For a commercial space to function properly, it is essential to maintain a clean and clutter-free environment. Everyone praises a spotless property. Investing in cleaning services elevates the appearance of the commercial property.
Additionally, a clean and tidy place provides an inviting space for people to engage in various activities.
Whether it is government facilities, hospitals, schools, or offices, keeping these places clean and organized is paramount for their smooth operation.
Day porters and janitors are responsible for maintaining the overall cleanliness and upkeep of a commercial space. Cleanliness and sanitization are the core responsibilities of day porters and janitors.
Although the terms “day porter” and “janitor” are often used interchangeably, there are distinct differences in their roles and responsibilities.
This blog offers an understanding of the day porter vs janitor comparison. Additionally, you will learn about the roles of day porters and janitors individually. Based on this, you can choose a day porter or janitor cleaning service for the property.
Let’s begin by comparing the roles of a day porter and a janitor.
Key Takeaways
- Day porters and janitors are terms used interchangeably. However, their roles are distinctly different.
- Property managers coordinate with day porters and provide them with cleaning instructions as per the requirements.
- Janitors are hired to clean a space with minimal supervision.
- Day porters are primarily responsible for maintaining the building’s exterior. They also ensure that the overall appearance of the entire place is maintained.
- The janitors must make sure that the supplies are stocked. Additionally, they also have handyman skills to perform minor repairs.
- Depending on the commercial space’s cleanliness requirements, owners can choose between day porter services and janitorial services.
What is a Day Porter?
Before comparing day porter and janitor roles, let’s first understand what a day porter is.
Day porters are the front-line staff of a property management team. It is the responsibility of day porters to maintain the overall cleanliness, hospitable ambiance, and security of the commercial areas.
Property managers coordinate with day porters to ensure the space is in excellent condition. Day porters play a significant role in identifying and addressing the building’s maintenance requirements. It is for the day porters that a building stands strong as they look into the nitty-gritty of the property.
There are numerous functions that day porters perform. Their key responsibilities extend beyond the activities typically associated with traditional janitorial roles.
If you hire a day porter cleaning service, their work will involve scrutinizing the overall cleanliness of the property.
The professional day porters will ensure every part of your property is well-maintained and welcoming for the patrons. Day porters use their capabilities to maintain the lobbies, common areas, and bathrooms.
What are the Duties of a Day Porter?
A day porter is responsible for maintaining the overall cleanliness of a property. Although day porter and janitorial services may look similar from afar, their duties are distinct in many ways.
Day porters are responsible for routine cleaning to ensure the building appears clean and presentable both inside and out. Depending on your property and cleanliness requirements, the day porter service will perform its duties.
The following are the typical day porter duties that your day porters can perform for your commercial facility:
1. Maintaining the Lobby
Typically, a lobby is the walkway or hallway near the entrance that serves as a common area for other rooms and floors. During the day, a larger number of people tend to walk through the lobbies. Thus, it needs deep cleaning.
In a lobby, various structures are present. These include reception desks, seating areas, and a security screening room. Many commercial spaces also feature decorative elements in their lobbies, including flower vases, lamp stands, paintings, and televisions. The job of a day porter is to clean various structures and maintain a clean and shiny lobby.
2. Cleaning the Sidewalks and Taking out Trash
Every commercial property has sidewalks and walkways where people come and go frequently during the day. As a result, the space accumulates a lot of dirt, trash, and shoe marks. It is the responsibility of day porters to regularly sweep and clean those areas, making the space look more inviting to people.
On the sidewalks, trash bins are placed. Day porters remove the trash from the bins and clear the debris, ensuring the exterior of the building looks more presentable.
3. Premises Maintenance
Maintaining the premises of a building or commercial space is a lot of work. From cleaning the fence, covering or removing graffiti, and clearing debris to addressing structural damage, there are a myriad of activities that your premises will require.
So, who should be in charge of premises maintenance, the day porter or the janitor? The answer is day porters. The premises of your building are where people walk in and out the most. It is thus essential to clean the area at regular intervals.
Day porters are responsible for ensuring that the entire building, both interior and exterior, is maintained. Premises maintenance is a responsibility that they perform with utmost diligence.
4. Cleaning Glass Doors and Windows
Besides cleaning the premises, sidewalks, and lobby, it is the duty of a day porter to clean the glass doors and windows. Due to changing weather conditions, the windows and doors get covered in mist, dust, and dirt.
People are constantly touching the doorknobs for entering and exiting the space. It leaves marks on the doorknobs.
Day porters are responsible for cleaning these structures to maintain their shine and cleanliness.
5. Vacuuming Floors and Carpets
There can be commercial properties where carpet is not used in the entryway or common areas. To keep the floor clean, day porters frequently sweep, mop, or vacuum the floors.
