WHAT DOES A CUSTODIAN DO?
Published: Jun 2, 2025 - The Custodian performs essential cleaning and maintenance duties to ensure a sanitary and organized facility. This role involves floor stripping and polishing, waste removal, restroom servicing, and preparing spaces for events. The position also requires monitoring building safety and maintaining janitorial equipment, and supply inventory.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Custodian
1. Custodian Duties
- Restroom Cleaning: Maintain restrooms by cleaning sinks, toilets, emptying garbage cans, sweeping, mopping, and refilling supplies
- Supply Management: Put away janitorial and restroom supplies
- Entrance Maintenance: Vacuum, dust, and clean the entrance glass
- Trash Removal: Empty garbage cans, vacuum, and dust
- Surface Cleaning: Empty garbage cans, wipe down tables and counters, clean sinks, and vacuum
- Facility Clean-Up: Assist in clean-up around the facility
2. Custodian Details
- Instruction Following: Understand and carry out routine oral and written instructions and make routine decisions independently
- Physical Endurance: Sustain long periods of light to moderately heavy physical activity
- Height Flexibility: Perform tasks at high and low heights, i.e., under raised floors, on ladders/scaffolding
- Work Coordination: Plan and organize work and coordinate with other disciplines
- Effective Communication: Communicate effectively verbally and in writing and maintain good working relationships
- Security Clearance: Obtain and maintain the required Top Secret (TS/SCI) clearance
- Shift Availability: Work additional hours and shift work
3. Custodian Responsibilities
- Floor Cleaning: Sweep and mop offices, hallways and communal areas daily
- Waste Disposal: Empty trash and recycling bins daily
- Restroom Sanitation: Clean restrooms daily and multiple times
- Supply Restocking: Stock toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer and soap
- Breakroom Cleaning: Clean microwaves, counter tops, sinks and tables in break room
- Window Maintenance: Clean windows and outside break areas
4. Custodian Job Summary
- Facility Cleaning: Cleans and maintains buildings/facilities
- Heavy Cleaning: Performs heavy cleaning duties, such as cleaning floors, shampooing rugs, washing walls and glass, and removing rubbish
- Repair Reporting: Notifies managers concerning the need for minor or major repairs or additions to building operating systems
- Team Communication: Establishes and maintains effective communication and working relationships with clients, co-workers, shift coordinators, supervisors, managers, etc.
- Compliance Adherence: Complies with all safety, security, compliance, and quality standards and procedures established by the Company, Clients, and regulatory authorities
- Floor Maintenance: Cleans building floors by sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, or vacuuming them
- Chemical Handling: Follow procedures for the use of chemical cleaners and power equipment to prevent damage to floors and fixtures
- High Cleaning: Sometimes using ladders, dusts and washes furniture, walls, machines, and equipment
- Fixture Polishing: Cleans ceilings and dusts and polishes light fixtures
- Item Relocation: Moves cabinets, boxes, furniture, crates and equipment to clean areas, either manually or by using hand trucks
- Stain Removal: Remove stains from such surfaces as rugs, drapes, walls, and floors using chemicals and cleaning solutions
- Seasonal Tasks: Sweep walks, rake leaves, cut grass, remove snow or perform other incidental seasonal tasks
5. Custodian Accountabilities
- Solution Preparation: Mixes water and detergents or acids in containers to prepare cleaning solutions according to specifications
- Floor Finishing: Strips, seals, finishes, and polishes floors
- Carpet Cleaning: Cleans and vacuums carpeted areas, including application of spot cleaning treatment
- Trash Disposal: Gathers and empties trash
- Food Area Cleaning: Wipes and cleans tabletops, chairs, and equipment in food areas
- Furniture Polishing: Cleans and polishes furniture and fixtures
- Restroom Servicing: Services, cleans, and supplies restrooms
- Vent and Blind Cleaning: Periodically cleans overhead vents, dusts blinds, and polishes wood furniture
- Glass Cleaning: Cleans interior partition glass, windows, glass partitions, and mirrors using soapy water or other cleaners, sponges, and squeegees
- Pest Control: Sprays insecticides and fumigants to prevent insect and rodent infestation
- Event Setup: Sets up, arranges, and removes decorations, tables, chairs, ladders, and scaffolding to prepare facilities for events such as banquets and meetings
- Closet Organization: Keep the janitor’s closet neat and orderly and maintain equipment in good working order
- Supply Requisition: Requisition supplies and equipment needed for cleaning and maintenance duties
- Security Monitoring: Monitors building security and safety by performing such tasks as locking doors after operating hours and possibly checking electrical appliance use to ensure that hazards are not created
Job Role FAQs
What is a job role?
A job role refers to the duties, responsibilities, and expectations associated with a specific position within an organization. It explains what tasks an employee performs, how they contribute to team objectives, and how their work supports the company’s overall goals.
What are the typical responsibilities of a job role?
Typical job role responsibilities include completing daily tasks, collaborating with team members, making decisions, and meeting performance targets. For example, a software developer may write code, fix bugs, review pull requests, and collaborate with product teams.
What is the difference between a job role and a job title?
A job title is the official name of a position, such as Marketing Manager or Software Engineer. A job role describes the actual duties, responsibilities, and expectations associated with that position.
Why are clearly defined job roles important?
Clearly defined job roles help organizations improve productivity, reduce workplace confusion, and ensure accountability. When employees understand their responsibilities and expectations, teams can collaborate more effectively.
How do job roles support career development?
Understanding different job roles helps professionals identify career paths and the skills required for advancement. By learning the expectations of various roles, individuals can build relevant skills and plan long-term career growth.
Editorial Process
Lamwork content is developed through structured review of publicly available job postings and documented hiring trends.
Editorial operations are managed by Thanh Huyen, Managing Editor, with research direction and final oversight by Lam Nguyen, Founder & Editorial Lead. Content is periodically reviewed to reflect observable labor market changes.