Top 12 Laundry Skills to Put on Your Resume

Crafting a standout resume requires highlighting unique skills that set you apart, and in the realm of housekeeping and hospitality, mastering laundry skills can significantly bolster your appeal to potential employers. This article explores the top 12 laundry skills that, when featured on your resume, signal precision and reliability—traits hiring managers prize for roles involving garment and fabric care.

Laundry Skills

1. Stain Removal
2. Fabric Care
3. Ironing Techniques
4. Folding Precision
5. Dry Cleaning
6. Laundry Sorting
7. Chemical Handling
8. Inventory Management
9. Time Management
10. Customer Service
11. POS Systems
12. Sanitization Protocols

1. Stain Removal

Stain removal in laundry is the targeted process of lifting unwanted marks from fabrics using the right techniques, products, and timing—so clothes look fresh, not tired.

Why It's Important

Swift, smart stain removal preserves appearance, extends garment life, and keeps items hygienic. Fewer re-washes, fewer fabric mishaps, better results.

How to Improve Stain Removal Skills

Level up with a simple, disciplined approach:

1. Act fast: Blot, don’t scrub. Test for colorfastness. Identify the stain type (protein, oil, tannin, dye) before you treat.

2. Pre-treat correctly: Enzyme detergents for protein/food; solvent-based or degreaser for oils; oxygen bleach for whites and colorfast items. Avoid chlorine bleach on wool, silk, spandex, or flame-resistant fabrics.

3. Set the right wash: Start cold for protein stains so they don’t set; use warmer water for oils if the care label allows. Extend soak time when needed. Repeat gentle treatments rather than over-aggressive one-offs.

4. Use the right tools: Soft brush, stain pen, clean cloth, and a pressing cloth for heat-assisted lifting. Never mix bleach with ammonia or acids.

Steady technique beats guesswork every time.

How to Display Stain Removal Skills on Your Resume

2. Fabric Care

Fabric care covers cleaning, handling, and finishing methods that protect texture, color, and structure—from denim heft to silk whisper.

Why It's Important

Good care habits extend lifespan, keep garments comfortable and safe against skin, and uphold a reputation for quality service.

How to Improve Fabric Care Skills

1. Read the label: Temperature, cycle, drying, and bleach guidance aren’t suggestions. They’re survival instructions.

2. Sort with intent: Color, fabric type, weight, and soil level. Mesh bags for delicates, hardware, and small items.

3. Right chemistry, right dose: Use quality detergents; dose by load size and water hardness. Prefer color-safe oxygen bleach when possible.

4. Gentle drying: Lower heat, shorter cycles; remove slightly damp to finish on hangers. Air-dry knits flat to prevent warping.

5. Finish well: De-pill knits, steam wrinkles, shape seams and collars. Store clean, fully dry, and supported (hangers for structure, folding for knits).

How to Display Fabric Care Skills on Your Resume

3. Ironing Techniques

Ironing techniques are the temperature, pressure, steam, and sequence choices that flatten wrinkles and set shape without scorching or shine.

Why It's Important

Crisp finishing boosts presentation, protects fibers, and speeds workflows. Fabric lasts longer; results look sharp.

How to Improve Ironing Techniques Skills

1. Match heat to fiber: Start low, move up. Use steam on cotton/linen; dry heat and a pressing cloth on delicate synthetics and silk.

2. Press, don’t slide (when needed): Long straight strokes for sturdy weaves; lift-and-press on delicate areas to prevent distortion.

3. Sequence smartly: Collars, cuffs, yokes first; large panels last. Iron inside out on darks to avoid shine.

4. Tool check: Clean soleplate, mineral-free steam, padded board, sleeve board, and a garment steamer for tricky pieces.

5. Finish before fully dry: Slightly damp fabric presses faster and cleaner.

How to Display Ironing Techniques Skills on Your Resume

4. Folding Precision

Folding precision means crisp, consistent folds that stack neatly, guard against wrinkles, and fit storage like a glove.

