If you use a floor scrubber there are 8 key terms you should know about it to make the most of its potential. This small glossary is useful not only to scrubbing machines’ owners but also to all people who sooner or later will have the opportunity to approach professional cleaning equipment. In fact, floor scrubbers have become part of our everyday lives. If you are not using them daily, surely you have had the opportunity to see one working in the supermarket where you go shopping, at the airport, the train station or along the streets of your city.
Whether you are the person who uses the scrubber dryer, or you are considering purchasing one, or just using the services of a cleaning company, knowing the terms used in the professional cleaning field will help you better understand your needs. This will allow to take full advantage of the potential of your scrubbing machine and better communicate with industry professionals to explain what you really need.
So, here are the 8 key terms to know in the floor scrubbing machines field.
Type of dirt
Facing different type of dirt means you must choose the right cleaning equipment to achieve your desired results. This is the reason why it is very important to identify whether the dirt is free or adherent.
- Free dirt: when it does not adhere to the surface and is fine or coarse. Usually, in the presence of this type of dirt, it may be necessary to use a sweeper to eliminate it.
- Adherent dirt: that remains anchored to the floor surface. It can be dry, greasy, organic or inorganic dirt. Floor scrubbers are the optimal solution for removing adherent dirt.
- Free and adherent dirt: which involves the use of a scrubbing-sweeping machine and a possible dirt removal before using the floor scrubber.
Type of intervention
Regarding the type of intervention, there are two main distinctions that allow you to understand your cleaning needs: do you need maintenance or deep cleaning?
- Maintenance cleaning is a frequent operation that involves washing and drying in a single pass on surfaces with light dirt. For this type of cleaning, in some cases it may not be necessary to use a detergent.
- Deep cleaning is a washing and drying operation of surfaces with heavy dirt. For this type of intervention, the use of the detergent, and sometimes also of specific accessories, is always required.
It is essential to know the distinction between maintenance and deep interventions in order to identify the best cleaning methods according to your needs. For example, Comac Versa is a walk-behind scrubber-dryer that offers high performance both for maintenance and deep cleaning of floors measuring up to 2300 square meters. Vispa EVO, on the other hand, is suggested for maintenance cleaning of smaller areas.
Washable and total surface
When you have identified the type of intervention you need, it is time to evaluate the surface on which you have to work. This evaluation is fundamental to calculate the real sqm that need to be cleaned. Often there is a tendency to choose the floor scrubbing machine based on the total surface of the building, when in fact the washable surface, or rather the area that can be cleaned, may be significantly smaller.
Productivity rate
The evaluation of both the exact washable surface and the productivity rate of the floor scrubbers help to avoid choosing the wrong machine. Evaluating the productivity rate of a scrubbing machine therefore means evaluating its productivity, i.e. the quantity of square meters that can be cleaned in an hour.
In terms of productivity rate, it is essential to distinguish between:
- Theoretical productivity: rate which is calculated considering the floor scrubber’s working width multiplied by the maximum forward speed. Usually the result of this calculation is expressed in sqm/h.
- Practical productivity: rate in which other factors are taken into consideration, such as the tanks loading and unloading times, whether the environment is cluttered or not, the floor and dirt type, etc. In case you are evaluating a battery-operated scrubber drier you should also consider its autonomy.
Detergent solution
The detergent solution is the liquid that is used for cleaning which is composed of water and a chemical agent. Particular attention must be paid to the choice of the chemical as it must be suitable for both the floor and the dirt type. Furthermore, it must be suitable for use on floor scrubbers and therefore with retarded foam. For this reason, you should carefully read the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the chemical product.
Detergent solution consumption
Consumption is defined as the ratio between the quantity of detergent solution used during the cleaning operation and the size of the surface to be cleaned. Floor scrubbing machines equipped with an on-board dosing system, such as the Comac Dosing System, allow you to automatically adjust the dosage of water and detergent, thus reducing waste and improving cleaning results. There are also scrubbing machines equipped with an on-board recycling system which drastically reduces the consumption of the detergent solution. C85 Non Stop Cleaning, for example, is equipped with a filtering system that allows the reuse of water used for cleaning floors. Reusing washing water means reducing the use of chemical, making cleaning operations not only cheaper but also environmentally friendly.
Cleaning methods
Two methods can be used for cleaning floors:
- the direct method that includes the distribution of the solution, the mechanical action of the brushes and the suction phase;
- the indirect method in which the first steps, called prewashing, include the distribution of the solution and the use of the brushes to grant more action time to the detergent. The operation is then repeated with the suction activated.
Sinner’s Circle
Last but not least concept, the Sinner Circle, or rather the 4 variable factors that determine effective cleaning defined by the German chemical engineer Herbert Sinner in 1959.
The 4 factors are:
- Chemical action
- Mechanical action
- Temperature
- Action time
These factors are present in every cleaning operation. In the specific case of the floor scrubbers they involve the detergent for the chemical action, the force exerted by the brushes for the mechanical action, the possibility of using hot water in the solution tank (MAX 50° C) for the temperature and, finally, the regulation of the working speed for the action time.
Sinner points out that if one of the four factors is lacking, the others must be reinforced. In fact, only the balanced combination of these elements (assessed by examining the surface and the type and degree of dirt) will allow to obtain the optimal result.
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Just 8 key terms to get started
These are only 8 key terms among those that we consider essential for people dealing with professional floor cleaning, however there are many more. In our view, it is essential to understand how floor cleaning machines work. Starting from simple and clear notions is the basis of professional cleaning. One of the goals of The Comac Blog is to provide our readers with an easy way to know the basics of cleaning, so as to make it always professional, also considering the fundamental role it plays in people’s lives. So, keep reading us!
Still not sure? A worldwide network of Comac Authorized Dealers is ready and waiting to help you.
Contact us for further advice and support on choosing the best professional cleaning solution.
This post is also available in: Italian