---
title: "Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operator and Tender"
description: "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…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/cleaning-washing-and-metal-pickling-equipment-operator-and-tender"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operator and Tender

**Category:** Production · **SOC code:** 51-9192 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 51-9192.00

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.

Also advertised as: Anodizer; Clean in Places Operator (CIP Operator); Filler Operator; Parts Cleaner; Sanitation Technician; Sanitation Worker; Sanitizer; Tub Wash Operator.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $43,530 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $20.93/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $33,790 to $58,570, with the middle half between $37,310 and $49,320
- **Total US employment:** 14,760
- **Typical entry education:** High school
- **Preparation required:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** +3.4% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 1,700 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 52/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 14,760 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $33,790 |
| 25th | $37,310 |
| 50th (median) | $43,530 |
| 75th | $49,320 |
| 90th | $58,570 |
| Mean (average) | $44,600 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ME | $64,610 | $66,574 | 40 |
| WI | $54,290 | $57,697 | 310 |
| OR | $49,130 | $47,532 | 70 |
| ND | $48,240 | $54,227 | 60 |
| PA | $48,000 | $49,194 | 370 |
| NH | $47,510 | $45,610 | 120 |
| IA | $46,970 | $53,520 | 430 |
| NY | $46,290 | $42,892 | 710 |
| NE | $45,690 | $50,709 | 400 |
| WA | $45,600 | $42,612 | 180 |
| OH | $45,470 | $49,012 | 1,010 |
| VA | $45,330 | $44,835 | 140 |
| CA | $45,150 | $40,779 | 2,450 |
| SD | $44,770 | $50,538 | 60 |
| MI | $44,400 | $46,146 | 820 |

25 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 40 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/cleaning-washing-and-metal-pickling-equipment-operator-and-tender/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/cleaning-washing-and-metal-pickling-equipment-operator-and-tender.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 16,200 in the 2025–2035 base year to 16,800 by the end of the cycle — a gain of 500 jobs, or +3.4%. About as fast as average: 3.4% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 1,700 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** High school diploma or equivalent (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** Moderate-term on-the-job training.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 59.8% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 31.7% |
| Some College Courses | 3.9% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 3.9% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 0.7% |

## What the work involves

- Drain, clean, and refill machines or tanks at designated intervals, using cleaning solutions or water.
- Examine and inspect machines to detect malfunctions.
- Set controls to regulate temperature and length of cycles, and start conveyors, pumps, agitators, and machines.
- Record gauge readings, materials used, processing times, or test results in production logs.
- Observe machine operations, gauges, or thermometers, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions.
- Add specified amounts of chemicals to equipment at required times to maintain solution levels and concentrations.
- Measure, weigh, or mix cleaning solutions, using measuring tanks, calibrated rods or suction tubes.
- Operate or tend machines to wash and remove impurities from items such as barrels or kegs, glass products, tin plate surfaces, dried fruit, pulp, animal stock, coal, manufactured articles, plastic, or rubber.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Active Listening — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reading Comprehension — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 2.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 2.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 2.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Operation and Control — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operations Monitoring — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Social Perceptiveness — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 2.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 2.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Quality Control Analysis — importance 2.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Production and Processing — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Public Safety and Security — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Psychology — importance 2.7 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Education and Training — importance 2.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Chemistry — importance 2.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Near Vision — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Information Ordering — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Perceptual Speed — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Arm-Hand Steadiness — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Control Precision — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Category Flexibility — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Realistic (R), Conventional (C).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| R — Realistic | 7.00 |
| C — Conventional | 4.41 |
| I — Investigative | 1.68 |
| A — Artistic | 1.00 |
| S — Social | 1.00 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.00 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 88.6 |
| ISFJ | 75.5 |
| ISTP | 75.1 |
| ESTJ | 73.3 |
| INTJ | 63.9 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ. The bank also flags this occupation as introvert-friendly, meaning O\*NET work-context ratings put it low on public contact and performing for the public.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/separating-filtering-clarifying-precipitating-and-still-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $51,610
- [Mixing and Blending Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mixing-and-blending-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $48,990
- [Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operator and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/furnace-kiln-oven-drier-and-kettle-operator-and-tender) — median $48,040
- [Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operator and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/textile-bleaching-and-dyeing-machine-operator-and-tender) — median $38,180
- [Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Worker](https://nuecareer.com/careers/laundry-and-dry-cleaning-worker) — median $34,890
- [Cleaner of Vehicles and Equipment](https://nuecareer.com/careers/cleaner-of-vehicles-and-equipment) — median $35,830
- [Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operator and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/cooling-and-freezing-equipment-operator-and-tender) — median $41,330
- [Chemical Plant and System Operator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/chemical-plant-and-system-operator) — median $78,120
- [Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/crushing-grinding-and-polishing-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $48,540
- [Heat Treating Equipment Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/heat-treating-equipment-setter-operator-and-tender-metal-and-plastic) — median $48,750

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/cleaning-washing-and-metal-pickling-equipment-operator-and-tender