Automatic Floor Scrubbers: How They Make Our Lives Easier | Corona, CA

We can’t deny that it saves you an incredible amount of time. In fact, an automatic floor scrubber can save you up to 80% of the man hours it would take to clean the floors by hand. They are single-handedly the most economical investment you can make for your industrial building’s maintenance. You’re nothing but thankful for this handy machine each time you scrub the dirt and bring them to a glossy sheen. But have you ever stopped to think about how it works?

An automatic floor scrubber makes your life easier with three components that work in unison. After all, teamwork makes the dream work. These components – the solution dispensing system, scrubbing system and solution recovery/vacuum system – all complete the puzzle as you guide the machine along your soiled floors.

Solution dispensing system. You can’t get a good clean without soap. This little gadget makes sure to dispense just the right amount of cleaning solution your floor requires. The solution you use is dependent on your particular machine and the floor’s needs.

Scrubbing system. This is the most crucial part of the floor scrubber. Along the bottom of your machine a floor pad or brush will agitate the cleaning solution with enough power to remove any dirt, grease or grime that has soiled your floor.

Solution recovery/vacuum system. Now that we have scrubbed our floors clean, we need to get the soap and residue off the floor. A type of squeegee/vacuum component will suck it all up and store it in a tank that you can remove and empty. This not only minimizes dry time but will also prevent any injuries from slipping.

To find out more about autoscrubbers, please contact us at (951)735-2905 or visit www.sciefloorscrubbers.com.

Southern California Industrial Equipment proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

How Do You Use an Automatic Scrubber? | Corona, CA

Before using a scrubber, there are several steps that you should take first, in order to have the best results in clean floors as well as a reduction to any potential damage to the machine.

First, you will want to make sure that your floor scrubber has enough battery charge to complete the job. It is recommended to only charge when needed as doing so too often can reduce the life of the batteries.

Second, make sure you sweep or dry mop your floors, so no debris is left behind on the surface. If there is a significant amount of dust or loose dirt left behind, it can cause damage to the squeegee as well as additional wear and tear on a brush or pad driver. Dirt that becomes wet can create many issues in cleaning as well, as the mud then can spread around and become more difficult to remove.

Once those steps are complete, you will want to fill up the automatic scrubber solution tank along with your desired cleaning solution (neutral cleaners typically provide the best results on sealed floors and alkaline cleaner for concrete). Then you turn the machine on and adjust it to select your desired settings.

You then will attach the brush, lower the squeegee and begin operation.

You typically can run the scrubber with a single pass, though for dirtier surfaces you may want to run a “pre-scrub”, or a “double scrub” in which you first do a run with only cleaning solution, with the squeegee up off the floor, and then run the scrubber afterwards as you typically would.

To find out more about autoscrubbers, please contact us at (951)735-2905 or visit www.sciefloorscrubbers.com.

Southern California Industrial Equipment proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Why Use an Auto Scrubber? | Corona, CA

When it comes to hard floor cleaning, the manual method (i.e., mopping) doesn’t get the job done. Not only is it a waste of manpower, but if your flooring is massive square footage, it will undoubtedly be a never-ending process. You may want to invest in a floor scrubber. The reasons to invest in an industrial scrubber boil down to four main advantages:

Hygiene. Mop water is only clean the first time it’s used. Every subsequent dip of the mop adds contaminants to the water. Scrubbing is the only way to guarantee you’re putting nothing but clean water and chemical onto your floor.

Effectiveness. Mopping doesn’t remove contaminants; it just spreads them around. After measuring bacterial contamination on mops used in hospitals, a group of Canadian researchers concluded that mopping was equivalent to “the daily painting of hospital floors with thick suspensions of…organisms.” In contrast, scrubber dryers clean and extract dirt very effectively, ensuring you meet your cleaning standards.

Safety. After mopping, the floor is wet, which increases the risk of slip and fall incidents. An auto scrubber scrubs and dries in one pass so that the floor will not be slippery.

Productivity. Even if mopping were a safe, effective way to clean, it would still not be a productive one. Scrubber dryers can clean many times faster than mops, freeing up cleaners’ time for other important tasks.

