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Boston Career Explorer

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.

Also called: Aircraft Cleaner, Automotive Detailer (Auto Detailer), Bus Cleaner, Car Detailer, Car Washer, Cleaner

Compare with my current job (Shampooers)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$38,950
$18.73/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
3,530
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+5.3%
650 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
No formal educational credential
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$31,700$36,810$38,950$43,280$48,090

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure3 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 3
  • Language-model AIOE 2
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 3

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. Scrubbing, spraying, drying, polishing, and driving vehicles are physical tasks done in person. AI tools may help with scheduling or customer messages, but they do not do the cleaning.

Likely to change

  • Scheduling jobs and customer appointments
  • Tracking supplies and work orders

Still relies on people

  • Scrubbing, polishing, and detailing by hand
  • Judging when a surface is truly clean

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Roofers

    Applying coatings and spraying surfaces carries over to roofing work. Pay is higher, with a Boston median of $66,350, and no credential is needed.

    Pay difference
    +$27,400 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +7.7%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers

    You already work outdoors with hoses, tools, and vehicles. This job offers short on-the-job training and a Boston median of $49,030.

    Pay difference
    +$10,080 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +3.8%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

    Careful finishing work and working with surfaces carry over. Boston median pay is $62,870, with moderate on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$23,920 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.9%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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