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Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders

Typical education: High school diplomaModerate pressure

What they do

Operate or tend machines to wash or clean products, such as barrels or kegs, glass items, tin plate, food, pulp, coal, plastic, or rubber, to remove impurities.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $43,530 Median per year · $20.93/hr Most earn $33,790–$58,570

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Add specified amounts of chemicals to equipment at required times to maintain solution levels and concentrations.
  • Set controls to regulate temperature and length of cycles, and start conveyors, pumps, agitators, and machines.
  • Set controls to regulate temperature and length of cycles, and start conveyors, pumps, agitators, and machines.
  • Examine and inspect machines to detect malfunctions.
  • Drain, clean, and refill machines or tanks at designated intervals, using cleaning solutions or water.
  • Observe machine operations, gauges, or thermometers, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions.

Job outlook

United States
3% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 1,700 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Bakeries and tortilla manufacturing9.9%
  • Animal slaughtering and processing9.3%
  • Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing8.1%
  • Coating, engraving, heat treating, and allied activities6.9%
  • Self-employed (their own business)6.2%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: None

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: NoneEntry-level

This is an entry-level job. A high school diploma is the typical education, and most people learn the work on the job with no prior experience needed.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school, with strong math and science classes and some hands-on shop or lab work if you can. This is the usual minimum for this job.

  2. Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operator

    0-1 year

    You learn to run and monitor machines that wash or clean products, usually through on-the-job training under an experienced worker. The career itself is where this path ends.

Where it can lead

  1. Heat Treating Equipment Operator

    3-6 months of experience first

    Moving into a related role means learning to run equipment that changes the properties of metal or plastic with controlled heat, which takes more process knowledge and care with settings.

  2. Crushing and Grinding Machine Operator

    6 months to 1 year of experience first

    This role involves setting up and adjusting machines for crushing, grinding, or polishing, so you need to understand machine settings and product specs.

  3. Chemical Plant Operator

    1-3 years of experience first

    Chemical plant operators control larger process systems and often need more training and a clear record of safe, reliable work to move up.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and physical scienceAlgebra, chemistry, and physics help you understand how cleaning processes, chemicals, and machine settings work.
  • Take shop, welding, or industrial technology classesHands-on machine and tool experience prepares you for working around production equipment.
  • Get a starter jobA part-time job at a store, grocery, or local factory (if you're old enough) teaches reliability, following instructions, and working on a team.
  • Join a career or technical student organizationGroups like SkillsUSA or similar school clubs build teamwork and technical skills that employers value.
  • Learn workplace safety basicsSome schools or local programs offer safety training that shows you understand equipment hazards and protective gear.

In college

  • Take a couple of chemistry or industrial process coursesKnowing how cleaning agents and materials interact helps you understand the work and handle chemicals safely.
  • Look for part-time work at a plant or production facilityCampus or local factory jobs give you direct experience with machines, safety rules, and shift work.
  • Ask about on-the-job training programsMany employers train new operators directly, so a summer or part-time job can help you get hired faster.
  • Earn a safety or forklift certification if your school or town offers oneSafety credentials are useful for many production jobs and show employers you take the work seriously.
  • Join a student club related to manufacturing or engineeringClubs help you meet people in the field and practice teamwork and problem-solving.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask employers or your school about job-shadowing or plant tours so you can see how the machines work before you apply.
  • Build a habit of following safety rules and written procedures, since reliable, careful work is what supervisors notice most in machine jobs.
  • Learn basic machine maintenance and simple troubleshooting, such as reading gauges and spotting leaks or jams, because these skills help you move into setter or operator roles.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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