10 Traits of Highly Successful Cleaners - BUNZL Cleaning & Hygiene Supplies Blog (2024)

If you’re to clean your way to the top in the world of professional cleaning, you’ll need have all the right attributes and assets that will set you up for success, and leave your competitors (literally) in the dust.

Here are the 10 personality traits and characteristics that we believe all cleaners and cleaning business owners must have in order to be a success – how many of them can you tick off?

1. Skills and qualifications

A thorough knowledge and understanding of cleaning is important, but it’s not just about knowing your anti-bacterials from your elbow. The most successful cleaners also have an awareness of how to clean responsibly and use hazardous cleaning chemicals safely, to ensure both their own wellbeing and that of the end user. Gaining cleaning qualifications, such as those from BICSc, will give you and your employer the confidence that you’re a scrub above the rest.

2. An arsenal of tools

They say that ‘it’s not what you’ve got, but how you use it’, and the same is true with cleaning equipment. Being an outstanding cleaner isn’t necessarily about having dozens of different products or appliances, but knowing which multi-tasking cleaning and hygiene products are really essential and how to use them properly and safely – plus perhaps having a few secret weapons up your sleeve.

3. A strong stomach

Being in the cleaning profession isn’t all roses, and from time to time you’ll be faced with a few unsavoury cleaning challenges that many others would shy away from. The very best cleaners tackle these situations calmly, efficiently and professionally. All in a day’s work!

4. An eagerness to please

Cleaners create a pleasant environment for everyone, and no matter which room they’re cleaning, the best of the bunch go that extra mile to ensure everyone feels right at home. Whether it’s spending a little extra time scrubbing those stubborn stains, or sweeping every corner of the room to catch every speck of dust, superstar cleaners are meticulous and leave no dirt behind.

5. Good health

Being a professional cleaner is a demanding job that requires being on your feet and moving around for several hours in a row, and not to mention picking up and carrying around often heavy, bulky equipment and cleaning products – plus that all-important ‘elbow grease’ that you’ll need to be able to put in! You don’t need to be at marathon-runner levels of personal fitness to be a champion cleaner, but an overall good health will help to give you the edge.

6. Friendliness

Depending on your working environment, professional cleaning can be a very sociable job, requiring working alongside and with many other staff or members of the public in the course of a shift. A warm, friendly character is a necessity and will soon make you a valued and invaluable part of the workforce, or if you’re part of an independent contract cleaning company, help you to get recommendations to other people. An approachable personality will also shine through in your cleaning company’s marketing, customer service and communications – who wouldn’t want to hire a cleaner who offers a service with a smile, and genuinely enjoys their line of work?

7. Consistency

To be successful in the cleaning business, you need to have high standards, and confidently and easily excel them every time. Being an outstanding cleaner means that everyone knows they can rely on you to do a consistently gleaming job, and that you’ll never miss a spot.

8. Trustworthiness

As a professional cleaner, you’re often entrusted with access to a building or establishment after-hours, or even someone’s home, when nobody else is around. Having a trustworthy personality, as well as an abundance of personal recommendations and client testimonials will give your employers peace of mind that they’re making the right choice.

9. Perceptiveness

Cleaning efficiently, smartly and safely requires a high level of intuition, to know how to get a job done in the most cost- and time-effective manner, with the right equipment, and with the least disturbance to those around you. Professional cleaning absolutely demands a sharp mind, especially if you want to reach the top of your game.

10. An openness to innovation

The world of professional cleaning is fast-moving, with new innovations such as high-tech floor cleaners and other cleaning technology constantly revolutionising the market, and trends such as environmentally-friendly cleaning products setting new standards that employers expect their cleaners to meet. It’s essential to stay one step ahead and keep on top of these innovations and emerging trends, and be always thinking of new ways to incorporate them into your everyday work and your cleaning business strategy.

Do you agree with our 10 personality traits of highly successful cleaners? If you’re a cleaner, how many of these traits do you believe that you possess? Which other traits would you add to our list? Leave us a comment below – we’d love to hear from you.