In today’s world, everyone is searching for the next best side hustle, but many are overlooking some of the most profitable opportunities—ones that are “dirty,” unglamorous, or require hard work that most people avoid. In this post, we’re going to explore 21 dirty side hustles that not only make great money but also have minimal competition due to their less-than-appealing nature. If you’re willing to get your hands dirty and put in the work, these side hustles could make you serious cash in 2024 and beyond.
I’ve spent dozens of hours researching this list, compiling information from 148 pages of in-depth research to bring you some of the best opportunities out there. From removing roadkill to cleaning pools, these jobs may not be glamorous, but they can certainly be lucrative. So, let’s jump into the list!
1. Roadkill Collector
This side hustle is exactly what it sounds like—picking up roadkill. You might think this is a myth, but it’s a legitimate job, and some people make six figures annually doing it. Local authorities, such as the police, often need someone to collect and dispose of dead animals from the roads.
Skills Required: You’ll need a strong stomach, the ability to work independently, and knowledge of local wildlife.
Earnings: While the job isn’t for everyone, roadkill collectors can make significant money, especially since it’s a niche with limited competition. Earnings can reach six figures, depending on the location and demand.
Tools Needed: All you need is a vehicle for transportation, protective gear, and a place to properly dispose of the animals.
Opportunity Score: 6/10. This isn’t a job for animal lovers, but if you’re willing to handle the work, there’s plenty of opportunity.
2. Graffiti Removal Specialist
As a graffiti removal specialist, your job will be to clean and restore public or private spaces by removing unwanted graffiti. Cities, private property owners, and businesses often pay big bucks to have their properties cleaned up.
Skills Required: Basic knowledge of cleaning techniques and surface treatment, and you’ll need some specialized equipment like pressure washers and cleaning chemicals.
Earnings: Graffiti removal can be highly profitable, with some specialists charging $500 for 45 minutes of work. That’s right—$500 in less than an hour! You’ll likely need to be on-call, but the payouts make it worth the inconvenience.
Tools Needed: A pressure washer, chemicals for graffiti removal, and some basic cleaning tools like sponges or scrubbing pads.
Opportunity Score: 7/10. This is a niche service with high demand, and once you get established, it can lead to steady work.
3. Lawn Care Specialist
Lawn care may not be dirty in the traditional sense, but it’s definitely hard work. However, this side hustle can grow into a multi-million-dollar business if you play your cards right. What starts as mowing a few lawns in your neighborhood can evolve into a full-scale lawn care business.
Skills Required: Lawn mowing, trimming hedges, and general garden maintenance.
Earnings: Lawn care services charge about $1 per minute or $60 per hour. Many lawn care businesses started small and eventually grew into operations that bring in tens of millions annually.
Tools Needed: Basic lawn care tools like a lawnmower and trimmers. These can either be rented or purchased for a few hundred dollars.
Opportunity Score: 7/10. With a low barrier to entry and the potential for significant growth, lawn care is an excellent option for making extra money.
4. Junk Removal Service
This dirty job involves helping people declutter their homes and offices by removing unwanted items. Not only do you get paid to remove junk, but you might also find valuable items that you can resell. It’s a double-win side hustle.
Skills Required: Heavy lifting, basic organization skills, and the ability to determine the value of items.
Earnings: Junk removal services can make a lot of money, with some companies earning six figures just by removing and reselling junk. In some cases, clients will even let you keep items they don’t want, which can be resold for extra profit.
Tools Needed: A truck or van for transporting junk, gloves, and basic removal tools.
Opportunity Score: 8/10. This side hustle has high earning potential, especially if you live in an area where people are constantly upgrading or decluttering.
5. Carpet & Bed Cleaning Specialist
Most cleaning companies avoid deep cleaning carpets and beds because it requires specialized equipment. That’s where you come in. As a carpet and bed cleaning specialist, you can charge premium rates for cleaning these harder-to-clean areas.
Skills Required: Basic knowledge of carpet and upholstery cleaning techniques, and the ability to handle specialized equipment.
Earnings: Carpet cleaning businesses can earn six figures or more annually, especially if you offer bed cleaning as an added service.
Tools Needed: Carpet steamers and other specialized cleaning equipment, which can be rented or purchased.
Opportunity Score: 8/10. With minimal competition in this niche, there’s plenty of opportunity to make good money by offering specialized services.
6. Gutter Cleaner
Gutters get clogged with debris like leaves, twigs, and dirt, causing water drainage problems that can lead to property damage. As a gutter cleaner, you can charge homeowners for cleaning their gutters and ensuring proper water flow.
