The Evolution Of Autoscrubbers - Future Trends

This article was originally published in Cleaning & Maintenance Management.

Another key improvement among automatic scrubbers in recent years (as well as among other types of floor machines, such as burnishers), is reduced size. Along with improved cleaning performance, the key reasons for this are enhanced worker productivity and safety.

Another trend that is already here for many manufacturers is battery-operated machines. These systems improve the operator’s ability to clean larger spaces without stopping and eliminate the safety hazard posed by a cord dragging behind the machine.

However, battery technology is changing, and more machines are now powered by maintenance-free batteries. While they may be more expensive initially, most cleaning technicians find that they require less maintenance overall and have a greater life cycle, so they are proving to be very cost effective.

Other trends on the horizon in automatic scrubber technology include micro-machines that are even smaller than those available today; "greener" machines; safer machines; more effective machines that improve worker productivity by reducing the number of passes necessary to clean heavily soiled floors; and quieter machines.

The Evolution Of Autoscrubbers - Key Features

This article was originally published in Cleaning & Maintenance Management.

Today's automatic scrubbers offer a variety of features and benefits to satisfy diverse cleaning applications, including:

• Greener: This applies to the types of chemicals used, as well as chemical and water usage. Today’s machines use less water and chemical, especially cylindrical brush systems.
• Safer: These machines are now safer for both the operator and others in the facility in which the machine is being used. Some of today’s automatic scrubbers have easy-access digital controls and greater visibility than older models, allowing users of varying heights to operate them. More machines are also fitted with solenoid technology to control water flow. In the past, water could continue to flow from these machines even when turned off, which was wasteful and increased the chances of a slip-and-fall accident. Now, water flows only when the machine is in use.
• Easier to service: A key advance in some floor machines is that they are now easier to service; operators can even handle many minor repair issues themselves.
• Manufactured with fewer parts: Some machines have fewer mechanical parts now and that reducing the number of parts has also reduced the overall cost of ownership of some automatic scrubbers.

Check back next week for Part III in this series to learn about future trends of automatic scrubbers.

The Evolution Of Autoscrubbers

This article was originally published in Cleaning & Maintenance Management.

Before the invention of autoscrubbers, floors in airports, train stations and other large facilities were dust mopped and then cleaned using mops and buckets. It was slow, tedious work, and the results were often less than satisfactory.

Automatic scrubbers were first introduced during the mid-1950s. They looked like push lawn mowers containing a well for water and detergent, which the machine sprayed on the floor using jets. A set of rotary pads or brushes worked the combination into the floor, effectively removing soils.

While the equipment certainly did not clean and dry the floors all in one pass, as autoscrubbers do today, these early machines were a very big advance in floorcare technology. They used less water and less detergent and were overall more effective at cleaning floors than the old manual method. Floors also dried faster after cleaning. And, best of all, these machines improved worker productivity and morale tremendously.

Today’s Machines

By the 1970s, cleaning professionals had widely accepted these machines as a far more efficient and effective way to clean floors, and manufacturers had made significant advances in automatic scrubber technology.

In time, virtually all autoscrubbers shared the following three basic features:

• A solution tank and water delivery system
• A scrubbing system, which could be either rotary pads or, in recent years, cylindrical brushes
• A moisture recovery system to vacuum up water/solution and soils into a recovery tank.

Most of today’s machines now offer a fourth feature: A drive system that propels the autoscrubber forward, backward, left and right. When it comes to floor machines, greater mobility and maneuverability are typically high on the “want list” of floorcare technicians.

However, greater mobility is not the only advance in automatic scrubber technology. Check back next week to learn what other key features automatic scrubbers offer.

Selecting Floor Cleaning Equipment

This article was originally published in Facility Cleaning Decisions.

When it comes to floor care, it’s a matter of selecting the right combination of tools for the job. The fact is, nearly every facility requires a combination of floor care equipment, from brooms to vacuums, mops and buckets to walk-behind scrubbers and burnishers.

But getting the right mix of equipment requires custodial managers to assess the specific needs of the department and consider a variety of factors as they do. These considerations include the size and types of debris generated, the amount of dirt that builds up, the types of flooring in the building, the size of the facility, and the number of workers cleaning.

Dry soil can be removed via dust mopping and sweeping in tight areas, or using sweeper vacuums in larger spaces. For floors that have become sticky or oily, Ott suggests managers supply staff with traditional rotary machines or swing buffers.

Once the type of soil has been identified, managers must consider the size of the area needing cleaning. Smaller areas will likely require a mop and a bucket. Here, a good microfiber flat mopping system is recommended.

Larger areas will require bigger — and more expensive — equipment. Autoscrubbers are widely used and may be electric, battery-operated and even propane powered. They also range between a 3-4-gallon capacity, up to 100-gallon riders.

Learn more about the best type of floor cleaning equipment for your application.