If you are convinced that an auto scrubber is an investment worth considering in the near future, contact SCIE for a consultation.

To find out more about autoscrubbers, please contact us at (951)735-2905 or visit www.sciefloorscrubbers.com.

Southern California Industrial Equipment proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Quick Tips to Maintaining Industrial Floors | Corona, CA

by Michael Schaffer

Rarely in the commercial cleaning business will you hear the term, “general cleaning.” That is because each cleaning task is unique; unique cleaning problems produce unique cleaning solutions. In following this adage, the maintenance of industrial floors is no different.

Floor maintenance works best when the duties, frequency of tasks and other services necessary to maintain the floor have been outlined and written down. Everyone involved in floor maintenance should be aware of and be a part of the floor maintenance plan. The floor maintenance plan should also outline exactly how the floors are to be maintained.

Regular maintenance — including such things as placing mats at entries, vacuuming them regularly and maintaining the outside entries by removing oily soils on sidewalks and parking lots — helps keep industrial floors clean. In addition, all building lobbies and entries should be dust mopped, mopped and cleaned daily.

More advanced floor care equipment, such as scrubbers, burnishers and cylindrical machines, can significantly reduce the time needed to care for floors. In addition, managers of industrial facilities will usually look for the most efficient equipment they can find, such as machines that can multitask: Scrub, clean and polish.

The chemicals selected for floor maintenance are also a concern. These chemicals, of all cleaning products, can be some of the most potentially harmful to the environment. Environmentally preferable floor care chemicals are now being introduced that work as effectively as conventional products but with less impact on the environment.

For industrial facilities, floor care machines with passive vacuum systems are necessary. These vacuums keep impurities from being released into the air, protecting the health of cleaning professionals and industrial workers.

To find out more about cleaning commercial flooring, please contact us at (951)735-2905 or visit www.sciefloorscrubbers.com.

Southern California Industrial Equipment proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

The Best Cleaning Method for Your Commercial Flooring | Corona, CA

July 10, 2019

Too often people underestimate the impact of a building’s flooring material. Picture yourself walking into a high-end commercial building. Natural light floods the room and glints off of marble floors that cover the expanse of the lobby area. Instantly, the commercial building gives its owners added class, prestige, and reputation.

But with unique floors comes unique cleaning and care needs. The last thing you want is to ruin your nice marble floors by using an acidic cleaner. Or warping your building’s beautiful hardwood by using too much water. When choosing a commercial cleaner for your building, pay extra attention to how they’ll take care of your floors.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl is a common flooring material. It’s hardy, cost-efficient, water-and-stain resistant, and can be attractive. Today, vinyl floors can mimic wood, tile, and even marble. It comes in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. However, vinyl can be difficult to install.

Vinyl is a relatively thin material. This fact is part of why it’s so cost-efficient. But it does mean that the success of your flooring installation often depends on the subfloor underneath it. If there are any bumps, grooves, or indentations, it will show through to your finished vinyl flooring. Because of this, the best subfloor is typically well-sanded plywood.

Vinyl flooring is one of the easier materials to clean. It can be scoured with germ-killing solutions such as antiseptic. It is also resistant to chemicals, such as oil, grease, methane, propane, and more. This means fewer stains to scrub out and that it can handle a heavy-duty cleaning.

However, vinyl isn’t indestructible. The surface can be scratched. Therefore, the first step to cleaning vinyl floors is to dry mop to remove any dust or dirt. It’s also a good idea to place a mat at all entries and exits. And stain-resistant doesn’t mean stain-proof. Wipe up any stains as soon as they occur. Vinyl is not a material where you would use a “mop and shine” product. These can actually leave a dull film on top of your floor. Abrasive cleaners will also scratch the floors and should be avoided.

If your vinyl floors are heavily-trafficked, you want to clean them frequently. This will prevent a build-up of dust and grime which could damage the surface. However, you need to wait at least two weeks after it has been installed before cleaning. This ensures that the surface has set and will not be negatively impacted by any wet cleaning.