Skills Required: Basic ladder safety and the ability to clear debris.
Earnings: You can charge between $50 and $100 per hour for gutter cleaning, and hire additional workers to scale your business.
Tools Needed: A sturdy ladder, gloves, and a gutter scooper.
Opportunity Score: 7.5/10. With simple tools and a regular demand for gutter cleaning, this is a steady, repeatable side hustle.
7. Pool Cleaner
Cleaning pools involves maintaining the water quality and ensuring a clean swimming environment for homeowners. Since most pool owners are affluent, they’re willing to pay top dollar for regular cleaning services.
Skills Required: Knowledge of pool cleaning techniques and water chemistry.
Earnings: Pool cleaning services can make multiple six figures annually, with some businesses earning upwards of $200,000 per year.
Tools Needed: Pool skimmers, vacuums, and water test kits.
Opportunity Score: 8.5/10. If you live in an area with a lot of pools, this is a highly lucrative and repeatable business.
8. Home Painting Business
Whether you paint the inside or outside of homes, this is a high-demand service that can bring in substantial income. A Reddit user shared how he quit his $70,000/year job and grew his home painting business to $600,000/year in just two years.
Skills Required: Basic painting skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage projects.
Earnings: You can charge several hundred dollars per room or exterior wall, making it easy to scale this business into six figures.
Tools Needed: Paint, brushes, rollers, ladders, and protective equipment.
Opportunity Score: 7.5/10. This is a long-standing service with a steady demand, and it’s easy to hire additional workers to help scale your operation.
9. Trash Collector
You may think picking up trash isn’t glamorous, but it can be incredibly profitable. Waste disposal businesses can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, especially when offering large-scale trash removal for commercial properties.
Skills Required: Physical strength, attention to detail, and organizational skills.
Earnings: Some trash collectors make upwards of $650,000 per year by expanding into waste management for commercial clients.
Tools Needed: A truck or van, gloves, and basic waste removal tools.
Opportunity Score: 8/10. The demand for trash collection is constant, and the earning potential is huge.
10. Curb Address Painting
This is one of the simplest side hustles on the list—painting house numbers on curbs to make addresses more visible. While it may seem basic, this side hustle can bring in steady income with minimal investment.
Skills Required: Basic painting skills and a steady hand.
Earnings: Most curb painters charge about $20 per curb. If you can paint 10 curbs a day, that’s $200/day or $1,000/week.
Tools Needed: Spray paint and number stencils.
Opportunity Score: 7/10. While not the most lucrative, this is an easy side hustle to start with very low investment.
11. Appliance Repair
From refrigerators to dishwashers, appliances break down frequently, and most people would rather repair them than replace them. If you have a knack for fixing things, appliance repair can be a very profitable side hustle.
Skills Required: Technical knowledge of how appliances work, and the ability to diagnose and fix problems.
Earnings: Appliance repair professionals make about $27/hour on average, but business owners can earn much more.
Tools Needed: Basic diagnostic tools and replacement parts.
Opportunity Score: 8/10. This is a reliable business with consistent demand, especially as more people look to repair rather than replace their appliances.
12. Trash Can Cleaning
Trash cans get dirty, attract pests, and smell awful. This side hustle involves cleaning trash cans for homeowners and businesses on a regular schedule.
Skills Required: Basic cleaning skills and a willingness to handle smelly trash.
Earnings: $10 per trash can, with the potential to clean 10-20 cans per day. This can lead to an income of $26,000 to $52,000 annually, and more if you scale up.
Tools Needed: Power washer, cleaning solutions, and protective gloves.
Opportunity Score: 8.5/10. With a recurring monthly service model, this is a business that can provide steady income year-round.
13. Sofa Cleaner
Most cleaning companies don’t offer specialized sofa cleaning, making this a niche you can tap into. With the right equipment, you can clean sofas and charge anywhere from $150 to $500 per cleaning.
Skills Required: Knowledge of upholstery cleaning techniques and how to avoid damaging fabric.
Earnings: $450 to $900 per day, easily translating into six figures annually if you get enough clients.
Tools Needed: Steam cleaning machines and specialized upholstery cleaners.
Opportunity Score: 8/10. With minimal competition in this area, sofa cleaning is a side hustle that can quickly grow into a full-time business.
