Learn to Clean 

• Commercial Properties
• Public Facilities
• Homes

Scope of Cleaning

Cleaning work can be general, or specialised, for example:

General Cleaners

Cleaning may be undertaken by general cleaning businesses and crews. People with general skills may be hired for:

• Residential house cleaning
• Office cleaning
• Shopping centre cleaning and maintenance
• Toilet cleaning and maintenance (which can be separately contracted, especially for facilities in parks, leisure centres, offices, and others)
• Community centres and other council facilities
• Real estate cleaning, assigned to take care of properties entering the market
  
  

Specialist Cleaners

Cleaners with specialities are usually those who require special tools, permits or training to meet safety requirements. These include:

• Window cleaners/washers
• Gutter cleaners
• Pavement cleaners
• Street sweepers
• Hazardous substance and/or crime scene cleaners
• Environmental waste cleaners
• Yard cleaners
• Floor polishers and waxers
• Medical facility cleaners
• Biohazard cleaners

Some services offer all of these services under one general company. Others are specific to just one or two, such as window cleaners or gutter cleaners. Street sweepers are usually contracted and controlled by local councils since they work on public roads and must meet specific requirements.

Scope of Course

Eight lessons as follows

1.  Nature and Scope of Cleaning

• Introduction
• Standard Types of Cleaning
• Bond Cleans
• Outdoor Work
• Cleaning Roles – general cleaners, specialist cleaners,
• Chemicals/Products
• Natural versus Synthetic Products
• General Procedures (over 25 product types reviewed)
• Equipment and Tools
• Inventory and Resourcing
• Reporting Concerns
• Disposal of Waste
• Compliance with legislation
• Sustainability and Maintaining Reputation
• Pest Control -spiders, rodents, insects
  
  

2.  Cleaning Stains and Specialist Cleaning Techniques

• Introduction
• Categories of Stains
• Protein Stains
• Carbohydrate Stains
• Lipid Stains
• Pigment Stains
• Resin Stains
• Cleaning Artwork – restoration
• Cleaning Products You can Make Easily
  
  

3.  Floor Care

• Introduction
• Carpet Cleaning
• Deep Cleaning Carpet
• Shampooing Carpet – manually, with a machine
• Steam Cleaning Carpet
• Removing Pigment Stains from Carpet
• Rugs
• Sisal, Jute, Seagrass
• Wool
• Cleaning Newer Timber Floors
• Cleaning Reclaimed Timber
• Waxing and Polishing Timber
• Unvarnished Timber
• Varnished Timber
• Tiles
• Porcelain Tiles
• Stone Tiles
• Concrete/Cement Floors
• Bamboo Flooring
• Linoleum
• Outdoor Ground Surface Cleaning
• Tiles
• Paving
• Timber
• Concrete
• Artificial Grass
  
  

4  Furniture and Furnishings

• Furniture versus Furnishings
• Cleaning Furniture
• Upholstered Furniture – general clean, deep clean
• Wood Fixings
• Waxing Furniture
• Polishing
• Conducting Inspections
• Cleaning Leather
• Linen Cleaning
• Assessing Quality of Linen
• Care of Linen
• Fibre Structure and Appearance -tensile strength, Elongation, Elasticity, Specific Gravity
• Effect of Moisture
• Chemical Properties of Fibres
• Insect Resistance
• Resistance to Microorganisms
• Electrical Properties
• Effect of Sunlight
• Thermal Properties
• Fire Resistance
• Classification of Fibres
• Natural Fibres -Cotton, Linen, Wool
• Man made Fibres – Viscose Rayon, Acetate, Nylon, Polyester, Acrylic, Polypropylene, Fibreglass
• Blended Fibres
  
  

5.  Washroom Cleaning

• Importance of Hygiene
• Routing Cleaning Maintenance
• Wash Basins and Taps
• Soap Dispensers
• Mirrors
• Paper Towel Dispensers
• Hand Dryers
• Vending Machines
• Sanitary Item Dispensers
• Sharps Disposal Containers
• Toilet Paper Holders
• Toilets
• Urinals
• Light Fixtures
• Floor Cleaning
• Rubbish Removal and Disposal
• Vandalism
• Replacing Dispensers
• Workplace Health and Safety
• Avoiding Falling
• Caustic and Corrosive Cleaners
  
  

6.  Kitchen Hygiene and Cleaning

• Introduction
• Storage Cupboards
• Sink and Drainage Area
• Removing drain blockages
• Cleaning Sinks
• Oven Cleaning
• Oven Door
• Cooktop -gas, ceramic, metal, etc
• Refrigerator
• Freezer
• De-icing
• Freezer Drains
• Defrosting a Freezer
• Dishwasher
• Waste Disposal
• Waste Disposal and Work Flow
  Organic Waste Disposal
  
  

7.  Commercial Cleaning

• Introduction
• Divisions of Commercial Cleaning
• Janitorial Work -finding work, cleaning skills, building maintenance, administration, general
• Commercial Cleaner Work – finding work, skills/scope of work
• Specialist Cleaning Jobs
• High Rise Window Cleaner
• Professional Laundry Worker
• Future outlook for Cleaning Industry
  
  

8.  Cleaning Businesses

• Introduction
• Cleaners versus Housekeepers
• Essential Cleaning Skills
• Advanced Cleaning Skills
• Administrative Skills
• General Skills
• Becoming a Residential Cleaner
• Joining a Franchise
• Setting up your Own Business
• Getting a first Client
• Introductory Offers/ Loss Leaders
• Advertising -local print, digital, etc
• Complaints

DURATION :    100 hours

WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES?

Good cleaners are always in demand, both for commercial and residential situations.

To get a job you first need to be able to attract enough attention to get an interview, then know enough to impress the person interviewing you. After that, you need to be able to do the job. This course can help with all three of these things; but keeping the job always depends upon more than just your knowledge or qualifications. For sustainable, long term work, you also need to maintain a positive attitude, be communicative with your employer, and manage your time well.

When it comes to cleaning in commercial setups, there are several options. These can include working fulltime in one location through to working in a number of locations each week. Work can also be less skilled or highly specialised. 

Regardless of whether the work is more specialised or not, it can be occasional or regular. Some work may be full-time. At other times, commercial cleaners may be called in for a ‘deep clean’ on an annual or biannual basis. In some cases, work is a one-off e.g. following an event or cleaning up a crime scene. 

Types of Commercial Cleaning

• Commercial cleaning is usually broken into two types:
• Janitorial services
• Commercial cleaning services
  

Janitorial Work

Janitorial cleaning – also referred to as janitorial services – is regular maintenance work, such as:

• Emptying bins
  
• Vacuuming
  
• Cleaning toilets
  
• Wiping surfaces

Commercial Cleaning

Commercial cleaners differ from janitors. Commercial cleaners usually tackle larger or more specialised cleaning jobs. These can be located at:

• Industrial - warehouses, factories, etc.
• Public spaces e.g. service stations, airports, museums
• Leisure industry e.g. hotels, bars, restaurants
• Hospitals, clinics, health centres, GP practices 
• Shopping centres
• Offices
• Schools, colleges and day care centres

Commercial cleaners may also be called upon for:

• Post-event clean-ups e.g. festivals, weddings, etc.
• Specialist services e.g. cleaning up HAZMATs