How to become a professional cleaner

Choosing to become a professional cleaner can be an exceptionally rewarding decision. As a career choice, there are multiple benefits, from the flexibility of working hours to the amount of experience and training required to start.

It’s a great career to get into, with often fairly good pay options available. In this article, we take a look into how to become a professional cleaner, exploring some of the benefits along the way. 

Before we start, if you want to discuss becoming a cleaner please browse our latest vacancies – we’d love to hear from you regarding the opportunities that are relevant to you. 

Why become a cleaner?

First of all, why might you want to choose to become a professional cleaner? One of the main reasons a lot of people choose to become a cleaner is that it offers a lot of flexibility. For example, if you’re unable to work regular hours, many cleaning positions will offer either all night shifts or a combination of day and night shifts.

Sometimes you’ll also be able to choose shorter shifts, rather than the standard eight hour work day, which could be great if you’re looking to pick up a little extra work, or don’t always have a full day spare due to child care responsibilities or the like.

Being a cleaner can also offer a lot of variety. While in some cases you’ll only clean one building, such as if you’re employed directly through a large business, often if you work through a facilities management agency you’ll end up working in a diverse variety of settings. You may be cleaning an office one day, a sports ground the next – it has the opportunity to remain interesting.

The pay is also potentially attractive – the average is around £9.45 per hour, but it can go up to above £10 at many employers.

As cleaners are in such high demand, it’s a good time to look for a higher than average starting wage!

Qualifications

You might be wondering what qualifications you need to become a cleaner. The good news is, you don’t need any! While it will help to have experience, most companies will want to train you anyway to their specific standard, so experience isn’t a must at all.

That being said, there are some qualifications that may help you gain employment, or be placed in a slightly higher pay bracket. 

One of these qualifications is a COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health) certificate, which will help to show that you have an understanding of the chemicals commonly used for cleaning, such as bleach.

Another positive will be first aid training. Often at least one member of a cleaning team will need to be first aid trained, and if you are already certified, that makes you a more attractive candidate to potential employers. Finally, a driving license may be required by some employers; again, it’s possible that only one member of the team will need a license, but it’s always good to put it on your CV if you have one.

Key requirements

While you don’t necessarily need any formal qualifications to be a cleaner, there are some character traits that are necessary in order to do the job professionally and effectively. 

Diligence

One of the keys to being a good cleaner is diligence; you need to be the kind of person who pays close attention to details, and doesn’t sweep dropped bits of food under the fridge.

You’re being employed not only to keep spaces clean, but to make them safe and sanitary. To do the job well and in a safe manner, you can’t be impatient, and you must be willing to put the time and effort into making the environment under your care as clean and sanitary as possible.

Good health

Being a cleaner is a physical job, and you’ll spend the entire time you’re working on your feet. You need to be in good shape physically, and be able to carry cleaning equipment and boxes up stairs and the like.

It can be tiring, but you’ll get fit, and it’s a good way to stay healthy – far better than sitting at a desk all day. If you’re unsure how difficult it may be, you can always ask to do a trial shift – many employers will ask that you complete one anyway so they can judge if you’re a good fit, and in that shift you can see if you think you’re up to doing it full time.

Teamwork

While cleaning can sometimes be a solitary career, more often than not you’ll be required to work in a team.

You’ll need to be able to cooperate and communicate effectively in order to work efficiently together, but also be proactive and able to work without close supervision. Not everyone has these qualities, but they are something that can be learned, often on the job.

Career progression

Becoming a cleaner isn’t a dead-end path in terms of career progression – if you’re good at what you do, you can certainly move up in the command chain! You can become a supervisor, or move into other more administratively focused roles, depending on what your strong points are. 

Once you understand the professional cleaning business a little better, you can also start your own cleaning business, which will offer even more flexibility than fixed employment. It does mean that you’ll be responsible for everything, from accounts to liability, but if you have the knowledge and the resources, it can be a great way to progress.

Finding employment

If after reading the above you think you’re a suitable fit, the next step is to look for employment. With the added sanitation requirements of the pandemic, cleaners are in high demand, and it shouldn’t be hard to find a company that’s hiring. Take a look on some of the major job search engines such as Indeed and Reed, and send off some applications! 

 If you have any more questions about becoming a professional cleaner, contact our team on 0161 282 6444. We’re currently looking for more cleaners to join our team, and would love to hear from you if you think you’re a good fit for the role.

Alternatively, take a look at our latest vacancies section to see our current roles across the North West of England.