14. Mailbox Installation/Repair
Mailboxes are often damaged or outdated, and many homeowners are willing to pay to have theirs repaired or replaced. This side hustle can be profitable, especially if you upsell clients to more expensive, custom mailboxes.
Skills Required: Basic handyman skills and attention to detail.
Earnings: You can charge between $60 and $380 for each mailbox, with additional revenue from upselling premium mailboxes.
Tools Needed: Basic handyman tools like screwdrivers, hammers, and replacement parts.
Opportunity Score: 6.5/10. While this isn’t a high-volume business, it can still be profitable with the right clients.
15. Mobile Phone Repair
Cracked phone screens and malfunctioning devices are a constant problem for people, and if you’re tech-savvy, this can be a highly lucrative side hustle. With a little bit of training, you can start fixing phones and earning good money.
Skills Required: Knowledge of phone repairs, including screen replacement, battery issues, and more.
Earnings: Many phone repair businesses charge $200 to fix a phone, and some make hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
Tools Needed: Phone repair kits and diagnostic tools.
Opportunity Score: 9/10. With the increasing dependence on smartphones, this is a booming market with massive potential.
16. Garage Organizer
For people with messy garages, hiring someone to organize and declutter can be a lifesaver. If you’re good at organizing, this could be a perfect side hustle.
Skills Required: Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Earnings: Garage organizers can make between $50 and $85/hour. Some people in this niche have built six-figure businesses.
Tools Needed: Gloves and basic storage solutions like bins and shelves.
Opportunity Score: 8.5/10. While not immediately obvious, this is a service that can command high rates in affluent areas.
17. Pet Waste Removal
As a pet waste removal specialist, your job will be to clean up pet waste from clients’ yards on a weekly or monthly basis. It’s not glamorous, but it’s easy and repeatable.
Skills Required: Ability to handle gross work and physical endurance.
Earnings: Many pet waste removal businesses make six figures annually, especially with recurring clients.
Tools Needed: Pooper scoopers, gloves, and trash bags.
Opportunity Score: 6/10. It’s not the most glamorous job, but it provides steady, recurring income.
18. Mobile Car Detailing/Washing
With mobile car detailing and washing, you go to the customer instead of them coming to you, making this a convenient service that commands premium prices.
Skills Required: Car cleaning and detailing skills, plus knowledge of specialized products.
Earnings: Many mobile car detailing businesses make over $200,000 annually, with some individuals earning up to $30,000 per month.
Tools Needed: Car cleaning products, portable water tanks, and vacuums.
Opportunity Score: 9/10. This is one of the most lucrative side hustles, especially in areas with many car owners.
19. Eco-Friendly Diaper Service
This niche involves delivering compostable or reusable diapers to clients’ homes and collecting used diapers for composting or cleaning. It’s an eco-friendly service that appeals to affluent, environmentally-conscious parents.
Skills Required: Basic logistics management and customer service.
Earnings: You can charge about $120 per month per client, and with 30 clients, you could earn a full-time income.
Tools Needed: Compostable or reusable diapers, a vehicle for deliveries, and cleaning supplies.
Opportunity Score: 6/10. It’s not the most glamorous job, but with the right clientele, it can provide steady income.
20. Furniture Restoration
Old furniture often gets thrown out when it could be restored and resold. If you have a knack for fixing things, furniture restoration could be a profitable side hustle.
Skills Required: Carpentry skills and an eye for detail.
Earnings: Many furniture restorers make good money either by restoring items for clients or by selling restored furniture.
Tools Needed: Basic carpentry tools like sanders, stains, and wood glue.
Opportunity Score: 6.5/10. While it requires a bit of skill, furniture restoration can be very rewarding, especially in affluent neighborhoods.
21. YouTube Side Hustle (Bonus)
One final side hustle to consider is creating content about side hustles! YouTube is a fantastic platform for sharing your experiences and tips while earning money through ad revenue, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing.
Skills Required: Basic video production and editing skills, plus creativity.
Earnings: Some YouTubers earn six figures or more by sharing content about side hustles and other topics.
Opportunity Score: 10/10. YouTube is one of the best platforms for building a personal brand and earning passive income.
Conclusion
From cleaning pools to removing graffiti, these 21 dirty side hustles for 2024 are perfect for those willing to put in the hard work. While they may not be glamorous, the earning potential is huge, and there’s minimal competition in many of these niches. If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and take on one of these side hustles, you could be on your way to making six figures or more in the coming year.
So, which one will you choose? Let me know in the comments, and if you found this post helpful, don’t forget to share it with someone who might benefit!
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