Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
Operate or tend washing or dry-cleaning machines to wash or dry-clean industrial or household articles, such as cloth garments, suede, leather, furs, blankets, draperies, linens, rugs, and carpets. Includes spotters and dyers of these articles.
What it pays
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers earn a median of $16.78/hr — about $35,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.19/hr; the top 10% earn $20.77/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers earn a median of $16.78/hr — about $35,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.19/hr; the top 10% earn $20.77/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Load articles into washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to perform loading.
- 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.
- Operate extractors and driers, or direct their operation.
- Remove items from washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to do so.
- Sort and count articles removed from dryers, and fold, wrap, or hang them.
- Clean machine filters, and lubricate equipment.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: little or no preparation (Job Zone 1 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the day is spent working solo. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 2.3% of laundry and dry-cleaning workers are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.
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Quick questions
- How much does a laundry and dry-cleaning worker make?
- The median pay is $16.78 per hour — roughly $35,000 a year, with the real range running from about $13.19/hr (10th percentile) to $20.77/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a laundry and dry-cleaning worker?
- The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: little or no preparation (Job Zone 1 of 5).
- What does a laundry and dry-cleaning worker actually do all day?
- Load articles into washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to perform loading. 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. Operate extractors and driers, or direct their operation.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.