Environmental services worker vs housekeeping/laundry

The differences between environmental services workers and housekeeping/laundries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an environmental services worker has an average salary of $35,648, which is higher than the $29,777 average annual salary of a housekeeping/laundry.

The top three skills for an environmental services worker include patients, customer service and patient rooms. The most important skills for a housekeeping/laundry are fold laundry, public restrooms, and guest rooms.

Environmental services worker vs housekeeping/laundry overview

	Environmental Services Worker	Housekeeping/Laundry
Yearly salary	$35,648	$29,777
Hourly rate	$17.14	$14.32
Growth rate	9%	-
Number of jobs	90,029	81,110
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does an environmental services worker do?

The duties of an environmental services worker depend on their line of work or industry of employment. In a medical facility, their responsibilities revolve around preventing the spread of any diseases by thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing areas, properly disposing of hazardous waste, and efficiently sterilizing equipment and apparatuses. They usually follow the directives of leaders and managers, reporting to them should there be any problems. Furthermore, as an environmental services worker, it is essential to adhere to the company's safety regulations and policies to maintain a healthy and safe environment for everyone.

What does a housekeeping/laundry do?

A housekeeping/laundry staff member is responsible for washing clothes, linens, and other washable textiles depending on the needs of the employer or the organization. A housekeeping/laundry worker should carefully sort laundry items, ensuring not to mix laundry for different owners. Housekeeping/laundry personnel must keep the laundry area clean at all times, following the sanitary standards and hygienic procedures before and after doing the task. They should also adhere to specific washing instructions to do the laundry without damaging the item, as well as the knowledge to operate and maintain laundry machines and equipment.

Environmental services worker vs housekeeping/laundry salary

Environmental services workers and housekeeping/laundries have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Environmental Services Worker	Housekeeping/Laundry
Average salary	$35,648	$29,777
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $48,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Novato, CA
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	Alameda Health System	Legacy Health
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Professional

Differences between environmental services worker and housekeeping/laundry education

There are a few differences between an environmental services worker and a housekeeping/laundry in terms of educational background:

	Environmental Services Worker	Housekeeping/Laundry
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Environmental services worker vs housekeeping/laundry demographics

Here are the differences between environmental services workers' and housekeeping/laundries' demographics:

	Environmental Services Worker	Housekeeping/Laundry
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5%	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between environmental services worker and housekeeping/laundry duties and responsibilities

Environmental services worker example responsibilities.

Prioritize and manage projects, workload and assist EVS co-workers.
Strip, wax and polish floors using light and heavy power scrubbers and buffers.
Maintain cleanliness in all assign areas and assist in any additional janitorial duties as required.
Maintain professional attitude and ability to communicate effectively with patients, visitors, contractors, and co-workers.
Major emphasis on cleanliness and sterilization of emergency department and operating rooms ensuring availability in the event of an emergency.
Follow OSHA requirements, while maintaining a clean, sanitary and safe environment in all areas of the hospital.

Housekeeping/laundry example responsibilities.

Maintain linen room in clean and orderly condition and examine laundered items to ensure cleanliness and serviceability.
Used hand and power tools such as dollies, floor polishers, vacuum cleaners and mops.
Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operate sterilizers.

Environmental services worker vs housekeeping/laundry skills

Common environmental services worker skills

Patients, 29%
Customer Service, 13%
Patient Rooms, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%
Medical Waste, 5%
Floor Care, 4%

Common housekeeping/laundry skills

Fold Laundry, 38%
Public Restrooms, 27%
Guest Rooms, 4%
Patient Rooms, 3%
Infection Control, 3%
Customer Service, 3%

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Environmental Services Worker vs Housekeeping/Laundry

Updated January 8, 2025

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