About This Career

Performs any combination of light cleaning duties to maintain private households or commercial establishments, such as hotels and hospitals, in a clean and orderly manner. Duties may include making beds, replenishing linens, cleaning rooms and halls, and vacuuming.

This career is part of the Hospitality and Tourism cluster Lodging pathway.

A person in this career:

• Keeps storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy.
• Carries linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies, using wheeled carts.
• Cleans rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met.
• Empties wastebaskets, empties and cleans ashtrays, and transports other trash and waste to disposal areas.
• Sweeps, scrubs, waxes, or polishes floors, using brooms, mops, or powered scrubbing and waxing machines.
• Replenishes supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and bathroom items.
• Cleans rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaners and shampooers.
• Washes windows, walls, ceilings, and woodwork, waxing and polishing as necessary.
• Dusts and polishes furniture and equipment.
• Disinfects equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operated sterilizers.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves bending or twisting your body more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves walking or running more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly up close
• Exerting oneself physically over long periods of time without getting out of breath
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Irregular hours
• Weekend work