Introduction to commercial floor cleaning machines

From restaurants to shopping malls, warehouses to grocery stores, commercial floor cleaning machines help ensure that your floors are clean and well-presented for health, safety, and for business. Whatever your business, if you have a large amount of floor space that needs to be cleaned on a regular basis, at some point you’re probably going to need to invest in commercial floor cleaning equipment. When you're looking to invest in floor cleaning equipment there are a number of things you’ll probably want to consider.

• How much do commercial floor cleaning machines really cost?
• What are other people looking for?

Types of industrial floor cleaners

With such a wide range of commercial floor cleaning machines, it can be difficult to know which one you might need. Each of the following types of machines are designed for different floor types and jobs. Of course, it really starts with the type of flooring that you have that decides whether you need to choose between professional carpet cleaning machines, wet dry vacuums, or hardwood floor cleaners machines.

Sweepers - As the name suggests, these machines are primarily used for keeping floors clear of dust and small pieces of rubbish. While great for keeping floors clean, they may not be what you need if you’re after a more polished look.

Scrubbers - This type of machine uses a rotating disk and cleaning solution to scrub the floor, cleaning and polishing the surface. They are popular for general floor-cleaning, and some even combine sweeping and scrubbing to provide a two-stage cleaning process.

Burnishers - If you’re in need of a more heavy-duty polish, perhaps to remove scuff marks from your floor, a burnisher may be what you need. Similar to scrubbers but with a disk that spins at a much higher RPM, these are ideal for bigger, more challenging jobs.

How to choose the right equipment

When it comes to choosing commercial floor cleaning machines, floor polishers and buffers for your business, there are a few things you need to bear in mind to make sure you find the right machine.

• Maintenance - The basic models should be fairly easy to take care of yourself, but more expensive equipment may need professional maintenance. It’s important to understand how to maintain your equipment properly, so it’s always ready for use.
• Warranty - Your commercial floor equipment is only useful when it’s working, so pay attention to the warranty that comes with your machine, and make sure your provider offers the after sales service and support that will deal with any problems quickly.
• Durability – Commercial floor cleaning machines like hardwood floor cleaner machines tend to be very different to those used for cleaning the floor in a fabrication workshop. Some machines are more durable than others, which will be an important consideration if you need one that can operate in more a challenging environment.
• Performance - Automatic floor scrubbers come in different shapes and sizes. If you have a small amount of floor space, a simple swing machine may be all you need, while larger areas may require a walk behind or ride on model. These bigger machines may mean more investment, but they will be more efficient in the long run.

Prices paid for commercial floor cleaning machines

The price I paid was $1600 for a cordless 22" machine with brushes.

- Buyer from Abilene, TX

I paid $255.00 for a used advance floor scubber.

- Buyer from Glencoa, MN

Total cost was $16,000 which included warning lights, additional brushes, and sweep blades, seat belt, horn, ECCO system, training and a good guarantee on the equipment.

- Buyer from Virginia Beach, VA

What others are looking for...

Want a manual floor buffer/cleaner. Needs to be commercial quality and able to stand up to use in rental business.

- CEO/President/Owner, Equipment Sales & Service, Freeport, IL

Looking for a good floor scrubber. We are a small business that does commercial cleaning.

- Office Manager, Transportation/Logistics, Spring Hill, FL

The floor is commercial laminate, please advise the type of machine that we need to buy.

- General Manager, Restaurant, San Jose, CA

1,000 square feet of ceramic tile that needs to be cleaned four times or more per week. It's a hospital environment that requires sanitation. Employees range from 95 to 150 pound females with limited strength abilities. The machine we've used in the past last about 16 months before their scrubbers cease spinning. We'll consider commercial grade if light.

- Dentist/Physician, Health Care, Harrisburg, PA

We will be cleaning epoxy-coated, concrete commercial kitchen floor in the restaurant of our retirement community.

- Other, Restaurant, Zellwood, FL