Building exterior cleaner

Building exterior cleaners remove dirt and litter from a building’s exterior, as well as perform restoration tasks. They ensure the cleaning methods are compliant with safety regulations, and monitor the exteriors to ensure they are in proper condition.

Building exterior cleaners typically do the following:

• Gather and empty trash
• Clean spills and other hazards with appropriate equipment
• Wash windows, walls, and glass
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are touched frequently
• Order cleaning supplies
• Make minor building repairs
• Notify managers when a building needs major repairs
• Lock doors to secure buildings

The following job titles also refer to building exterior cleaner:

pressure washer operator
façade cleaner
building restoration worker
exterior cleaner
graffiti remover
building restoration operative
floor polisher
building cleaning worker
building cleaning operative worker
floor sweeper

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as building exterior cleaner. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Building exterior cleaner is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to building exterior cleaner.

asbestos abatement worker
decontamination worker
septic tank servicer
emergency response worker
amusement park cleaner

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of building exterior cleaner. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of building exterior cleaner with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

radiation protection technician
incinerator operator
hazardous waste technician
environmental technician
solid waste operator

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of building exterior cleaner.

• Cleaning industry health and safety measures: Preventive and interventional methods used in the cleaning industry to maintain health and safety for all workers and tertiary persons.
• Cleaning techniques: Various techniques and tools used to clean different types of surfaces to achieve a certain degree of cleanliness such as sweeping, vacuuming, degreasing and wet cleaning.

These skills are necessary for the role of building exterior cleaner.

• Clean building facade: Perform cleaning activities of the main face of a building, using appropriate equipment, as required by the complexity and height of the building.
• Assess contamination: Analyse evidence of contamination. Advise on how to decontaminate.
• Use personal protection equipment: Make use of protection equipment according to training, instruction and manuals. Inspect the equipment and use it consistently.
• Avoid contamination: Avoid the mixing or contamination of materials.
• Apply spraying techniques: Apply the most optimal spraying techniques, such as a perpendicular spraying angle, maintenance at a consistent distance, trigger the spray gun gradually, overlap surface spots, and others.
• Secure working area: Secure the operation site fixing boundaries, restricting access, placing signs and taking other measures in order to guarantee public and staff safety.
• Clean building floors: Clean the floors and stairways of buildings by sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping them, according to hygienic and organisational standards.
• Identify damage to buildings: Monitor the state of building exteriors in order to identify any possible damage and to assess the nature of the damage and treatment methods.
• Operate pressure washer: Operate a mechanical sprayer which makes use of high pressure to clean surfaces and rid them of contamination, paint residue, dirt and grime, and mould.
• Remove contaminants: Use chemicals and solvents to remove contaminants from products or surfaces.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of building exterior cleaner. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Microbiology-bacteriology: Microbiology-Bacteriology is a medical specialty mentioned in the EU Directive 2005/36/EC.
• Waste management: The methods, materials and regulations used to collect, transport, treat and dispose of waste. This includes recycling and monitoring of waste disposal.
• Graffiti removal techniques: Methods, materials and procedures to remove graffiti posts from public surfaces: identifying the surface type and material to be removed, selecting a removal method and chemical substances and applying a protective coating layer.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of building exterior cleaner. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Sort waste: Manually or automatically sort waste by separating it into its different elements.
• Disinfect surfaces: Apply the correct cleaning procedures, taking into account safe handling of disinfectants, to remove contaminants, pollutants, and bacterial risks, from various surfaces, such as buildings exteriors, vehicles, and roads.
• Assess waste type: Identify waste materials during collection and sorting operations which can either be recycled, disposed of, or otherwise treated, in order to assess the way in which they need to be treated and sorted.
• Use solvents: Clean products or surfaces by using solvents to dissolve or extract other unnecessary substances.
• Handle chemical cleaning agents: Ensure proper handling, storage and disposal of cleaning chemicals in accordance with regulations.
• Dispose waste: Dispose waste in accordance with legislation, thereby respecting environmental and company responsibilities.
• Carry out pressure washing activities: Use high pressure equipment in order to clean areas, surfaces and materials.
• Maintain cleaning equipment: Clean and preserve the equipment and material used for cleaning purposes in a proper state.
• Build scaffolding: Assemble temporary scaffolding structures for construction, maintenance or event-related purposes. Set vertical standards on the base plate of the scaffolding structure. Ensure the scaffolding structure is secured from lateral forces and supported sufficiently. Place wood or metal scaffolding decks into the transoms to stand on and make sure they are aligned. Safely set scaffolding stairs and ladders, which allow enough room for safe and easy manoeuvring.
• Perform demarcation: Perform the activities involved in the creation and fixing of boundaries around a restricted area.
• Clean wood surface: Use a variety of techniques on a wood surface to ensure it is free of dust, sawdust, grease, stains, and other contaminants.
• Report on building damage: Report on deterioration or disturbances of a building’s exterior so that the correct authorities are made aware of the problem and plans can be made for treating the damage.
• Clean glass surfaces: Use cleaning products to clean any surface covered by glass, especially windows.
• Identify damage to public space: Monitor the state of public spaces and properties, such as parks, roads, public buildings, and public squares, during work activities in order to identify recent damage and assess the gravity of the damage.
• Perform cleaning activities in an outdoor environment: Adapt the cleaning working methods and procedures to the environmental conditions and adapt to weather conditions such as rain, strong wind or snow, when this affects the performance of the equipment or machinery that is being used.
• Follow safety procedures when working at heights: Take necessary precautions and follow a set of measures that assess, prevent and tackle risks when working at a high distance from the ground. Prevent endangering people working under these structures and avoid falls from ladders, mobile scaffolding, fixed working bridges, single person lifts etc. since they may cause fatalities or major injuries.

7133 – Building structure cleaners

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References

1. Building exterior cleaner – ESCO
2. Janitors and Building Cleaners : Occupational Outlook Handbook – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. Featured image: Photo by Nothing Ahead from Pexels