Additionally, many properties feature carpets throughout the common areas. Since people walk on them, carpets and rugs accumulate a lot of dust. From time to time, day porters vacuum the carpet and use specialized cleaning solutions to remove stains. It makes the space look presentable and inviting.
6. Dusting Furniture
There is a lot of furniture present in a commercial space. It comes as one of the responsibilities of day porters to clean all furniture in the space. These include sofas, ottomans, desks, sitting benches, and more.
The furniture in the commercial building is made from a variety of materials. Day porters, depending on the type of furniture, use different cleaning solutions to keep dust and grime out, making the furniture look tidy and shiny.
7. Reporting Maintenance Issues to the Right Staff Member
It is also one of the typical duties of day porters to identify any issues related to building maintenance and report them to the relevant authority. It makes day porter duties vs janitor duties so different.
From the breakdown of the elevator to damage in the water pipe, there can be numerous issues in a commercial space. The day porters are constantly checking systems and appliances. When they identify any problems or malfunctions, they report them to the appropriate staff member or authority.
What is a Janitor?
Traditional janitors are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and sanitization of different spaces. The day porter vs traditional janitor differences lie in the fact that they work outside of business hours.
Janitors play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy and safe environment for the occupants. Janitors can work alone or as part of a team to maximize the cleaning and orderliness of the space. Janitors need to adhere to the specific cleanliness protocols applicable to their designated area.
What are the Duties of a Janitor?
While discussing the day porter vs janitor debate, it is essential to understand their respective responsibilities.
Since we’ve already covered the day porter duties, it’s time to learn about the responsibilities of a traditional janitor.
1. Keeping the Building Clean and Well-Maintained
It is a core responsibility of janitors to maintain the cleanliness and upkeep of the building. They are responsible for sweeping the floors, cleaning the doors and windows, and maintaining sanitation throughout the entire property.
2. Stocking Up on Cleaning Supplies
Janitors play a crucial role in maintaining the cleanliness and sanitization of a property. Since they work at odd hours, they have a better chance of keeping an eye on the cleaning supplies. It falls under the duties of janitors to stock up on cleaning supplies.
3. Accomplishing Tasks on Time with Minimal Supervision
Since janitors don’t work during business hours, they need to complete their work before occupants start entering the space. When hiring a professional janitorial service for the cleanliness of your property, ensure they are skilled in time management.
Due to odd working hours, janitors don’t require much supervision. However, the service they provide must be flawless.
4. Performing Minor Repairs
A janitor may perform various small tasks as part of their responsibilities. Fixing light bulbs, unclogging toilets, and repairing leaky faucets are some of the minor tasks that janitors can perform. Additionally, they can perform minor electrical repairs, such as replacing a damaged outlet.
5. Using Proper Equipment to Clean Up Spills
Janitors are responsible for keeping a space spotless. Accidental spills can happen in a property, and it is essential to address them as soon as possible. Janitors are assigned the responsibility of cleaning up spills using proper equipment.
6. Maintaining the Security of the Property (Locking the Doors Properly)
Janitors often work late hours or early hours as their work often requires deep cleaning of the place. After cleaning every corner of the place and decluttering the areas, it is the janitors’ responsibility to ensure the complete security of the property. It is one of the janitor’s duties to clean the locks and doors properly after cleaning.
Day Porter vs Janitor – The Difference
When it comes to the cleanliness of a commercial property, confusion prevails. You may ask yourself who you would hire between a janitor and a day porter.
While many think they are two terms that are used interchangeably, they have distinct differences in specific factors.
Here, you will find the answer to what the difference is between a janitor and a day porter?
1. Job Role and Responsibilities
Although it is the primary responsibility of both janitors and day porters to keep commercial spaces clean, there are still specific roles and responsibilities that distinguish janitors vs day porters.
Day porters are individuals who support the proper functioning of businesses with their cleaning capabilities. They ensure that all the cleaning supplies are fully stocked. It is a day porter’s job to check if the space is well-maintained and clutter-free. When occupants are continuously moving in and out of the building, day porters are responsible for the housekeeping services.
Janitors are responsible for maintaining the building’s upkeep by performing thorough cleaning and maintenance tasks. Furthermore, they are required to have handyman skills to perform minor repair work that doesn’t require any expert help.
2. Working Hours
As the name suggests, day porters work during the daytime. In simpler terms, day porters work during business hours. When the entrance doors are closed and locked, it means the day porter’s job is done.
Unlike day porters, janitors work during odd hours. This is why there is a significant difference between day porter and night janitor services. The janitorial cleaning process begins when the building is empty. They perform work in areas with less foot traffic, often without the supervision of facility managers.
3. Equipment
The equipment used in the cleaning process is another factor that distinguishes a day porter from a janitor.
Day porters use high-tech tools for cleaning and maintenance purposes.
