What is a domestic cleaner?

A domestic cleaner works in private homes, offering personalised cleaning services tailored to residents’ preferences. This might include:

Dusting and vacuuming living areas
Cleaning kitchens and bathrooms
Washing dishes or making beds
Doing laundry or ironing
General tidying and light organisation

These services are typically performed weekly or fortnightly, often with the same cleaner building trust and familiarity over time.

What is a commercial cleaner?

A commercial cleaner operates in business, industrial, or public environments—think offices, schools, factories, hospitals, and retail spaces. Their focus is on hygiene, safety, and compliance, not just visual cleanliness.

Typical tasks include:

Sanitising bathrooms and shared kitchens
Mopping large floor areas
Cleaning office desks, meeting rooms, and touchpoints
Emptying bins and waste removal
Disinfecting high-traffic areas
Using industrial-grade products and equipment

Many commercial cleaning jobs happen after hours, and schedules are more rigid due to contractual requirements and workplace safety standards.

Key differences between domestic and commercial cleaning

Feature	Domestic Cleaning	Commercial Cleaning
Environment	Private homes	Offices, schools, medical, retail, industrial
Focus	Comfort, appearance, personalised tasks	Hygiene, compliance, safety
Tools & Products	Household-grade	Industrial-strength (often chemical-specific)
Hours	Daytime, flexible	Often after-hours or early mornings
Training	Minimal required	WHS, infection control, equipment handling
Scale	Small, 1–2 rooms at a time	Large areas with high foot traffic

Domestic cleaning is more casual, relational, and lifestyle-focused. Commercial cleaning is structured, standardised, and often governed by cleaning contracts.