Laundry worker
Also known as: clothes washer, laundry and dry cleaning assistant, laundry and dry cleaning supervisor, dry cleaning worker, laundry and dry cleaning manager, dry cleaner
About this occupation
Laundry workers operate and monitor machines that use chemicals to wash or dry-clean articles such as cloth and leather garments, linens, drapes or carpets, ensuring the color and texture of these articles is being maintained. They work in laundry shops and industrial laundry companies and sort the articles received from clients by fabric type. They also determine the cleaning technique to be applied.
Essential skills and knowledge
- maintain customer service
- collect items for laundry service
- read care labels
- identify cloth items
- quality standards
- clean household linens
- types of staining
- maintain cleaning equipment
- use solvents
- distinguish fabrics
- operate tumble dryer
- eliminate stains
Typical tasks and preparation
From the related US occupation profile Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers (O*NET 51-6011.00). Linked by an official crosswalk: related, not identical; details vary by country.
- Operate extractors and driers, or direct their operation.
- Remove items from washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to do so.
- Load articles into washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to perform loading.
- Sort and count articles removed from dryers, and fold, wrap, or hang them.
- Start washers, dry cleaners, driers, or extractors, and turn valves or levers to regulate machine processes and the volume of soap, detergent, water, bleach, starch, and other additives.
- Examine and sort into lots articles to be cleaned, according to color, fabric, dirt content, and cleaning technique required.
- Preparation
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Interests
- Realistic, Conventional, Enterprising
Top skills: Active Listening, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Time Management
US median pay: US$34,890 a year (2025), 198,040 employed. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Preparation needed
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Related occupations
Occupations O*NET links to this one by similar work, skills and knowledge.
- Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
- Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
- Sewing Machine Operators
- Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
- Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
- Cutters and Trimmers, Hand
- Packers and Packagers, Hand
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.