Laundry Worker

As a Laundry Worker you clean, press, and prepare garments, bed linen, towels, and other textiles in a commercial or institutional setting. Your daily tasks include sorting items by fabric type and care requirements, operating washing machines, dryers, steam presses, and ironing equipment, and checking finished items for quality. You work alongside other laundry operatives, supervisors, and in larger workplaces such as hospitals or hotels, you may liaise with housekeeping and nursing staff to ensure a steady supply of clean linen. Attention to care labels, hygiene standards, and turnaround times is central to the role.

No formal qualifications are required to enter this role, and most employers provide full on-the-job training when you start. A Junior Cycle or Leaving Certificate is useful for demonstrating basic literacy and numeracy, though neither is strictly mandatory. Some workers pursue a QQI Level 4 or Level 5 award in Laundry or Textile Care Services through a local Education and Training Board (ETB) or College of Further Education, which can support progression into supervisory roles. No statutory professional registration is required, but workers in healthcare laundry settings must follow HSE hygiene and infection-control protocols. Employers in hospitals, care homes, and large hotels often offer in-house training on specific equipment and HACCP-based hygiene procedures.