of the building by sweeping, dusting, mopping, vacuuming, scheduling restroom cleaning, etc.
• Carrying out daily inspection and maintenance activities and documenting every find
• Submitting comprehensive reports to the authority for a discrepancy, repair or renovation

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance janitor

Companies can hire a freelance janitor for multiple reasons. They may need to hire a temporary freelancer because their full-time janitor quit and they need someone to perform the job while searching for a replacement. A business can also hire freelancers if it’s planning an event that requires a large amount of cleanup or if an unplanned occurrence created a large mess. 

Most businesses should have at least one full-time janitor on staff. This can evolve into a full team of janitors if the business has a large property. 

What are the types of janitors?

Janitors, also known as custodians, can come in a variety of roles. These positions include:

• Janitors: Typically, janitors are responsible for performing a variety of cleaning tasks around a building. They can mop and sweep floors, clean and restock bathrooms, wash windows, empty trash cans and recycling bins and wipe down surfaces.
• Maintenance workers: In small businesses, a janitor and a maintenance worker may have to perform the same jobs. Some janitors are trained to perform small-scale maintenance tasks, such as changing light bulbs, testing building equipment and repairing damaged appliances.
• Crime scene cleaners: Crime scene cleaners require specific certifications and training to clean biohazards that have been left behind after a crime. 
• Building superintendent: While not technically a janitor, a building superintendent fills a supervisory and managerial role for the janitors in the building. They’re often responsible for scheduling the custodians and ensuring the work is completed. 

Where to find janitors

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

• Post help wanted signs. Posting flyers about the open job can alert the community and encourage potential candidates to begin the application process. 
• Hire from within. There may be employees in your business who are looking to make a lateral move to the cleaning department. Search for these individuals and set up meetings to see if they’re interested in the job. 
• Search online for freelancers. If your company needs immediate cleaning and you can’t find potential candidates, check online for available freelancers who can do the work. Reach out to them to see if they’re interested. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your janitor job on Indeed to find and attract quality janitor candidates.

What are the types of janitors?

Janitors, also known as custodians, can come in a variety of roles. These positions include:

• Janitors: Typically, janitors are responsible for performing a variety of cleaning tasks around a building. They can mop and sweep floors, clean and restock bathrooms, wash windows, empty trash cans and recycling bins and wipe down surfaces.
• Maintenance workers: In small businesses, a janitor and a maintenance worker may have to perform the same jobs. Some janitors are trained to perform small-scale maintenance tasks, such as changing light bulbs, testing building equipment and repairing damaged appliances.
• Crime scene cleaners: Crime scene cleaners require specific certifications and training to clean biohazards that have been left behind after a crime. 
• Building superintendent: While not technically a janitor, a building superintendent fills a supervisory and managerial role for the janitors in the building. They’re often responsible for scheduling the custodians and ensuring the work is completed. 

Writing a janitor job description

A thoughtful description can help find quality janitor candidates. A janitor 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 janitor 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 janitor jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Janitorial
• Janitor
• Custodian
• Cleaning
• Cleaner
• Janitorial cleaning
• Hiring immediately
• Housekeeping
• Office cleaning
• Maintenance

Interviewing janitor candidates

To hire an expert janitor, review all candidates by asking relevant questions on their cleaning and maintenance experience:

• Examples of daily challenges with cleaning activities
• Cleaning techniques
• How they go the extra mile to ensure the sanitation as per company standard

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