Wood Flooring

Hardwood floors can be iconic. Depending on what tree they’re made out of, they can be quite wide, with beautiful patterning and decent durability. If you have an older more rustic commercial building, they can add a lot of character to your building with a warm feel. However, hardwood floors are expensive. The installation cost of hardwood ranges from $5 to $8 a square foot. This adds up quite fast when you’re installing the square footage needed for a commercial building.

Hardwood floors require more care than synthetic vinyl. Its warmth and attractiveness greatly decreases once scratched, or scuffed. If not well-taken care of, it loses its shine and makes your building look grungy and old instead of professional. Part of cleaning and care should include sweeping to remove any dirt that could be ground into it by constant walking traffic. Placing mats at entrances will keep the dust and dirt from entering into your office.

If you do choose to use entryway mats, be sure to sweep underneath them on a regular basis. Otherwise the area underneath the mats will be slowly ground away, as if by sandpaper.

Hardwood floors are easily damaged by sunlight and excess water. Wood is a porous material and will more easily soak up stains and water than vinyl. This will lead to discoloration, warping, and an unattractive floor for your office. Hardwood can also be damaged or discolored by sunlight. If your commercial building has a lot of natural lighting, hardwood floors may not be a good choice.

While vinyl should be cleaned frequently, hardwood flooring should be cleaned every day. This prevents any sort of sandpaper effect by removing the thin layer of dust and grime that has built up from foot traffic throughout the day. In order to truly keep their shine, hardwood floors need to be mopped with a wood finishing product at least once a month. This will help keep the floor shiny and your building looking nice. Avoid excess water usage when mopping to avoid damage.

Concrete Flooring

Concrete floors are becoming more and more popular in commercial buildings. They lend themselves to an industrial feel that is hardy and long-lasting. When it is sealed and polished, concrete can almost have the same impact on your building as marble flooring. It can add shine and prestige to your office. However, if it becomes too dirty or loses its luster, it can quickly start to feel like your typical garage floor.

To keep concrete floors looking professional, it’s important to have them scrubbed, sealed, and polished on a pretty regular basis. Despite its durability, concrete is actually quite porous. This means it can easily be discolored by spilled drinks or chemical mishaps. Having your concrete floor sealed helps to prevent discolorations from ruining your flooring.

Compared to carpet or hardwood, concrete is actually an easy-to-care-for material. When it’s properly sealed, it’s resistant to almost all scratches and stains, and doesn’t trap small particulates or dust. However, concrete does still need some maintenance.

To keep your building clean and fresh, it’s a good idea to dry mop on a daily basis. The floor should be scrubbed and re-sealed every few years. This will keep it resistant to stains. Avoiding the use of harsh chemicals or acidic cleaners on a daily basis will keep the sealant intact for longer and help the flooring keep its polished look for longer.

To find out more about cleaning commercial flooring, please contact us at (951)735-2905 or visit www.sciefloorscrubbers.com.

Southern California Industrial Equipment proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

What Floor Scrubber Is Best for Your Needs? | Corona, CA

When deciding on the best way to clean your industrial floors, there are a few things to consider. Because there are so many different models, it is important that you know the full scope of your floors in order to invest in the appropriate machine. Because the machine options vary and every building is different, choosing the wrong machine may cause issues regarding use, manpower and monetary budgeting. Here is an easy way to gather all the information needed to choose an appropriate machine.

Estimate the square footage that needs to be cleaned. We can assist you with this calculation, just drop us a line.

Choose a machine that can clean the bulk of your facility.

Walk through the machine’s entire cleaning path. Measure doorways, ramps and obstacles to ensure you don’t get a machine that doesn’t fit.

Choose the largest machine your space can accommodate. A bigger machine will have a longer run time, and it can carry more water.

Calculate how much your company currently spends on labor to maintain floors and show how an efficient new machine can pay for itself.

We can help with an estimation, just let us know and we will walk you through it. If you need a machine to clean hallways or warehouse aisles, measure the width of those aisles. This will help you select the best cleaning path width for your machine.

