Sweeper Scrubber Guide: Part 2

Choosing The Right Equipment: Floor Sweepers And Scrubbers

In the previous edition of this guide we covered what factors needed to be considered before deciding if you need a floor sweeper / scrubber to clean your facility. If you covered those factors and decided that it is in your best interest to get a floor sweeper / scrubber, the next step is deciding which kind would best meet your needs. This section of our floor sweeper scrubber guide will walk you through the different types of floor sweepers that are available and the application in which they work best.

Floor sweepers are made to pick up dry material such as dirt and dust that are covering your floors. While your maintenance crew can sweep up messes most larger facilities have dirt, dust, and other dry messes that a simple push broom can’t clean fast enough to be efficient.

Floor scrubbers are made to pick up the kind of messes that floor sweepers can’t clean. Most wet, sticky, or compacted messes can’t be swept up so you have to use something that can apply a cleaning solution and then scrub the floor to make sure the facility is cleaned. Floor scrubbers do exactly this by dispensing the cleaner onto the floor, scrubbing the floor where the cleaner is applied, and then vacuuming up the cleaner after it is scrubbed all in one passing which limits how much labor is needed to clean your facilities floors. Floor scrubbers come with two water tanks, one for dispensing cleaning solution and a separate tank for storing the dirty water that is vacuumed back into the scrubber.

Using a floor sweeper / scrubber is efficient both in terms of time and cost – making it a great solution when trying to replace a simple push broom. There are many different types of floor sweepers to consider however, and this guide will walk you through the different kinds of floor sweepers to help you figure out which one is best for you.

Walk Behind Sweepers And Scrubbers

Walk behind sweepers / scrubbers can be either manual or automatic. Manual walk behind floor sweepers / scrubbers must be pushed by the operator while automatic walk behind floor sweepers / scrubbers are battery powered and only need to be guided by the operator. Both of these provide an easy and fast method for your employees to maintain your facility with and increase productivity greatly over standard push brooms or mops.

One of the biggest perks of this kind of floor sweeper / scrubber is the overall cost of the equipment. Walk behind sweepers / scrubbers will require a much lower initial investment than other sweepers.  The small maintenance costs of walk behind sweepers / scrubbers makes these one of the most affordable options for facility upkeep.

Increased efficiency and reduced labor costs due to quicker clean-up versus a standard push broom or mop make walk behind sweepers / scrubbers a popular choice for economically minded organizations. Additionally, the easy to use walk behind sweepers / scrubbers reduce operator fatigue, allowing more area to be cleaned during a shift. All of this allows for a significant decrease to labor cost over standard push brooms.

If you’re considering a floor sweeper / scrubber for surfaces that are more than moderately dirty, you may need to go with a stronger floor sweeper / scrubber such as a rider sweeper / scrubber.

Difference between rider and walk behind floor sweeper

Rider Sweepers And Scrubbers

A rider floor sweeper / scrubber is controlled by an operator riding and controlling the machine using a steering wheel and levers. This kind of floor sweeper / scrubber is ideal for large areas, such as industrial warehouses or facilities. Depending on your preference, your floor sweeper / scrubber can be powered by either battery, propane, or gas.

Rider sweepers / scrubbers require a larger up-front investment but with many finance options available, monthly payments fit most budgets. Because rider sweepers are typically more heavy duty than walk behind sweepers / scrubbers there is also more maintenance to be done on these machines. Depending on fuel type your rider sweeper / scrubber may need oil, grease, or battery maintenance to make sure the sweeper / scrubber remains as efficient and effective as possible.

While these factors may make for a pricier piece of equipment, rider sweepers / scrubbers also outperform cheaper pieces of equipment in both efficiency and effectiveness. Rider sweepers / scrubbers can cover more square footage than a walk behind sweeper and require less effort from the operator.

Rider sweepers / scrubbers also clean dirt and dust more effectively than walk behind sweepers / scrubbers, leaving a cleaner environment. If you are cleaning a facility that gathers large amounts of dirt and dust, a walk behind sweeper may not be able to handle the clean-up as efficiently as a rider sweeper.

Difference between rider and walk behind floor scrubber