How to become a Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Worker

Official title: Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers

Also called: Dry Cleaner, Industrial Laundry Attendant, Laundry Aide, Laundry Assistant, Laundry Attendant, Laundry Housekeeper, Laundry Technician (Laundry Tech), Laundry Worker, Personal Clothing Laundry Aide, Spotter

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.

Main tasks

• 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.
• Clean machine filters, and lubricate equipment.
• Determine spotting procedures and proper solvents, based on fabric and stain types.

How to become one

Typical education to start: No formal educational credential

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Dry Cleaner.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $34,890 a year The middle half earn $30,360 to $37,560.
• About 204,900 people work in this job now, and about 213,700 are projected by 2035. (+4.3%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
• Sewing Machine Operators
• Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
• Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders
• Sewers, Hand
• Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become a Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Worker?

Ways in include: Dry Cleaner.

How much does a Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Worker earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $34,890 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $30,360 to $37,560.

Is a Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Worker a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4% by 2035, from about 204,900 to about 213,700 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Worker?

Usually not. Only 8% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Dry Cleaner.

Will AI change the work of a Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Worker?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

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.