Commercial cleaners work in a range of private, commercial and industrial locations, using commercial cleaning equipment and cleaning agents for a range of jobs. They may be required to work in particularly dirty conditions, and often come into contact with waste products. They often work late at night or early in the morning as the work can be noisy and disruptive.

Commercial cleaners use domestic cleaning appliances such as vacuum cleaners and mops, and larger industrial machines such as scrubber-dryers, high-pressure hoses, and even sandblasting equipment. They also use smaller cleaning implements like cleaning rags and dusters. They are often required to use chemical cleaning agents.