33 Dirty Ways to Make Money (Legal & Ethical Messy Jobs!)

When I cleaned the lobby, not only did I deal with spilled beverages, but I also had to clean up litter, half-eaten food, and even vomit.

I also worked in hotel housekeeping and at a mail-order flower company, where I put together plant packages.

They weren’t the most pleasant jobs, but they helped me out when I needed money. (Plus, they taught me I didn’t want to work those jobs again.)

It seems like robots will take over some dirty jobs in the future to protect humans from the dangers they involve.

I find this a mixed blessing because, while I’m not a fan of many dirty jobs, I understand some individuals don’t mind them.

Due to the rise of robots, it’s estimated that about 400 to 800 million people worldwide could lose their jobs by 2030. Additionally, 75 to 375 million people might have no choice but to switch occupations and learn new skills.

That said, someone has to do the unpleasant jobs.

If you’re okay with messy work, there are many dirty ways to make money.

So, without further ado, here are jobs that pay you to get filthy.

Top Dirty Ways to Make Money

A lot of these jobs stink. But for some, including you, that might not be such a bad thing.

1. Fast Food Work

Fast food is a dying profession due to the growing number of kiosks, but it’s a good starter job for teens. (Fast food was the first industry I worked in as a teen.)

Be prepared to deal with food spatters (and body waste when cleaning bathrooms).

• Earning Amount: $16,000 to $30,000/year

2. Housekeeping

You’ll need to vacuum, make beds, replace linens, and more.

As someone who used to be a hotel housekeeper, I learned the hard way that this job takes house chores to the extreme.

Where to find housekeeping work:

• Hotels
• Nursing homes
• Private residences
• Vacation rentals
• Earning Amount: $21,000 to $32,000/year

Want to make good money cleaning without actually doing the cleaning? Start a cleaning business!

3. Oil Rig

Oil rig employees work with combustible materials while walking on oily, watery platforms.

The pay is pretty good, though.

• Earning Amount: $35,000 to $75,000/year

4. Garbage Collection

As a garbage collector, you need to wake up early and handle other people’s disgusting and smelly trash.

• Earning Amount: $26,000 to $100,000/year

5. Vet Technology

A vet technician is essentially a nurse for pets.

This job requires you to draw blood, collect urine and fecal samples for diagnosing illnesses, and assist veterinarians during surgeries.

• Earning Amount: $20,000 to $70,000/year

6. Certified Nursing Assistance

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) help patients with dressing, bathing, toilet duties, and more.

(I once enrolled in a course to explore a CNA career, though I quit before I finished. Why I signed up is anyone’s guess, but it was good that I found out what it entailed in the classroom rather than on the job.)

• Earning Amount: $10,000 to $160,000/year

7. Janitorial Work

If you opt for janitorial work, you’ll need to sweep, mop, change trash, and carry out other related tasks.

You can find work at schools, offices, grocery stores, and more.

• Earning Amount: $17,000 to $50,000/year

8. Zookeeping

Taking care of exotic animals isn’t all fun and games.

Zookeepers have to clean up after the animals, which includes picking up the waste they leave behind.

• Earning Amount: $16,000 to $210,000/year

9. Ride Operator

Like amusement parks?

Consider getting a job as a ride operator!

Just be aware that you’ll need to wash down rides when people with motion sickness throw up on them.

• Earning Amount: $13,000 to $40,000/year

10. Dog Bathing

If you love dogs and don’t mind getting covered in soap suds, water, filth, and dog slobber, this job might be perfect for you.

• Earning Amount: $20,000 to $30,000/year

11. Landscaping

Landscaping involves watering plants, weeding gardens, trimming hedges, and adding fertilizer while dealing with dirt, smells, and inclement weather.

But it’s a great job for those who enjoy working outdoors.

• Earning Amount: $19,000 to $75,000/year

12. Car Washing

Car washers have to endure being wet and covered in stains.

However, they’re lightening the load for car owners while getting paid for it.

• Earning Amount: $15,000 to $37,000/year

13. Mortuary Embalming

Talk about a dead-end job, haha!

An embalmer uses special chemicals to preserve the appearance of the deceased.

This occupation carries the risk of catching infectious illnesses and involves blood and other bodily fluids.

• Earning Amount: $25,000 to $76,000/year

14. Babysitting

Love children?

Kids can be cute and funny, but they’re also very messy, especially babies and toddlers.

Prepare to deal with dirty diapers, crayon markings, puke, and other gross things that many children do.

• Earning Amount: $15,000 to $57,000/year

15. Sewage Cleaning

Sewage cleaners maintain sewers with pumps and other tools.

It’s smelly and dangerous work since they have to clean under rough conditions, and they’re on-call employees.

