5 Best Types of Commercial Floor Cleaning Machines

 

Commercial floor cleaning machines have come a long way from the days of relying on tools like mops and buckets, basic vacuums and lots of elbow grease to get the job done. Whether you’re a facilities manager or you operate a commercial cleaning service, you need to not only hire the right people, but supply them with the right tools and cleaning products to get the job done right.

Here are some of the most common types of commercial floor cleaning machines and how they can help:

Floor Scrubbers

Floor scrubbers are one of the most common commercial floor cleaning machines out there. They dispense both water and a commercial floor cleaning solution, scrub the floor with a motor-powered brush and then suck up the remaining water and cleaning solution into a recovery tank. Floor scrubbers are an ideal commercial hard floor cleaning machine, especially for concrete, tile and laminated flooring.

There are many types of brushes and discs you can use for your floor scrubber depending on the type of floor, how abrasive you want the scrubber to be and whether or not the floor will be swept or vacuumed beforehand. 

Floor scrubbers come in both walk-behind and ride-on models. Walk-behind models are typically easier to manoeuver and are better suited to smaller spaces such as offices. Ride-on floor scrubbers are well suited to larger areas and ones without much furniture or obstacles to navigate around such as school hallways, large office buildings, grocery stores and factory floors.

 

Sweeper-Scrubber Machines

Sometimes your cleaning team needs the best of both worlds, and a sweeper-scrubber offers just that. A sweeper-scrubber, as its name suggests, sucks up dust, dirt and light materials as well as applying water and a cleaning solution and sucking up the remaining water. 

Using a sweeper-scrubber saves you time, allows you to purchase one machine instead of two and gives your floors a thorough clean with only one pass.

Robotic Floor Scrubber

Want to take the ease of cleaning the floors in your commercial space one step further? Consider investing in a robotic floor scrubber. They do all of the work of a floor scrubber as described above, but work autonomously. This allows you to save time and have your cleaning staff work on the areas that just need that human touch.

Floor Buffers

Despite their name, floor buffers are often used for both cleaning and buffing. Floor buffers are smaller than floor scrubbers and are operated by hand as opposed to ride-on. Floor buffers are great as a commercial hardwood floor cleaning machine for vinyl floor, tile, marble and more. They can also be used on carpet.

Floor buffers have a circular disk that rotates to scrub and clean, or buff, the floor with the help of the floor cleaning product that's been applied. There are many different options for speed as well as the abrasiveness of the cleaning pad depending on the type of floor and how dirty it is.

Commercial Carpet Cleaners

Commercial carpet cleaners work similar to floor scrubbers, except they are obviously used on carpets instead of hard floors. While all carpet cleaners work in a similar fashion, when you’re working in a large commercial space you’ll need to select one that’s up for the task. One designed for residential use may be cheaper, but will only cause you problems in the long run because it won’t be able to keep up or will break down.

Commercial carpet cleaners apply water and a carpet cleaning solution to the carpet below, and then suck up the remaining water and dirt to deposit it into a tank. Depending on how dirty the carpet is, you may need to do multiple passes to remove all stains and odours.

Carpet cleaners go a step beyond vacuuming to reach dirt that’s deep in the carpet pile, as well as eliminating stains and odours. How often you clean your carpets depends on how dirty they get and many people are walking over them. That being said, most carpets in commercial settings should be cleaned at least twice a year, if not more.

How Do I Choose the Best Commercial Floor Cleaning Machine?

When choosing the best commercial floor cleaning machine for your company, there is no right or wrong answer. Ultimately, it comes down to your unique facility, your cleaning team and the building's characteristics. Here are some factors to keep in mind when making a decision:

• Budget
• Time available for cleaning
• Frequency of cleaning
• Obstacles in the way (for choosing a ride-on vs. walk-behind machine)
• Type of floor(s)
• Your preferred commercial floor cleaning products
• Storage facilities

It's time to put the mop and bucket away and invest in a commercial floor cleaning machine to save time, physical effort and achieve a deeper clean and brighter shine than ever before. Use our advice above to choose the best commercial cleaning machine for your facility and don't forget to check out Sheiner's catalogue of eco-friendly, top quality commercial floor cleaning products. Happy cleaning!