More and more facilities are using hard flooring in their office areas. The use of polished concrete floors in offices over the past 10 years has increased between 50-70%. And the adoption rate of LVT has been even more dramatic, with LVT floor maintenance needs growing by some estimates +100%. What is the best approach to clean these hard floors?
Traditional mopping still has its place, but for facilities with large areas of hard flooring, it is no longer the best option for keeping floors clean. Auto Scrubber machines offer a clean that is more thorough and hygienic – and provide important floor cleaning safety benefits as well.
A More Thorough Clean
When comparing floor scrubbers versus mops, mechanical scrubbing consistently outperforms traditional mop-and-bucket methods. Modern scrubbers agitate the surface with rotating brushes or pads while simultaneously extracting the dirty solution into a recovery tank — a combination that removes embedded grime instead of merely moving it around. Several microbiological evaluations found that wet-scrub methods reduce viable organisms on floors more effectively than many manual methods. PubMed+1
A More Hygienic Clean
Hygiene is the second benefit of commercial floor cleaning equipment. Manual mop systems (especially cotton string mop + reused bucket) can become contaminated and re-deposit organisms. Studies have shown that reuse of mop heads and buckets increases floor contamination, while systems that separate clean and dirty fluids (as scrubbers do) lower cross-contamination risk. PubMed+1
A Safer Floor
Finally, one of the key auto scrubber benefits is improved safety because most floor scrubber machines vacuum up the rinse water as they clean, leaving floors drier and cutting slip hazards. While there can be some moisture left over after using a scrubber, it is far less than mopping. Even when cleaning takes place at night, it is preferable to leave floors dry after cleaning.
So why haven’t all facilities moved to using Auto Scrubbers? First, there is an up front cost. Even a small Auto Scrubber will cost $3 – $5,000. And then the unit needs to be maintained. And personnel need to be trained to operate it and perform routine maintenance.
Corporate Cleaning & Facility Services has extensive experience maintaining office, retail and industrial facilities with Auto Scrubbers and other types of modern equipment. Give us a call and we would be happy to consult with you on the best approach for maintaining your facility.