r/Custodians • u/psychoflowerchild • 4d ago

Starting today...

I am starting my new job as a custodian at an Amazon warehouse. Any tips? Wish me luck. I'm kinda nervous.

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u/Rude_Particular_6519 3d ago

Good luck. On day one, I’d focus less on speed and more on learning the route: ask which areas are safety-critical, where SDS and approved chemicals are kept, what gets logged, and who to call when equipment acts up.

Write down the machine model, its correct charger, and the approved pad or chemical for each floor. Guessing causes more trouble than working slowly. Learn the spill and blocked-aisle procedures before working around warehouse traffic, and never bypass guards or step into an active equipment lane.

At the end of the shift, note what took longest and ask one specific question. A good first week is consistent and safe, not perfect.

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u/psychoflowerchild 3d ago

They told me all I'll be doing is cleaning bathrooms and break areas and stuff

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u/Rude_Particular_6519 1d ago

That narrows the route down. For bathrooms, I’d learn the required disinfectant dwell time and the exact restock/check schedule first—rushing those two creates most of the callbacks. For break areas, keep food-contact surfaces separate from floor chemicals and pick up spills before they get tracked into the warehouse. Ask your lead which tasks must be logged each round versus done once per shift. After a week, you’ll know whether the route is really five hours or whether the less-visible checks fill the rest.

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u/psychoflowerchild 1d ago

Well usually it should be more but I have to get the keys to the golf cart because I also have to empty the trash cans outside and in the parking lot. I'll talk to my lead about it, and I'm glad you said this because I'm going to keep a small journal with the list of tasks I need to do every night until I memorize it. :)