Since their work includes maintaining the overall tidiness of a commercial space, their equipment is not limited to conventional cleaning supplies. From premium ground-maintenance tools to high-capacity vacuum cleaners, day porters use different cleaning equipment.
Janitors, on the other hand, use basic tools to clean the assigned spaces. Usually, janitors clean the interior parts of a commercial space. For this, they utilize traditional cleaning equipment, including vacuum cleaners, brooms, mops, and dusters.
Since the task of janitors mostly involves routine cleaning, they are quite comfortable using this simple and effective cleaning equipment.
Difference Between Day Porter and Janitor At a Glance
To understand the day porter vs janitor comparison better, the differences are explained in the following table:
| Different Factors | Day Porters | Janitors |
| Job Responsibilities | Day porters are responsible for supporting the property managers in cleaning the property. Their services include overall maintenance of the building, keeping the hallways tidy, reporting maintenance issues to the right staff/authority, etc. | Janitors are mostly responsible for cleaning the interiors of a building. They perform deep cleaning to ensure the place is upkept and organized. |
| Working Hours | Day porters work during daytime or office hours when occupants are present in the space. | Janitors work during odd hours when staff are not present in the building. They work under minimal supervision and ensure the place is spotless when people enter the space. |
| Equipment | Day porters use high-tech equipment to perform detailed cleaning of the building. | Janitors use basic cleaning tools to perform routine cleaning. |
When Should You Hire Day Porter Services?
A commercial space requires day porter services to maintain the building’s appearance. When a person looks at your space and notices its clean elements, they feel like stepping inside. The following are the signs when you should hire professional porter cleaning services:
1. There are times when a commercial space may require specialized cleaning. For instance, the cleaning process in a medical facility differs from that in educational facilities and governmental spaces. A day porter service is well-equipped with proper tools to maintain the cleanliness of those spaces.
2. If you own a property where people are constantly coming and going, it requires frequent cleaning. Typically, foot traffic reaches its peak during the daytime. To ensure the space remains spotless even during working hours, day porter services are an important requirement.
3. If your building has high security protocols, it is always better to hire day porter services. Professional day porter services adhere to the security standards of the commercial space. Hence, when occupants need assistance with any cleaning or maintenance issues, they know that day porter services will provide them with a helping hand.
When to Hire Janitorial Services?
You may think that for routine cleaning, you can hire anyone between a day porter and a janitor. However, it is not the case.
Certain job responsibilities distinguish a day porter from a janitor. If you’re looking for cleaning services that specialize in routine cleaning, hiring janitorial services will be a suitable option.
1. Professional janitorial services ensure your property is clean. If you notice that the space can use some deep cleaning, janitors can help you achieve that.
2. Often, commercial spaces may require cleaning outside of business hours. Instead of hiring day porters, consider using professional janitorial services that perform cleaning activities during periods of minimal foot traffic.
3. If your property requires cleaning in specific areas, such as bathrooms, floors, and hallways, consider hiring janitorial cleaning services for the task.
How to Choose Day Porters and Janitors?
Day porters and janitors are both entities that ensure the cleanliness of a property. Based on the explanation of day porter vs. janitor services, you can choose between the two.
If you own a property with a large number of daytime visitors, resulting in maximum foot traffic, you may want to consider hiring day porters. Maximum foot traffic makes the place untidy than usual. To maintain the constant shine of the place, day porters are a good choice.
When your property requires uninterrupted cleaning with minimal foot traffic, consider janitorial services.
Depending on the size of your building, the number of occupants, and the level of cleaning required, you can select between the two options.
For a large commercial property, hiring professional cleaning services is the ideal option. They are equipped with advanced cleaning tools that ensure seamless upkeeping and maintenance.
Related: Businesses That Require Cleaning Services.
Make Your Property Spotless with Professional Cleaning
Day porters and janitors are indeed responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and hygiene of a commercial property. However, the roles between day porters vs janitors are distinctly different.
Generally, day porters work closely with property managers and sort the cleaning requirements of the place. On the other hand, janitors deep clean a property with minimum supervision.
To keep your commercial space tidy and sparkling, Prime Cleaning Services is here to serve you. Our day porter cleaning services provide a comprehensive 360-degree cleaning of your property. From sweeping and mopping to maintaining the sanitization of the place, we perform a range of services.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is a porter the same as a janitor?
The terms “day porters” and “janitors” are used interchangeably. However, there is a difference in their roles. Day porters work under the supervision of property managers and ensure that the property is properly cleaned. On the other hand, janitors work independently and deep clean commercial spaces.
2. What is another name for a day porter?
There are various names for day porters. The most common one is known as a day matron. Additionally, they are also known as day matrons.
3. What are janitors called today?
There are different synonyms for janitors. Today, janitors are also known as custodians or caretakers.
4. What is a female porter called?
Female porters are women who do the work of porters. They are often known as portresses.