• Earning Amount: $22,000 to $86,000/year

16. Farm Help

If you want to work on a farm, you’ll need to carry out tasks like:

• Mucking stalls
• Spraying crops
• Milking cows
• Assisting animals with giving birth

Of course, these are just the main duties. As a farm worker, you’ll have to do many other things to maintain the farm.

• Earning Amount: $14,000 to $33,000/year

17. Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology involves treating ailments associated with the digestive system.

A gastroenterologist deals with body waste and odors while diagnosing illnesses.

• Earning Amount: $230,000 to $530,000/year

18. Window Washing

Window washers clean dirt, bird droppings, and other messes from high altitudes.

• Earning Amount: $15,000 to $60,000/year

19. Pest Extermination

You can get paid to eliminate pests like rats, bees, and roaches.

(Not recommended for major animal lovers.)

• Earning Amount: $20,000 to $60,000/year

20. Police Work

Fighting crime isn’t a spic-and-span job.

I learned that the reason the backseats of cop cars are hard is so that someone can easily clean body fluids from them. (Ew!)

• Earning Amount: $26,000 to $90,000/year

21. Construction Work

Constructing buildings involves a lot of dust and debris.

In addition, construction work is risky due to heights and falling concrete.

• Earning Amount: $21,000 to $55,000/year

22. Auto Repair

Have a knack for fixing cars?

If you want to be an auto mechanic, aka grease monkey, you’ll deal with a lot of grime and oil while repairing vehicles.

• Earning Amount: $16,000 to $65,000/year

23. Lice Removal

Some may find this a lousy occupation.

But for others, it’s not as nitpicky as it seems.

Professional lice removers visit families’ homes to eliminate lice and educate them on prevention methods.

• Earning Amount: $21,000 to $54,000/year

24. Plumbing

A plumber unclogs things like hair, grease, and other debris from pipes.

They also fix leaks that can cause drips and floods.

• Earning Amount: $30,000 to $80,000/year

25. Roadkill Collecting

Collecting roadkill is a disgusting yet necessary job.

Removing dead animals from the street helps reduce the risk of infectious diseases and keeps the environment cleaner.

• Earning Amount: Varies; Paid per carcass

26. Slaughterhouse Work

Consider working in a slaughterhouse if you don’t mind the smell of freshly killed animals and blood stains.

(Personally, I wouldn’t do this myself, and I’m not even a vegetarian.)

• Earning Amount: $24,000 to $38,000/year

27. Surgery

Surgeons deal with all types of human body fluids, including saliva, feces, and blood, as they operate on patients.

• Earning Amount: $147,000 to $900,000/year

28. Dental Hygiene

A dental hygienist provides preventive dental care to patients.

They clean all sorts of gunk from teeth, ranging from days-old food particles to cigarette stains.

• Earning Amount: $35,000 to $90,000/year

29. Firefighting

Want to fight fires?

Then, you’ll have to face smoky, dusty environments as you rescue others from burning flames.

These aspects of firefighting make it both dirty and dangerous.

• Earning Amount: $28,000 to $79,000/year

30. House Painting

House painters leave spatters and streaks of paint behind as they add color to a new building or repaint an old one.

You can work for someone else or start your own house-painting business.

• Earning Amount: Varies

31. Dog Poop Scoop Business

I’ve heard of businesses that clean dog poop from private and public properties.

As gross as it is, these businesses keep the environment clean and make the surroundings less smelly.

• Earning Amount: Varies

32. Hair Selling

Selling your hair is an old yet lucrative concept. (This is a major plot device in the short story Gift of the Magi.)

If you have extra long hair you want to get rid of, you can get paid big bucks for giving up your locks.

The haircut may be messy and stressful, but it can be worth it in the end.

• Earning Amount: Varies; About $100 to $1,000+

33. Cat Litter Box Cleaning Business

This is similar to the dog poop cleaning business mentioned in No. 31, except it involves litter boxes.

Cleaning litter boxes helps those who can’t do it themselves, especially pregnant women who are at risk of contracting toxoplasmosis.

• Earning Amount: Varies

Embracing the Messy Path to Extra Cash!

So there you have it—an array of dirty ways to make money that prove some of the messiest jobs can be surprisingly lucrative.

Many of the messy and gross jobs I’ve listed are ones I can’t imagine doing, but I know some people aren’t bothered by them. So while these jobs might not be for everyone, they offer unique opportunities for those who don’t mind getting their hands dirty.

Whether it’s cleaning up after pets, tackling oil rigs, or even working in a slaughterhouse, these gigs all come with their own set of challenges and rewards.

It’s a bit sad that some of these jobs will be replaced by automation in the near future. (Then again, jobs are phased out all the time, and automation creates new opportunities.)

If you’re up for the task and ready to dive into something a bit unconventional but ethical and legal, one of these dirty ways to make money might just be your ticket to earning extra cash.