Resume guide · Updated October 2026
Janitor Resume Example and Writing Guide (Custodian and Cleaner)
Short answer
A janitor or custodian resume should name the buildings you cleaned (schools, offices, hospitals, warehouses) and their size, then the duties you handled: restroom sanitation, floor care such as stripping, waxing and burnishing, trash and recycling, and minor repairs. Add the equipment you run, chemical safety training, any ISSA CMI certification and your shift availability.
| Median pay (May 2025) | $36,840 per year ($17.71 per hour) |
|---|---|
| Typical entry-level education | No formal educational credential |
| Job outlook, 2025-35 | 2% (Slower than average) |
| Number of jobs | 2,432,600 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Janitors and Building Cleaners, checked 27 October 2026.
Janitor resume example
Below is a full janitor resume for Luis Romero, a fictional lead Custodian, K-12 and Commercial Facilities in Milwaukee, WI. Keep the section order, then replace each line with your own work and results.
Luis Romero
Lead Custodian, K-12 and Commercial Facilities
Milwaukee, WI · luis.romero@example.com · (555) 011-7739 · linkedin.com/in/luisromero
Summary
Lead custodian with 8 years in school, office and hospital buildings. Runs a 4-person night crew covering a 120,000-square-foot high school, handles hard-floor refinishing and keeps restrooms and the cafeteria on daily inspection schedules. CMI Certified Custodial Technician; trained in hazard communication and bloodborne pathogens.
Experience
Lead Custodian (Night Shift), Lakeshore Unified School District
Aug 2021 to present
Milwaukee, WI
- Lead a crew of 4 custodians cleaning a 120,000-square-foot high school each night, assigning zones and checking work against a nightly checklist.
- Strip, wax and burnish about 40,000 square feet of VCT flooring every summer and spot-refinish high-traffic halls over winter break.
- Set up and tear down the cafeteria and gym for more than 60 evening events a year, including chairs, staging and cleanup.
- Keep the chemical room organized with current SDS binders and dilution-control dispensers, and train new hires to read labels.
Custodian, Northgate Business Park
Mar 2018 to Jul 2021
Milwaukee, WI
- Cleaned 3 floors of office space (about 45,000 square feet) per shift: trash and recycling, dusting, vacuuming and restroom sanitation.
- Restocked paper and soap in 18 restrooms and logged supply use, which cut emergency supply orders.
- Reported leaks, lighting failures and damaged fixtures through the work order system and handled minor fixes such as bulbs and toilet seats.
Environmental Services Aide, Mercy Pines Hospital
May 2016 to Feb 2018
Waukesha, WI
- Turned over 20 to 25 patient rooms per shift during high census, following isolation signage and disinfectant contact times.
- Completed discharge cleans of patient rooms to the infection prevention checklist.
- Handled regulated medical waste and full sharps containers according to hospital policy.
Equipment
- Walk-behind and ride-on auto scrubbers
- High-speed burnishers and swing machines
- Carpet extractors and backpack vacuums
- Scissor lift (employer trained)
Education
High school diploma, Harbor View High School
2015
Certifications
CMI Certified Custodial Technician (ISSA Cleaning Management Institute) · Bloodborne pathogens and hazard communication training (annual, employer provided)
Skills
Restroom sanitation · Floor stripping, waxing and burnishing · Carpet extraction · Auto scrubber operation · Chemical dilution and SDS · Event setup · Minor repairs · Work order systems · Crew scheduling
Janitor resume summary examples
4 janitor summaries, one each for entry level, experienced custodian, hospital environmental services and lead or supervisor. Pick the closest and rewrite it with your own title, years and one real result.
Reliable, physically fit worker with 1 year of part-time cleaning at a fitness center: locker rooms, mopping, trash and towel laundry. Follows chemical labels and checklists, shows up on time and is available for night and weekend shifts.
Custodian with 5 years in office and school buildings. Cleans 25,000 to 30,000 square feet per shift, runs auto scrubbers and carpet extractors, and handles setups for meetings and events. Trained in hazard communication and bloodborne pathogens.
Environmental services technician with 4 years in an acute care hospital. Completes discharge and isolation cleans to infection prevention standards, follows disinfectant contact times and handles regulated medical waste.
Custodial supervisor with 10 years in college facilities. Schedules 14 custodians across 6 buildings, inspects work against APPA cleaning levels and manages the supply budget and ordering.
