Career Suggestion

Industrial cleaner

Industrial cleaners use specialist equipment to clean buildings, factories and machinery. They also clean up after fires, floods and spills.

Average salary (a year)

£24000.0 to £30000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

40.0 to 48.0 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
  • specialist courses offered by a professional body

College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job.

Relevant courses include:

  • cleaning
  • cleaning principles
  • cleaning and support services

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could specialise in working in hospitals and medical centres by applying to do a Cleaning Hygiene Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship takes around 1 year to complete and combines on-the-job training with study off site.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Direct Application

You can apply directly for jobs. There are no set requirements but previous cleaning experience can be useful.

Other Routes

You could do specialist training through The British Institute of Cleaning Science .

More Information

Registrations

you'll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent to train and work on a construction site

Career Tips

A driving licence will be useful for some jobs, as you may need to travel to different sites.

If you work as a window cleaner on tall buildings like office blocks, it may help to have done training in rope access work or operating a mobile platform .

Further Information

You can find out more about careers in industrial cleaning from The British Institute of Cleaning Science.

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
  • knowledge of public safety and security
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • customer service skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

  • be able to cope with working at height

Day-to-day tasks

As an industrial cleaner, you could:

  • wash out boilers, tanks and vats with high pressure hoses
  • remove dust and ash from chimneys with industrial vacuums
  • decontaminate work areas and machinery
  • clean sites affected by fires, floods or spillages
  • sandblast the outsides of building and structures
  • clean windows and glass features, using water fed poles
  • work from cradles or access platforms to clean higher levels
  • mix chemicals and dispose of hazardous waste safely
  • follow strict safety standards and procedures
  • report potential hazards to supervisors

Working environment

You could work at a client's business, in the community or visit sites.

Your working environment may be in conditions that some may find unpleasant, at height and involve using chemicals.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

With experience, you could become a team supervisor or manager with a cleaning company.

You could also set up your own business to specialise in a particular type of cleaning, like flood relief or biohazards.

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