# Will laundry workers be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Laundry workers score 13 of 100 for AI exposure. 77% of their task time still needs a person. AI speeds up the other 23%. - **23%** AI helps - **77%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 92% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 23 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can't do any of them end to end yet. It speeds up 5 and leaves 18 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Determine spotting procedures and proper solvents, based on fabric and stain types. Chemistry lookup for solvents suits AI; testing stays manual. | 40% AI helps | | Match sample colors, applying knowledge of bleaching agent and dye properties, and types, construction, conditions, and colors of articles. Color matching formulas can come from AI but eyes decide. | 30% AI helps | | Examine and sort into lots articles to be cleaned, according to color, fabric, dirt content, and cleaning technique required. Visual sorting by fabric and color; AI vision helps some. | 25% AI helps | | Receive and mark articles for laundry or dry cleaning with identifying code numbers or names, using hand or machine markers. Tagging items is physical; intake may use scanners and software. | 25% AI helps | | Inspect soiled articles to determine sources of stains, to locate color imperfections, and to identify items requiring special treatment. AI can help diagnose stains, but inspection stays physical. | 25% AI helps | ## How laundry workers compare All occupations (923) Production (107) **Laundry workers score 13**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 22 for production. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $34,890 a year, May 2025 People employed 198,040 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +4.3% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Determine spotting solvents by fabric and stain type - Match dye and bleach shades by eye on samples - Inspect soiled articles for stains and color damage - Run intake and order tagging in Curbside Laundries POS - Press garments and furs on hand irons and pressing machines - Track job counts and billing in Microsoft Excel ## Safer roles nearby 3 related occupations with lower scores. - [Garment pressers10 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/garment-pressers/) - [Maids8 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/maids/) - [Dishwashers8 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/dishwashers/) ## Questions about laundry workers and AI Will AI replace laundry workers? Partly. About 1 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly spotting solvent choice and color matching. AI can suggest solvents and color formulas, but the testing on the cloth is still done by a person. Pressing, hanging, and spotting manually stay with people. Which laundry worker tasks can AI take over? Spotting procedure and solvent selection carries the highest exposure score in this job, at 40. AI can look up solvent chemistry for a given fabric and stain type. Color matching formulas, at an exposure score of 30, can also come from AI, while the eye still makes the final call. Visual sorting by fabric and color, at 25, is helped by AI vision. Which laundry worker tasks stay with people? Pressing garments, hanging drapes on stretch frames, and spreading soiled articles on work tables all carry an exposure score of 4. These tasks need hands on the cloth and a person at the machine. Together they make up most of the 77% of task weight that stays human. How can laundry workers stay valuable? Get fast and accurate at hands-on spotting, since testing stains by eye stays manual work. Use Curbside Laundries Wash and Fold POS Software for intake and tagging, and Property management system PMS software for customer records. Track counts and rework in Microsoft Excel so you can show where stains and color losses happen. ## Related jobs - [Vehicle cleaners13 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/vehicle-cleaners/) - [Sewing machine operators16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/sewing-machine-operators/) - [Packers19 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/packers/) - [Packaging machine operators19 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/packaging-machine-operators/) ## Next steps for laundry workers - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.