Janitor resume objective examples
Use an objective instead of a summary for no experience and career changer situations: one or two sentences on what you bring and the janitor job you want.
Hardworking recent graduate seeking an entry-level custodian job on the night shift, bringing 2 summers of cleanup work for a city parks department and a willingness to learn floor care equipment.
Former warehouse associate with 4 years of equipment operation and safety training, seeking a building custodian role where steady independent work and care for equipment carry over.
Janitor resume bullet points
Bullets grouped by daily cleaning and sanitation, floor and carpet care, safety, chemicals and maintenance and events, security and teamwork. The numbers are illustrations; put in your own.
Daily cleaning and sanitation
- Cleaned and disinfected 14 restrooms per shift and signed each posted inspection sheet.
- Emptied trash and sorted recycling and compost for a 6-floor office building, about 90 bins a night.
- Dusted, vacuumed and spot-cleaned 30 classrooms each evening on a rotating detail schedule.
Floor and carpet care
- Stripped and refinished 25,000 square feet of VCT each summer using swing machines and auto scrubbers.
- Burnished main corridors weekly to keep the floor finish even between full refinishes.
- Extracted carpet in 40 offices each quarter and treated reported spots the same day.
Safety, chemicals and maintenance
- Mixed chemicals only through dilution-control systems and kept safety data sheets current for 22 products.
- Cleaned body fluid spills with spill kits and protective equipment following bloodborne pathogens procedures.
- Submitted 10 to 15 work orders a month for leaks, lights and broken fixtures, and handled minor fixes such as faucet aerators.
Events, security and teamwork
- Set up rooms for 200-person events, then reset furniture and floors before classes the next morning.
- Locked and alarmed the building at the end of each night shift and reported security issues to the facilities manager.
- Trained 5 new custodians on equipment, cleaning routes and chemical safety.
Skills for a janitor resume
17 skills employers list in janitor postings. Include the ones the posting asks for and that your bullets prove.
| Type | Skills |
|---|---|
| Hard skills | Restroom cleaning and disinfection, Floor stripping, waxing and burnishing, Carpet extraction and spot cleaning, Auto scrubber and burnisher operation, Trash, recycling and compost handling, Chemical dilution and safety data sheets, Bloodborne pathogens procedures, Event and room setup, Minor repairs and work orders, Building lockup and security checks, Supply inventory and ordering |
| Soft skills | Reliability, Working independently, Attention to detail, Physical stamina, Time management, Courtesy with building occupants |
| Tools and software | Auto scrubbers, High-speed burnishers, Swing (rotary) floor machines, Carpet extractors, Backpack vacuums, Dilution-control dispensers, Work order (CMMS) software |
Certifications for a janitor resume
| Credential | Issued by | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| CMI Certified Custodial Technician (Basic and Advanced) | ISSA Cleaning Management Institute (CMI) | Covers core custodial skills. CMI lists a two-year expiration, renewed by online exam. |
| CMI Certified Custodial Supervisor | ISSA Cleaning Management Institute (CMI) | Worth adding when you move into lead or supervisor roles. |
| CMI Hard Floor Care, Carpet Care or Restroom Care | ISSA Cleaning Management Institute (CMI) | Single-topic certifications you can list on their own if you do not hold the full technician certification. |
| Bloodborne pathogens and hazard communication training | Your employer, under OSHA standards | A training record rather than a certification, but schools and hospitals look for it. List it with the year completed. |
What duties should go on a janitor resume?
Group your duties by area and give each a sense of scale: square footage per shift, number of restrooms or classrooms, the type of building and the shift you worked. A hiring supervisor wants to picture your route.
The core duties most custodian postings list are daily cleaning, restroom sanitation, floor and carpet care, trash and recycling, restocking supplies, reporting maintenance problems, minor repairs and event setups. Add building security tasks such as lockup and alarm checks if you handle them.
- Daily cleaning: dusting, vacuuming, mopping, glass, high-touch disinfection
- Restrooms: cleaning, disinfecting, restocking, inspection logs
- Floors: sweeping, auto scrubbing, stripping, waxing, burnishing, carpet extraction
- Building care: work orders, light bulbs, minor plumbing fixes, snow removal at entrances
- Events: room setups and teardowns, chairs and tables, post-event cleanup
Janitor, custodian or cleaner: which title should you use?
Use the title in the job posting, because applicant tracking systems match on it. School districts and governments usually say custodian, hospitals say environmental services (EVS) technician or housekeeper, and commercial cleaning companies often say janitor or cleaner.
