Your work. Your records.
Laundry and Dry Cleaning Worker Workplace Records
Laundry work moves through loading, washing or cleaning, drying and final sorting. An employment concern can arise after several workers have handled the same batch. Describe your part of the sequence and the instructions you received without assuming the last person to handle an article caused a problem.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Batch sequence
List loading, unloading and finishing stages you handled and the workers’ roles at each handoff.
Machine interruption
Record the equipment issue and alternate assignment rather than estimating hours from cycle duration.
Employment response
Connect the customer complaint or quality issue to the explanation management gave you.
Start with the work you actually do
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.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers (51-6011.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Operate extractors and driers, or direct their operation.Source task 12125 · updated 08/2026
- Remove items from washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to do so.Source task 12124 · updated 08/2026
- Load articles into washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to perform loading.Source task 12121 · updated 08/2026
- Sort and count articles removed from dryers, and fold, wrap, or hang them.Source task 12119 · updated 08/2026
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers (SOC 51-6011). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $11.75 | $13.64 | $15.54 | $28,370 |
| Alaska | $15.72 | $17.33 | $18.91 | $36,050 |
| Arizona | $16.72 | $17.55 | $18.11 | $36,500 |
| Arkansas | $12.87 | $13.68 | $14.51 | $28,460 |
| Connecticut | $16.99 | $17.46 | $18.27 | $36,310 |
| Delaware | $15.01 | $16.22 | $17.60 | $33,730 |
| Florida | $14.48 | $15.55 | $16.88 | $32,340 |
| Georgia | $13.37 | $14.70 | $16.38 | $30,580 |
| Hawaii | $15.24 | $17.16 | $22.01 | $35,690 |
| Idaho | $13.68 | $16.90 | $18.58 | $35,140 |
| Indiana | $13.79 | $14.87 | $16.95 | $30,930 |
| Iowa | $14.28 | $16.37 | $17.93 | $34,050 |
| Kansas | $13.40 | $14.48 | $16.50 | $30,120 |
| Kentucky | $12.93 | $14.05 | $16.00 | $29,220 |
| Louisiana | $11.04 | $13.20 | $14.54 | $27,460 |
| Maine | $17.27 | $17.97 | $19.02 | $37,380 |
| Michigan | $14.79 | $16.87 | $18.26 | $35,100 |
| Minnesota | $16.51 | $18.07 | $20.74 | $37,580 |
| Mississippi | $11.00 | $13.07 | $13.89 | $27,190 |
| Missouri | $14.39 | $16.28 | $17.51 | $33,870 |
| Montana | $16.23 | $17.43 | $18.60 | $36,250 |
| Nebraska | $15.03 | $16.73 | $18.18 | $34,790 |
| New Hampshire | $17.25 | $17.72 | $18.59 | $36,860 |
| New Mexico | $13.73 | $14.83 | $16.63 | $30,850 |
| New York | $16.35 | $16.85 | $17.95 | $35,050 |
| North Carolina | $13.82 | $15.35 | $17.18 | $31,920 |
| North Dakota | $16.17 | $18.01 | $19.33 | $37,470 |
| Ohio | $13.47 | $14.67 | $17.50 | $30,520 |
| Oklahoma | $11.27 | $13.54 | $15.11 | $28,170 |
| Pennsylvania | $14.12 | $16.38 | $17.58 | $34,060 |
| Rhode Island | $17.08 | $17.90 | $19.29 | $37,230 |
| South Dakota | $14.00 | $15.76 | $17.38 | $32,780 |
| Tennessee | $14.24 | $15.97 | $17.27 | $33,220 |
| Texas | $12.58 | $14.25 | $16.92 | $29,630 |
| Utah | $15.00 | $17.16 | $18.28 | $35,690 |
| Vermont | $17.46 | $17.93 | $20.06 | $37,300 |
| Virginia | $13.75 | $15.45 | $17.31 | $32,140 |
| West Virginia | $13.04 | $13.93 | $16.58 | $28,970 |
| Wisconsin | $14.82 | $17.16 | $17.91 | $35,700 |
| Wyoming | $13.38 | $13.76 | $16.28 | $28,630 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Separate batch handoffs
Identify the general article type and processing stage you handled. Note whether counts were checked when the batch changed hands and who directed a different treatment. Distinguish damage you observed from a complaint received later; do not reconstruct missing counts as if recorded at the time.
Include loading and finishing duties
List sorting, machine preparation, folding and cleanup relevant to your own hours or workload concern. Note machine downtime and the work assigned while waiting. Compare your time entry with the sequence instead of treating a wash or drying cycle as a complete work interval.
Protect garments and customer details
Do not take customer labels, account lists, garment photographs or chemical-process records into personal storage without permission. Describe a disputed instruction and where a relevant batch record exists. Keep your own schedule, pay statement and warning with your response, leaving operational records unchanged.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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