How to Choose the Right Floor Cleaning Machine

What Can a Floor Cleaning Machine Do?

Commercial floor cleaning machines maintain floors or provide a deep clean, polish, scrub, wax, and even stripping.

They save time by completing numerous jobs at once in commercial premises. They also ensure surfaces are properly cleaned which is especially important during a pandemic.

Types of Floor Cleaning Machines

There are two main types of floor cleaning machines or floor scrubbers to choose from. Which one you choose will depend on the type of space you need it for and the type of clean you require.

Ride-On Floor Scrubbers

These floor scrubbers are any floor cleaning machine which you sit on while they clean, like a ride-on lawnmower.

They are best for large spaces and have a powerful clean. The simple operation makes them easy to use and helps increase productivity.

Walk-Behind Floor Scrubbers

A walk-behind floor cleaning machine is like using a vacuum cleaner, which you hold on to as it cleans.

A walk-behind floor scrubber is best for tight and cluttered spaces including corridors, halls, and retail stores. It is highly manoeuvrable, quiet, and easy to maintain.

How to Use a Floor Cleaning Machine

Operating a floor cleaning machine is a bit like driving a car. You simply move the wheel in the direction you want to go.

For a walk-behind floor cleaning machine, you can move it up steps or place it in vehicles easily as it is lightweight. The handle can also be folded down for transport and the tank can be removed with one hand.

The machine is colour coded, yellow for operating and grey for maintenance, making it easy to use.

A ride-on floor cleaning machine such as the Karcher B 300 RI, scrubs, sweeps and dries instantly. It can be easily manoeuvred, and it has a flashing light when it’s in service if it’s being operated in crowded areas.

Advantages of Hiring a Floor Cleaning Machine

Saving time and money are the biggest benefits of hiring a floor scrubber but there are plenty of others.

• Maintenance

When you hire a floor cleaning machine, you won’t have to deal with the hassle of purchasing and maintaining it.

The hire company will maintain, clean, and service it using qualified engineers. This not only saves you the time and annoyance of doing it yourself, but it saves money.

• Cost-effective

It is economical to hire a machine because you don’t have the expense of having to purchase it outright or servicing it.

The hire company includes parts, breakdown response, and a replacement machine, so you don’t have any surprise bills if you purchase a machine, and it suddenly breaks down.

• Timesaving

A floor cleaning machine takes a lot less time to do the job of staff manually cleaning. It can also do several jobs at once such as sweeping and scrubbing.

• Full training provided

When you hire a machine, the company will provide training on how to use it for your premises, saving you more money on having to train staff or having other staff become trainers and possibly not providing all the information.

• Protects

A cleaning machine can kill up to 99.99% of common bacteria, more than manually cleaning.

This ensures anyone using your premises is protected from germs and becoming ill, which lead to higher costs for your business.

It also dries as it goes, so it does not leave wet surfaces that can cause slips. Slips and trips are the single most common cause of major injury in UK workplaces.

Using a cleaning machine not only protects your customers and staff, but it protects you from claims or additional expenses from these hazards.

• Eco-friendly

Many machines in the Karcher range include an eco! efficiency mode which reduces energy consumption and increases running time. It uses minimal water too, with water savings of up to 70%.

How to Choose the Best Floor Cleaning Machine

You will need to consider several factors before choosing a specific machine.

• Space

Consider what size of space you need it for. Are the areas larger or more cluttered? Is it a high traffic area that will be disrupted by a nosier or larger model?

• Type of dirt

Consider what type of dirt the machine will typically be cleaning. Ride-on models are better for heavier duty cleaning.

• Budget

Decide on how much you can spend. Hire companies such as Kärcher Hire have flexible time periods for hiring the machine, making it easier to suit your budget.

• Tank size

Tank sizes range in volume. Depending on the area you need to clean, will depend on what type of tank you need to ensure you don’t have to stop to fill it up again.

• Power source

You can choose between battery or mains powered. If it is battery powered, will it last long enough to complete the job and if it is mains powered then will the cord reach to the areas you need without starting and stopping to move to different plug sockets.

• Noise

Will you need a quieter model if you are cleaning in a consumer space such as a hotel, or in a care setting such as a hospital where people do not want to be disturbed?

How Much Does an Industrial Scrubber Cost?

Buying a machine outright can cost from £2,000 up to £20,000. Hiring a machine can be more cost effective. With hire, there is no significant upfront outlay, freeing up capital to be used elsewhere in the business. Hiring is also fully tax deductible, and unlike capital equipment, comes off your tax bill in the first year. Plus, there won’t be any servicing bills.

How to Clean Different Types of Flooring

If you want a floor scrubber particularly for a wooden floor, tile floor, concrete, or any other surface, then a cleaning machine can be used on all of these.

You can choose different brush types or disc types and different sizes depending on the use. You can also adjust the down pressure depending on the flooring.

For more information on our floor cleaning machine hire, contact us today, or get a free quote, tailored to your needs.