Industrial Cleaner

Typical Salary

£15,000 To £22,000

Typical Hours

41 to 43 a week

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How To Become a Industrial Cleaner

You can get into this job through:

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

College / University

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

Level 1 Award in Cleaning
Level 2 Certificate in Cleaning Principles

2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

Apprenticeship

You could specialise in working in hospitals and medical centres by doing a healthcare cleaning operative intermediate apprenticeship.

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

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

There are no set requirements if you want to apply directly for jobs, but previous cleaning experience would be useful.

Other Routes

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

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

the ability to use your initiative
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
sensitivity and understanding
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
ambition and a desire to succeed
excellent verbal communication skills
customer service skills
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

You could

wash out boilers, tanks and vats with high pressure hoses
remove dust and ash with industrial vacuuming equipment
decontaminate work areas and machinery
mix cleaning chemicals in the correct amounts
sandblast the outsides of building and structures
work from cradles or mobile access platforms to reach higher levels
safely store cleaning equipment and dispose of hazardous waste
clean and disinfect areas following strict standards and procedures
remove graffiti
report potential hazards to supervisors

Working Environment

You could work in a prison, at a school, in an NHS or private hospital, at a power station, in a factory or on a construction site.

Your working environment may be at height and cramped.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could become a team supervisor.

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

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Registration

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 might be useful for this type of job.

Further information

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

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

be able to cope with working at height