Why It's Important

Neat folds save space, speed retrieval, and keep garments looking ready-to-wear.

How to Improve Folding Precision Skills

1. Prep the surface: Clean, flat, well-lit table. Smooth garments by hand or a quick steam pass.

2. Standardize: One repeatable method per garment type—shirts, pants, towels, sheets. Consistency beats haste.

3. Use aids: A folding board ensures uniform dimensions for shelves and bins.

4. Right timing: Fold promptly after drying to lock in smoothness.

5. Store smart: Stack by size and type; label sections; avoid over-compression that creases.

How to Display Folding Precision Skills on Your Resume

5. Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning uses solvent—not water—to remove soils while protecting delicate fibers and structured garments.

Why It's Important

Some textiles and trims can’t handle a wet wash. Proper solvent care preserves drape, color, and construction.

How to Improve Dry Cleaning Skills

1. Prefer safer chemistry: Shift away from perchloroethylene where possible. Consider silicone-based, hydrocarbon, liquid CO₂, or professional wet cleaning for appropriate items.

2. Spotting mastery: Identify stains accurately and use targeted agents before the machine cycle.

3. Equipment and maintenance: Modern machines, tight solvent recovery, routine filter changes, and clear logs for performance and safety.

4. Quality checkpoints: Tagging and inspection on intake, mid-process checks, and final finishing standards (steam, pressing, shaping).

5. Compliance and waste handling: Follow local rules for solvent storage, emissions, and disposal; document everything.

How to Display Dry Cleaning Skills on Your Resume

6. Laundry Sorting

Laundry sorting organizes items by color, fabric, weight, and soil level so each load gets the care it deserves.

Why It's Important

Sorting prevents dye transfer and fiber damage, boosts cleaning performance, and extends garment life.

How to Improve Laundry Sorting Skills

1. Build the habit upstream: Multi-compartment bins for lights, darks, delicates, towels/linens, and heavily soiled items.

2. Think fiber and weight: Separate denim and heavy cottons from light synthetics and delicates to protect finer weaves.

3. Mind the details: Close zippers, empty pockets, secure hooks, turn knits and prints inside out.

4. Pre-check risk items: New, richly dyed garments may bleed—wash separately first.

5. Keep lint in check: Wash lint producers (towels, fleece) apart from lint magnets (corduroy, synthetics).

How to Display Laundry Sorting Skills on Your Resume

7. Chemical Handling

Chemical handling covers safe storage, mixing, use, and disposal of detergents, bleaches, softeners, spotters, and disinfectants.

Why It's Important

Protects staff, customers, fabrics, and the environment—while ensuring products actually perform as intended.

How to Improve Chemical Handling Skills

1. Label and document: Use clear GHS labels and keep Safety Data Sheets accessible for every product.

2. Control dilution: Closed-loop dispensers and measured dosing reduce exposure, waste, and rewash risk.

3. Store safely: Segregate incompatibles, secondary containment for liquids, sturdy shelving, and locked areas as required.

4. PPE and hygiene: Gloves, goggles, aprons; handwashing stations; no food or drink in chemical zones.

5. Ventilation and emergency gear: Adequate airflow, eyewash/shower where needed, spill kits with trained responders.

6. Never mix hazards: Bleach with ammonia or acids creates toxic gas. Train and retrain until it’s second nature.

7. Local compliance: Follow regional regulations for storage, transport, and disposal; keep logs and inspections up to date.

How to Display Chemical Handling Skills on Your Resume

8. Inventory Management

Inventory management tracks detergents, spotters, bags, tags, hangers, linens—everything needed to keep work moving without dead stops or bloated shelves.

Why It's Important

Prevents stockouts, cuts waste, controls costs, and keeps throughput steady.

