Maintaining Your Company’s Floor Cleaning Equipment

We sometimes receive concerns from our commercial customers in Cleveland and Columbus about problems with the daily cleaning of their hard surfaces that their in-house employees or outsourced cleaning staff performs. Sometimes these concerns spawn from an improper maintenance plan, but a lot of times we have seen these problems originate from improperly maintained cleaning equipment. This affects the cleanliness of your floors, but it can also lead to mechanical problems down the line with certain types of equipment such as floor buffers, auto scrubbers and vacuum cleaners which can lead to extremely costly repairs. Here are some tips for properly maintaining some different types of equipment that your cleaning staff may use.

Auto Scrubbers

One of the most common problems with auto scrubbers is with the squeegees. Tell your staff to make it part of their daily routine to inspect and clean the squeegee blades. Torn or dirty squeegees can produce streaks or lines on your floor. You should also empty and rinse the recovery and solution tanks on a regular basis. When you are storing the machine, make sure that the scrub deck and squeegee assembly are off the ground while they are being stored to allow them to dry out after being used. Make sure you store your floor machines in an area that is both clean and dry. This will prevent a buildup of dirt on your machine and will keep moisture from affecting the machine’s internal moving parts.

Floor Buffers

Once again, store the machines in a clean and dry area. Also be sure to monitor how the motor is working. If you notice a problem with the motor on these machines, stop using it immediately. Usage with a bad motor can cause additional problems that can raise your repair costs exponentially. The most simple and probably most overlooked problem with floor buffers is with the buffing pad and attachment pieces on the bottom.  Make sure you are using the correct pad for your floor and that the pad you are using is not dirty or needing replaced. Also make sure that the plastic piece that holds the pad onto the machine is attached properly so the pad is touching the floor evenly.

Mops and Mop Water

Properly maintaining and replacing basic cleaning supplies can help make your daily cleaning regiment a lot easier as well. Pay attention to your mop heads and replace them whenever you feel they are not getting the job done. Replace your mop water every time it looks muddy. If you don’t change your mop head or water frequently enough, all you are doing is spreading dirty water across the floor. Depending on the amount of dirt on the floor and the size of the space, mop water may need changed several times.  Also, if you have natural stone floors, make sure you are using the right type of cleaners.  Depending on the surface you are cleaning and the dirt you are trying to pick up, there are sometimes cleaners made for each specific application.

GK’s Custom Polishing, Inc. is your headquarters for commercial hard surface maintenance. We offer cleaning, sealing and polishing for all types of natural stone, concrete, tile/grout and more. We are also a master distributor for DuPont Stonetech natural stone cleaners and sealers. To place an order on cleaners or sealers, you can visit our website. We offer free estimates for all hard surface maintenance so don’t hesitate to call us at (440) 937-4457 to set up an appointment.