Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
In short: today's best AI models could do about 0% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 100% of the time, stays with people.
Perform any combination of light cleaning duties to maintain private households or commercial establishments, such as hotels and hospitals, in a clean and orderly manner. Duties may include making beds, replenishing linens, cleaning rooms and halls, and vacuuming.
860,670 people do this job in the US. $35,510 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on0 h
- A person checks AI's work0 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people40 h
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 0 hours, 0 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 40 hours stay with people.
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 0%
- 0%
- 0%
- 0%
- 99%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 0% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 0%. Today's estimate: 0%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
None of this job's 20 tasks showed up in the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled in any of its 7 releases, from February 2025 to May 2026.
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 97% of this job's working time as physical work. For 60% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 37% in a purpose-built cell, 23% in a structured facility. 0.83 of 3, the 212th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 3%
- No robot shown 37%
- In a purpose-built cell 37%
- In a structured facility 23%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
100% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Clean rooms and common areas, the hands-on work, 15%
- Wash windows, walls and woodwork, the hands-on work, 10%
- Do laundry and ironing, the hands-on work, 9%
- Sweep, scrub and polish floors, the hands-on work, 9%
- Carry linens and supplies on carts, the hands-on work, 9%
- Clean carpets, upholstery and drapes, the hands-on work, 7%
What becomes checking the machine
No desk work within reach by then in tasks where a mistake costs something.
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 99% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 20 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met.Cleaning by hand to a health standard.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 15% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Wash windows, walls, ceilings, and woodwork, waxing and polishing as necessary.Cleaning by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Ecovacs Winbot W2 / W2S Omni (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 10% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Sort clothing and other articles, load washing machines, and iron and fold dried items.Sorting, washing and ironing by hand.Done several times a day by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Inwatec THOR / HEIMDAL / ODIN (JENSEN-GROUP) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.1 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Sweep, scrub, wax, or polish floors, using brooms, mops, or powered scrubbing and waxing machines.Cleaning floors by hand or machine.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Avidbots Neo / Neo 2 (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Carry linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies, using wheeled carts.Pushing the cart.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, TIM-E (Things in Motion — Everywhere) (TechForce Robotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 21 min8 min to 33 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Clean rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaners and shampooers.Vacuuming and shampooing.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Rosie (Tailos, formerly Maidbot) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 38 min17 min to 1.4 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy.Restocking and tidying by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, RightPick 4 (RightHand Robotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 25 min13 min to 42 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Dust and polish furniture and equipment.Cleaning by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, ABB FeatherDuster (robotic tack-off) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 21 min8 min to 42 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and waste to disposal areas.Hands-on work.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 17 min8 min to 29 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operated sterilizers.Hands-on work with germicides or a sterilizer.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Steelco ATS automated loading/unloading system (with washer-disinfectors and steam sterilizers) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 58 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Replenish supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and bathroom items.Restocking by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, RightHand Robotics RightPick 4 (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 29 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Prepare rooms for meetings and arrange decorations, media equipment, and furniture for social or business functions.Arranging furniture and equipment by hand.Done more than weekly by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners3% now, 3% by 2028
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers1% now, 1% by 2028
- Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants3% now, 3% by 2028
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers0% now, 0% by 2028
- Dishwashers0% now, 0% by 2028
- Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment1% now, 1% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 0% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 0% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners come within reach first?
- No task has a meaningful share of its time within reach now or by the end of 2028, on the long-run pace at four in five: the work is mostly people work and body work, which the site does not count.
- Which tasks of Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Clean rooms and common areas; Wash windows, walls and woodwork; and Do laundry and ironing. Together such tasks are about 100% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the hands-on craft. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 100% of the working time stays with people, 0% becomes checking a model's work and 0% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026, no reportable share went to this job's tasks. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 97% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 60% of the working time, 23% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.83 of 3. One example: Avidbots Neo / Neo 2 for "sweep, scrub and polish floors". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 20 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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