For example, if you have 10-foot warehouse aisles (120”), a floor scrubber with a 40” cleaning path could (in theory) clean the aisle in three, very precise passes. Realistically, the employee would make four passes. By purchasing a scrubber with a 45” deck, the same aisle could be cleaned in only three passes.

To find out more about floor scrubbers, please contact us at (951)735-2905 or visit www.sciefloorscrubbers.com.

Southern California Industrial Equipment proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Proper Maintenance of Scrubber Pads and Brushes | Corona, CA

As the saying dictates, all good things must come to an end. And the same goes for your maintenance equipment. The more you use your machine, the sooner it will develop wear and tear. But the life of each can be extended with a few maintenance tips.

Firstly, pads and brushes should be cleaned before the next use as the debris, finish, and stripper from any floor gets up inside the pad or the brush. Pads are meant to be used on both sides, but even that doesn’t guarantee an eternal lifespan. Of course, this depends on a few factors: the dirtiness of the floor, how often it’s cleaned, how solid the finish is, and how fast the operator runs the machine. However, the best way to tell is when the pad loses its effectiveness in cleaning.

Pads need to be cleaned in specific ways based on use. Soaking them in cleaning or stripping solution is not recommended as it will break them down. Simply use hot water and a garden nozzle to remove soils and finish from building up on the pad. Rinse it, brush it and hang it to dry after each use. Do this before finish or soil dries on the pad.

Rotating brushes on a weekly basis ensures that the brushes are effectively scrubbing. If brush rotation doesn’t occur, the bristles will begin to wear more on one side, causing loss of brush power. Similar to pads, clean them well after each use while still moist. When the bristles fray and there is debris packed into them, or the bristles are just too short, it is time to replace.

To find out more about cleaning your floor scrubbers, please contact us at (951)735-2905 or visit www.sciefloorscrubbers.com.

Southern California Industrial Equipment proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

When It’s Time to Purchase a New Floor Scrubber | Corona, CA

When you have a large area to keep spic-n-span in order to keep everyone safe and protected from germs and debris, it can be a daunting task. Many industrial businesses invest in a floor scrubber rather than using the traditional mop and bucket technique. Not only does it save time, but it also saves manpower.

Are you ready to make the investment? Here are a few questions to consider when beginning your search:

Do you need a sweeper, a scrubber or both?
Knowing what your floor needs to maintain the level of cleanliness you’re looking for will help guide which models to seek out. Some  specialize in one mode of cleaning, while others have a dual feature. It all depends on what your industry is and the area you are trying to maintain.

Rider or walk-behind? This depends on the surface of your floors. A rider will increase productivity, but not if you have lots of nooks and crannies to get clean. Knowing the area your cleaning will make this decision easier.

What kind of flooring are you cleaning?
Different surfaces necessitate different cleaning products.

Who is operating the scrubber?
“Different strokes for different folks” may be the saying, but it holds true for floor scrubbers purchasing. Make sure whoever is operating it  can fit the machine and know how to operate it properly. The point is to make this investment a worthwhile one, not cumbersome to those using it.

To find out more about automatic floor scrubbers, please contact us at (951)735-2905 or visit www.sciefloorscrubbers.com.

Southern California Industrial Equipment proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Types of Floor Scrubber Cleaning Chemicals & Detergent | Corona, CA

There are a few basic types of floor scrubber chemicals:

pH neutral cleaner. pH neutral is 7 on a scale from 1-4.  This is safe for all floor types, but this will only clean basic dirt from foot traffic you might see in a hospital or school.  Basically, if it’s already clean by dust mopping, this will clean the remaining dirt.

All-purpose cleaner. this is slightly above pH neutral (usually in the 9-10 range).  With the added pH alkalinity, the chemical can “cut” or dissolve soils better. It’s slightly more aggressive than a pH neutral cleaner and many of these are safe for use on floor finish.  Read the label first before using on floor finish.