If your past title differs, keep the real title on the job entry and use the posting's wording in your summary: "Custodian with 6 years of janitorial and floor care work in offices." That covers both terms honestly.
Which custodian skills and equipment should you list?
Equipment and floor types set experienced custodians apart, because floor machines take training. Name what you can run (auto scrubbers, burnishers, swing machines, carpet extractors) and the surfaces you maintain (VCT, terrazzo, sealed concrete, carpet, rubber flooring).
Then list safety knowledge: chemical dilution, reading safety data sheets, bloodborne pathogens procedures, ladder and lift safety, and lockout rules if you do repairs. In head custodian roles, add building tasks such as filter changes, checking boilers or heating systems, and grounds work if you do them.
How do you write a cleaner resume with no experience?
Start with an objective that names the shift you want and your reliability, then list any work with cleaning or physical routines in it: restaurant closing shifts, dishwashing, housekeeping, warehouse work, landscaping or helping at a church or community center.
The BLS notes that most janitors learn on the job, often by working with a more experienced janitor, so supervisors hire for dependability. Show it with attendance, punctuality, a clean background check if the posting requires one, and a willingness to train on equipment.
How does a custodian resume change for schools, hospitals and offices?
Schools want summer deep cleaning and floor refinishing, event setups, working around students and staff, and background checks. Hospitals want isolation and discharge cleaning, disinfectant contact times, infection prevention and medical waste handling.
Office and contract cleaning roles want square footage per shift, routes across several sites, working alone at night with keys and alarm codes, and client-facing professionalism. Rewrite the first two bullets of each job to match the setting of the posting.
ATS keywords for a janitor resume
Terms that show up in janitor job postings. Mirror the exact wording of the posting you apply to, but only for work you have done.
- Janitor
- Custodian
- custodial
- janitorial
- cleaning
- sanitation
- restroom cleaning
- floor care
- stripping and waxing
- burnishing
- carpet cleaning
- trash removal
- floor scrubber
- safety data sheets
- OSHA
- bloodborne pathogens
- minor repairs
- building maintenance
- event setup
Mistakes to avoid on a janitor resume
- One-line job descriptions. "Cleaned building" hides the scale. Add square footage, the number of restrooms or rooms, and the shift.
- Leaving off equipment. If you can run an auto scrubber or strip and wax a floor, say so; many applicants cannot.
- Skipping safety training. Chemical, bloodborne pathogens and lift training show a supervisor you can work alone at night.
- Using the wrong title. A hospital posting for an EVS technician may not match "janitor" in an applicant tracking system.
- Unexplained gaps. Seasonal, temp agency or contract cleaning work counts. List it with the company and dates.
Frequently asked questions
What should I put on a janitor resume?
The buildings you cleaned and their size, your shift, your main duties (restrooms, floors, trash, supplies, repairs, events), the equipment you run and any safety training or certifications. Add availability for nights and weekends.
What skills should I put on a custodian resume?
Restroom sanitation, floor stripping, waxing and burnishing, carpet extraction, auto scrubber operation, chemical dilution and safety data sheets, bloodborne pathogens procedures, minor repairs and event setup. Pair them with reliability and the ability to work alone.
How do I write a janitor resume with no experience?
Use an objective with the shift you want, then list jobs or volunteer work with cleaning or physical routines, such as restaurant closing, dishwashing or warehouse work. Show reliability and say you are ready to train on floor equipment.
What is the difference between a janitor and a custodian on a resume?
The work is largely the same; the title depends on the employer. Schools and public agencies tend to say custodian, commercial cleaning companies say janitor or cleaner, so match the posting.
Are there certifications for janitors and custodians?
Yes. ISSA's Cleaning Management Institute offers certifications such as Certified Custodial Technician and Certified Custodial Supervisor. The BLS notes certification is not required but demonstrates competence.
How much do janitors make?
The BLS reports a median pay of $36,840 per year ($17.71 per hour) for janitors and building cleaners in May 2025. It projects 2% employment growth from 2025 to 2035, which is slower than average.
Should a janitor resume be one page?
Yes, for nearly everyone. A lead custodian or supervisor with many buildings and certifications can use a second page, but one page with clear duties and equipment is usually enough.
Related guides
Sources, checked 27 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Janitors and Building Cleaners (median pay, education, outlook, number of jobs, on-the-job training, certification)
- ISSA Cleaning Management Institute: Certification Renewal (CMI certification names and two-year renewal)