The cleaning industry, an unattractive sector suffering from a poor image, has forcefully entered the world of innovation and technology. Against the backdrop of a severe shortage of about 45,000 workers in Israel, coupled with low wages, difficult working conditions, and social stigmas, innovative solutions are emerging that aim to transform the industry and compensate for the lack of manpower. As technology becomes an integral part of the sector, the question arises: Will it succeed in replacing cleaning workers as the shortage continues to grow?
In recent years, the cleaning industry has become a start-up hub, with many entrepreneurs recognizing the future lies there and seizing the opportunity to develop groundbreaking technologies in the field. For example, Avichai Suisa, a young entrepreneur from the construction sector, found himself during the war without cleaning staff at project sites. The urgent need sparked an idea that evolved into a start-up called E-Drone Technologies, developing specialized drones for cleaning and maintaining buildings and infrastructure.
The company developed a high-pressure washing drone that performs safe, fast, and cost-effective cleaning even in inaccessible locations. Avichai started the venture with two childhood friends, Tal Hader and Gal Hader, who balanced project work with military reserve service during the war. After a year of development in strategic collaboration with a U.S.-based technology and engineering company, alongside a complex regulatory process with the Civil Aviation Authority, the drone received approval for public use and is already being integrated into public and industrial projects – from cleaning building facades to handling areas damaged by missile fire. “We are proud to prevent life-threatening risks while improving complex work processes,” says Avichai.
“The Next Generation of the Industry”
Shahar Nisan, VP of Business Development and Innovation at Moran Cleaning Technologies, also sees robotics as the next generation of the cleaning industry. “In recent years, we have proven that robots are not limited to large halls and complexes – they are entering small lobbies and everyday spaces while maintaining efficiency, effectiveness, and reducing dependence on manpower and traditional machines,” he explains. “The robot is a Co-Bot – a partner to the worker. It allows us to free up valuable human hands for other tasks while maintaining a consistent and uniform level of cleanliness. This is especially critical because the floor is the first point of contact between the client and the organization. The future of the cleaning industry will rely on smart collaboration between humans and robots. They are not here to replace people but to complement them – this is no longer a vision, it’s reality.”
Attorney Veronika Rosenberg, CEO of the Cleaning Companies Organization in Israel, has worked for years to improve the industry’s image and workers’ conditions, aiming to make it a forefront of innovation. “The cleaning industry is perceived as ‘low-tech,’ but in reality, it is at the forefront of public health and sustainability,” she says. “The goal is to transform it into a sector that leads innovation with robotics, drones, and artificial intelligence while remembering that its heart is the people who actually perform the work.”
Those on the ground, feeling the gaps, include A., a 47-year-old single mother of two who has worked in cleaning since the age of 19. As a school cleaning worker in central Israel, she describes the work as Sisyphean, with constant overload and shortages that increase pressure on employees. “We do everything to ensure students learn in a clean environment, but there is not enough manpower, and we collapse under the conditions and manual labor,” she says. “Technology can help, but it cannot replace the responsibility we take and the human connection with the place.”
The reality is clear: Technology is already here and proving effective, but innovation itself reinforces the understanding – no drone or robot can replace the thorough work of cleaning staff; they can only work alongside them.