How to Improve Inventory Management Skills

1. Set par levels: Define minimum and optimal quantities by item and seasonality.

2. Use systems: Barcodes or RFID, simple dashboards, and automated reordering for high-turn items.

3. Count with cadence: Cycle counts and periodic audits reconcile reality with records.

4. FEFO rotation: First-expire, first-out for chemicals; store by lot and date.

5. Supplier resilience: Secondary vendors, lead-time tracking, and negotiated terms for stability.

6. Track usage: Monitor cost per pound/kilo processed and adjust dosing or processes if trends drift.

How to Display Inventory Management Skills on Your Resume

9. Time Management

Time management in laundry is juggling intake, pre-treat, wash, dry, finish, and dispatch without bottlenecks.

Why It's Important

On-time orders, fuller machines, fewer waits. Productivity climbs, customers stay happy.

How to Improve Time Management Skills

1. Map the flow: Visualize stations and handoffs. Remove unnecessary touches.

2. Batch intelligently: Run like with like to reduce changeovers and rework.

3. Overlap cycles: Start the next wash before the dryer finishes. Keep machines humming.

4. Standard times: Post target durations for each task; use timers and alerts.

5. Schedule and cross-train: Match staffing to peaks. Train backups for critical roles.

6. Protective buffer: Build small buffers for rush orders and unexpected delays.

7. Maintain proactively: Planned maintenance beats surprise downtime.

How to Display Time Management Skills on Your Resume

10. Customer Service

Customer service is every touchpoint—greeting, intake notes, updates, problem-solving, pickup—and how effortless it feels.

Why It's Important

Handled well, it drives loyalty, word of mouth, and stable revenue. Handled poorly, it erodes trust fast.

How to Improve Customer Service Skills

1. Clarity at intake: Tag specific requests (starch level, fragrance-free, repairs) and confirm turnaround times.

2. Proactive updates: Text or email status and pickup-ready alerts. Reduce uncertainty.

3. Frictionless options: Easy booking, predictable pickup/delivery windows, contactless payments, digital receipts.

4. Train for empathy: Listen first, solve visibly, and follow up. Offer make-goods when appropriate.

5. Consistency: Service-level standards posted and met. Measure and coach to them.

6. Accessibility: Clear signage, multilingual support where relevant, and simple pricing.

How to Display Customer Service Skills on Your Resume

11. POS Systems

POS systems for laundry manage tickets, payments, customer data, service options, and reporting—all the operational glue.

Why It's Important

They streamline intake, speed checkout, track inventory and usage, and surface insights that drive smarter decisions.

How to Improve POS Systems Skills

1. Keep it simple: Fast, intuitive screens for common tasks. Minimal taps at the counter.

2. Mobile and web: Enable online orders, wallet payments, and customer portals for receipts and preferences.

3. Barcodes and photos: Tag orders and capture intake photos for condition and count verification.

4. Loyalty and promos: Rewards, bundles, and subscriptions built in—transparent and easy to redeem.

5. Security and compliance: Strong encryption, role-based permissions, backups, and PCI-DSS compliant payments.

6. Reporting and integrations: Custom dashboards, exports, and hooks to accounting and delivery tools.

How to Display POS Systems Skills on Your Resume

12. Sanitization Protocols

Sanitization protocols are procedures that reduce harmful microorganisms on textiles to safe levels and keep clean items from being recontaminated.

Why It's Important

Protects staff and customers, curbs cross-contamination, and meets hygiene expectations in settings from homes to hospitality and healthcare.

How to Improve Sanitization Protocols Skills

1. Validated products: Use disinfectant detergents and additives appropriate for textiles and your machines.

2. Thermal or chemical disinfection: Follow care labels and program cycles to the temperature and time needed for effective reduction of pathogens.

3. Segregation and flow: Keep soiled and clean zones separate; unidirectional workflow; bag and label clearly.

4. Machine hygiene: Clean gaskets, drums, filters, and contact surfaces on a schedule. Document it.

5. Dry thoroughly: Adequate heat and time in drying further lowers microbial load; cool-down prevents moisture trapping.

6. People practices: Hand hygiene, PPE where needed, covered transport, and clean storage to protect finished goods.

7. Verify: Periodic spot checks, process audits, and corrective action when results drift.

How to Display Sanitization Protocols Skills on Your Resume