An industrial floor scrubber or sweeper for your business – how to know which is the best one to choose?
The cleanest floors possible are more important than ever. And the cleanest, most thoroughly sanitized floors are best achieved with an industrial floor cleaning machine. A simple mop and bucket just don’t cut it anymore. Because of the demand for the cleanest results possible, the definition of clean has quickly evolved. And, that’s not to say that your facility floors weren’t already really clean. But, pandemic times have pressed the definition of clean and sanitized just that much further.
Consequently, more and more businesses are opting for industrial floor care machines to provide the thorough deep cleaning necessary. But, when you begin your search for the right floor scrubber or sweeper for your business, the options might be overwhelming. For instance, do you need a ride-on machine or will a walk-behind machine do the job? Is it best to purchase a scrubber or sweeper for your business? What features does your business need in a floor cleaning machine?
No question, it can be a big challenge to know which is the best industrial floor scrubber or sweeper for your business.
Let us help! We want you to make the best choice of floor scrubber or sweeper for your business. A choice that offers you the best, most thorough clean within your budget. Read on!
Walk-behind or ride-on machine – what’s best for you?
As you consider the different types of industrial floor cleaning machines, it may be difficult to identify the advantages. If you’re deciding between a ride-on floor scrubber or one that is walk-behind, it may not be obvious which is best for you.
When your facility spends a significant portion of its cleaning or maintenance budget on labour who still cleans manually, with a mop and bucket it might be time to look into a walk-behind floor scrubber. For larger facilities, a ride-on machine will not only cut down on labour costs, but you’ll also enjoy savings on cleaning time, too.
Walk-behind machines are great for smaller facilities or smaller areas, particularly those that might be more difficult to manoeuvre bigger equipment. A walk-behind floor scrubber or sweeper for your business will be a more economical choice, but shouldn’t be the primary, or only reason to buy it.
If you purchase a walk-behind model for larger spaces, you risk compromising the life of the equipment or needing more frequent maintenance and repairs. And you may not see the long-term savings on labour. A walk-behind machine will still require significant physical effort on the part of the operator, or operators. And it’s difficult to sustain for the duration of cleaning large square footage.
That’s when you should look at a ride-on industrial floor scrubber or sweeper for your business. A ride-on floor scrubber or sweeper is very likely self-propelled. Such power allows the machine and the operator to clean a much larger space, faster than a walk-behind machine (far fewer rounds) and not even comparable to a conventional mop and bucket. Fewer rounds around your spaces to thoroughly clean your floors means significantly greater efficiency with far less labour, no matter how big your space. A ride-on floor cleaning machine is faster and much more economical when you have large areas to clean.
Consider the cleaning job as you consider the machine
- Size of the facilities or space. As you explore possible floor cleaning machines, be sure you know how much square footage you have to clean. The size will determine whether a walk-behind or ride-on floor machine is best.
- Floor scrubber or sweeper? This is among the most important information you need to have as you begin your search. What floors do you need to clean? Debris brought in by foot traffic – fine dirt or dust – or grease or marks on the floor are cleaned best by a floor scrubber. A sweeper is best if the debris is bulkier dirt, wet, or heavy.
- Width of cleaning path. To help you choose the right floor cleaning machine, it’s important to know the narrowest width, doorways, halls, or aisles, it will have to pass through or any dead ends where the machine operator will need to turn around.
- What kind of floor surface? With industrial floor scrubbers and sweepers, you have a variety of brushes to choose from depending on the type of floor surface you’re cleaning. What you use for hardwood areas will differ significantly from how you treat concrete.
- Type of dirt, grime, and debris to be cleaned. As with floor surfaces, the kind of dirt you usually have to deal with will determine your choice of equipment and brushes. Think about both the floor surface and the dirt and grime to be cleaned. Do you mainly clean finer dust? A polyester or nylon brush is best. For heavier debris or soils, you may need a wire-reinforced broom. A squeegee blade made of at least 95% pure natural rubber takes care of a range of soils and works on uneven and rough floors while a squeegee of gum rubber is better for smooth, finished floors.
- Maintenance. Maintenance is a given when it comes to any mechanical equipment to ensure proper operation and the machine’s long life. Be sure to include your machine’s maintenance into your purchase decision. We recommend setting a regular and consistent maintenance schedule with a service team to ensure your floor cleaning machine stays in good working condition and that any problems are identified early so they can be handled with minimal downtime.
- Labour costs. Most businesses see a pretty quick return on their investment when they mechanize their floor cleaning. Consider what you’re currently paying for cleaning to identify if a commercial floor scrubber or sweeper is right for your business.
To help you save time, labour, and money, it’s important to find the right machine for the job and the facilities.
If you have questions about what industrial floor cleaning machine is right for your business, CONTACT US!
