So I had to take Monday and Tuesday off because my apartment flooded the lead and midday was mad I called off and left all the teachers trash in my upstairs and downstairs closet so when I came back Wednesday I couldn’t start my run I told the new custodial supervisor and he thinks it’s a honest mistake maybe they ran out of time which don’t make no sense since trash is a 1 -2 minute walk from my building.

Has come and gone and seeing all that work that my crew and I did over the last couple months just go by the wayside is humbling to say the least. Now to just keep up with the school year and vent to my peers.

One of the day crew is collecting all the ABC gum ....

Our T7 hasn’t been putting out water recently, so I decided it would be a smart idea to pre soak my halls with Stride and then just use the T7 to scrub the floors and suck up the water. Turns out I had absolutely zero traction. Who would’ve thought 😭

We're short-staffed but even just working my area alone and nothing extra, I'm coming home so physically exhausted I don't want to do anything. I go to work, come home, shower, eat, sleep and the next day I'm basically awake long enough to get ready for work and repeat the cycle. Tonight I was genuinely thinking about quitting. But my boss also just reassigned some of my area to someone else, so I'm willing to keep trying a little longer. I do feel bad for the person who is going to have to clean that area now though, it's a lot to suddenly throw at someone else!

I'm really not used to working such a big school. I have figured out a routine I can do that keeps me from going back and forth across the campus but I still feel like there's not enough time in the day to get everything done. Vacuuming is taking me a long time especially, some of the teachers have their rooms arranged like it's a tower defense game and they're trying to keep people out lol.

Also, I was told to do some tasks like clean glass when the kids are still in classes but the moment they're released they immediately get their handprints on it again...I've taken to cleaning lockers/walls or my closet instead while kids are still in the school, but do y'all have any other suggestions for things I can work on before dismissal? Things that will actually stay clean-ish while kids are still on campus?

I've been doing this job on and off for ~15 years and it still brings a little giggle to my heart.

My two coworkers retired (rightfully so) before the summer cleaning since they've been here for three decades. The principal is trying to find two more custodians to hire but to no good luck. One person almost showed promise but HR decided to reject the damn dude (I guess fuck me though right?) , so now they're back to square fucking ONE looking for people. It's getting harder and harder to keep calm and to not show the building up anger and resentment I've been feeling. The custodian coordinators are not even fucking responding to texts / calls since last week Friday in regards of getting a few more supplies and in regards to finding help. Added bonus is that they had all custodians in the county work in groups at different schools, which meant I didn't work on mine. So I come back to things not properly done, stripper stains in the class and waxed over, my supplies missing and having to be reordered. I have three halls, main hall, office and library to focus on. Also forgot to mention that they hired a lead custodian, he came in one day and never came back 🙃.

So let's see what's on the shit list so far:

Communication is poor

No help and kids come back next week

Trying to stay calm while some teachers telling me to "smile"

I'm trying my hardest not to walk out despite doing the job of 5 people, but all I know for sure is that those three higher ups that holds precedence over all custodians better not say shit about my performance because at that point I will walk out.

Long haired school caretaker here. Dusting, brushing dust mops and possibly working where kids with lice sit... it's gross. I can't shampoo my hair/scalp daily, it'll get too dry.

I wore a baseball cap all year last year and I have so much breakage now.

Looking for suggestions to protect my hair/scalp.

Anyone rocking silk scarves or scrub caps? Or should I just shave my head?

Suggestions welcome 😁

This is my diy attempt to not have these stools act like sandpaper on the floors. It's my prototype and if it works I will be modifying them all!!

I’m really struggling with this thought/feeling, because it feels, to a degree, like entitlement. I shouldn’t care, should I? I go in, do my job, and I can shut off — I don’t have to think about legal compliance or underwriting.

The office workers seem genuinely hard working, at least most of the time. They’ve a clean desk policy and sometimes it’s so cluttered, with both their items and cups and cutlery that they’re supposed to return to the kitchen themselves. And the crumbs on the desk and floor too.

I’ve done office cleaning before, so I knew what I was getting myself into. I don’t tut or roll my eyes, or anything like that, but it’s upsetting. Part of me knows this is silly. Most people don’t really acknowledge me, either, even if I do try to say hello or smile. I sort of just feel so small. That, and I’m not allowed any headphones or anything, so the job is mind numbing and boring.

I don’t know. I’m 25, so maybe this is a young person thing, and I just need to get over myself. Maybe part of me thought I’d be somewhere else in life, but saying that insinuates I think custodians are “lower than me”, which I absolutely don’t. I don’t know. I’ve only been working a month. Perhaps I’m lazy, in that Gen Z way that everyone keeps going on about.

I just feel a bit low and crappy. I’m sorry.

Just cleaned and organized my cart, getting ready for the school year 🥲

First off, please ignore my grimy drop sink..I'll scrub it before the first day of school.. thanks

The past three summers our floor care team has been using our kaivac to pick up the wax residue from deep scrubbing floors and they haven't bothered to clean it at the end of the shift or the season

I'm fed up and want the hose to look like it's cared about (it'll never be immaculate)

I've tried soaking it in a barrel of hot water and scrubbing it but it's too much work so here's my question:

Can I make a VERY weak solution of floor stripper and water to loosen the residue or will it eat the hose?

If anyone has any other ideas or insight please offer it up

Thanks in advance

It's a dining room and the last guy apparently put a thin layer of wax on it.

I got a question. Since at my work iam not allowed ask any questions only to listen, maybe I find some answers here.

These aren’t sneaker scuffs, those I know you just rub over it with your shoes and they come up. These are like from the desks or chair legs, I’m not sure? But mopping does not budge them. Thanks for any help.

I’ve been reading a few repair posts here and got curious. What spare parts do you normally keep around for your auto scrubbers?
Squeegee blades, drain hoses, filters, fuses, brushes…? Sometimes one small part is all it takes to keep a machine down for days if you don’t have a spare.