What is an automatic floor scrubber?
An automatic scrubber is a cleaning machine that can be used to efficiently and effectively clean floors, replacing traditional mops and buckets. They work to apply cleaning solution and aggressively scrub and dry surfaces in one pass. With being able to clean with only one pass, as well as the ability to clean more square footage per hour, floor scrubbers help to speed up the cleaning process significantly. IPC Eagle has a scrubber line with cleaning paths ranging from 14 inches to 42 inches, and 44 different scrubber models to choose from. Having the wide range makes it easier to find a scrubber that fits your specific application depending on the square footage needing to be cleaned and how fast you are wanting to do it.
How do you use an automatic scrubber?
Before using a scrubber, there are several steps that you should take first, in order to have the best results in clean floors as well as a reduction to any potential damage to the machine.
First, you will want to make sure that your floor scrubber has enough battery charge to complete the job. It is recommended to only charge when needed as doing so too often can reduce the life of the batteries.
Second, make sure you sweep or dry mop your floors so no debris is left behind on the surface. If there is a significant amount of dust or loose dirt left behind, it can cause damage to the squeegee as well as additional wear and tear on a brush or pad driver. Dirt that becomes wet can create many issues in cleaning as well, as the mud then can spread around and become more difficult to remove.
Once those steps are complete, you will want to fill up the automatic scrubber solution tank along with your desired cleaning solution (neutral cleaners typically provide the best results on sealed floors and alkaline cleaner for concrete). Then you turn the machine on and adjust it to select your desired settings.
You then will attach the brush, which is quite simple with IPC Eagle’s spin-on and spin-off brush that works to self-attach. Next, you lower the squeegee and begin operation.
You typically can run the scrubber with a single pass, though for dirtier surfaces you may want to run a “pre-scrub”, or a “double scrub” in which you first do a run with only cleaning solution, with the squeegee up off the floor, and then run the scrubber afterwards as you typically would.
While you are running the machine, the automatic floor scrubber works hard to clean the floors. First, the scrubber will distribute water inside the brush, making better use of the cleaning solution, and then down through its solution tank to the solenoid valve. Then the squeegee, along with the scrubber’s built-in powerful vacuum system, will work to recover the water and distribute it to the recovery tank. Because of the use of the squeegee and vacuum system, the scrubber leaves floors dry immediately.
What types of floor scrubbers are available on the market?
There are a wide variety of scrubbers available in the marketplace, which can make it difficult to determine which scrubber best fits your unique application.
When choosing floor scrubbers, the main criteria to consider is: the cleaning width, the speed of the machine, the tank size and the battery run time.
When going through the above-mentioned criteria, you first should identify the amount of square footage you are needing to clean as well as the desired amount of time to be spent cleaning.
IPC has an extensive range to help you select the “right size” scrubber for any application. Whether you want a walk behind scrubber or a ride on scrubber, a cylindrical head or a disc, a brush or a pad, IPC has it all.
In areas with larger square footage, ride on floor scrubbers are ideal as they are consistent in speed. With the ability to sit while cleaning, the operator will not slow down and less breaks will be required of the operator. The CT230, for example, has the ability to clean 58,000 square feet per hour and 192,000 square feet per charge.
Using a CT230 in a larger area, such as industry cleaning in a warehouse or cleaning larger areas like gyms, much less time will be required compared to mopping, in which only 1,667 square feet can be cleaned per hour (ISSA Cleaning Study). The CT160 and CT230 floor scrubbers are available with cylindrical heads, which allows for a sweeping (only for smaller debris) while the floor is being scrubbed.
There are often times, though, where smaller surfaces need to be cleaned and where larger ride on floor scrubbers will not fit. In those scenarios, walk behind floor scrubbers are ideal. IPC Eagle’s compact floor scrubber line features small turn radiuses that allow the machine to squeeze into and turn around in narrow, congested spaces, as well as adjustable handles that can fold down, allowing for the cleaning of under tables, desks or other lower surfaces.
After having chosen the appropriate machine size, there are additional options such as choosing between a brush or a pad driver for your automatic scrubber. A brush works well when cleaning surfaces with tougher to reach areas, such as cleaning tile with grout, concrete or sidewalks. Pad drivers, on the other hand, are great for cleaning surfaces indoors, such as hardwood floors tile.
Because of IPC’s wide range of scrubber head measurements, solution and recovery tank sizes as well as customizable options, such as cylindrical or disc scrub heads, and pad drivers or brushes, it is very easy to find the “right size” cleaning equipment for your specific application.
Why should you consider adding commercial floor scrubbers to your cleaning equipment inventory?
As stated above, there are many benefits that come from using floor scrubbers. They can leave your floors much more clean and dry than using a mop and bucket, which helps to prevent the risk of slips and falls within your facility, as well as an improved appearance. They clean much faster than mops and buckets and it is easy to find the perfect one for your unique cleaning needs. Whether you need a compact walk behind scrubber to clean narrow spaces, such as your hallways or entryways, or you need a large ride on scrubber to clean larger surface areas, such as a garage or an entire school, there is a machine on the market that is perfect for you.
To learn more about IPC Eagle’s floor scrubbers and other cleaning equipment, click here to contact someone about scheduling a demonstration.