Transportation and material moving
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
Wash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment. Use such materials as water, cleaning agents, brushes, cloths, and hoses.
Median pay
$35,830
Growth to 2035
+4%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
51,500
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment: 30% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Rinse objects and place them on drying racks or use cloth, squeegees, or air compressors to dry surfaces.
- Apply paints, dyes, polishes, reconditioners, waxes, or masking materials to vehicles to preserve, protect, or restore color or condition.
- Clean and polish vehicle windows.
- Drive vehicles to or from workshops or customers' workplaces or homes.
- Scrub, scrape, or spray machine parts, equipment, or vehicles, using scrapers, brushes, clothes, cleaners, disinfectants, insecticides, acid, abrasives, vacuums, or hoses.
- Inspect parts, equipment, or vehicles for cleanliness, damage, and compliance with standards or regulations.
- Mix cleaning solutions, abrasive compositions, or other compounds, according to formulas.
- Maintain inventories of supplies.
Also called: Aircraft Cleaner · Automotive Detailer (Auto Detailer) · Bus Cleaner · Car Detailer · Car Washer · Cleaner · Detail Technician (Detail Tech) · Detailer
Outlook and AI
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment held 419,500 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 435,800 by 2035 (+4%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment vs. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment vs. Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment vs. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment vs. Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment vs. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment vs. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment vs. Machine feeders and offbearers
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment vs. Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment vs. Home appliance repairer
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment vs. Dishwasher