Light duty degreaser. This pH will usually be around 9-11.  It’s got some ingredients that will dissolve or “cut” grease and petroleum.  It may be geared towards food grease (animal fats) or petroleum based (motor oils).  This product is not designed for use on floor finish, and it will destroy the floor finish over time causing you to have to strip/wax the floors more frequently.  You might find these products in a spray and wipe application as well as mop bucket or autoscrubbers.

Heavy duty degreaser. The pH for these products will usually be 12 or higher as that’s the strength of alkalinity required to easily break down greases, oils and other petroleum based industrial soils.  The ingredients in these products are caustic (corrosive) and need to be handled with care.  These products are not designed to be used by hand as that poses too much risk of contact with the operator or housekeeper.  These products are usually designed for floor use only for safety.

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To find out more about floor cleaner options, please contact us at (951)735-2905 or visit www.scielifts.com.

Southern California Industrial Equipment proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

In Focus: Robotic Floor Scrubbers | Corona, CA

Rising labor costs, increasing health and safety concerns, and limited resources are factors contributing to the rapid implementation of robot cleaners

by Amy W. Richardson May 20, 2021

Robotic floor scrubbers have come a long way since the first models hit the cleaning scene in the early 2000s. But it took nearly two decades for them to find commercial success. That breakthrough came in October 2018 when Walmart announced it would deploy autonomous floor scrubbing machines in 360 stores.

Following a cleaning routine in play at many retail stores, a Walmart associate at every location spent two hours a day riding or walking behind the scrub machine to keep floors sparkling clean. The introduction of self-driving scrubbers, powered by Brain Corp.’s assisted autonomous technology, freed these associates to take care of other tasks like tidying restrooms, dust-mopping the checkout aisles, or engaging with customers. The workers simply prepped the floor area and mapped the machine’s route, then pressed a button to start the floor cleaning process.

Today there are thousands of “intelligent cleaners” deployed globally in retail and grocery stores, malls, airports, schools, hospitals, and other public locations. This growth is due to advances in technology that have made robotic solutions more efficient and easier to operate and afford.

“The main difference between those very early versions and the machines of today have to do with the quality of sensors and cameras for autonomous navigation, the sophistication of the artificial intelligence (AI), safety, ease of use, cleaning efficiency, and much more,” said Alan Butcher, Vice President of Global Client Services at Brain Corp., a provider of AI and robotics technology used in autonomous scrubbers, vacuums and other applications. “It’s literally night and day—probably what you would expect from two decades of innovation.”

As navigation systems have improved, more original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are jumping on board, said Dennis Collins, senior product manager at Tennant Company, which introduced its first autonomous floor scrubber, T7AMR, in 2018 and has since launched two more models, one for small spaces and one for larger industrial customers. These models run on Brain Corp.’s robotic AI software platform, BrainOS®, which also powers floor care machines made by ICE Robotics, Minuteman, Kärcher, and Nilfisk.

The path to proliferation

Based on a 2019 study by ABI Research, autonomous mobile robots are projected to be the fastest-growing category in the mobile robot market between 2020 and 2030. ABI predicted a significant sector for mobile automation would be maintenance and cleaning, noting 5,000 autonomous floor scrubbers were already in U.S. retail stores and commercial buildings at the end of 2019.

The reason that robotic scrubbers are proliferating, and even becoming the new commercial cleaning standard, according to Butcher, is because they serve a straightforward purpose. “Robots are good at tackling dull, repetitive, labor-intensive tasks, and floor care is one of them,” he said.

Rising labor costs, increasing health and safety concerns, and limited resources are other factors contributing to the rapid implementation of robot cleaners, including autonomous floor scrubbers, said Faizan Sheikh, CEO and cofounder of Canadian-based Avidbots, which debuted its fully autonomous floor scrubbing robot Neo in 2017.

“The cost of cleaning labor continues to rise across North America. By implementing a robotic solution like Neo, organizations are able to reallocate 93% of that labor to other business-critical or value-added tasks,” Sheikh said. “This allows organizations using autonomous floor scrubbers to focus on revenue-generating activities.”

The pandemic effect

Freeing up staff to do other high-value tasks has been a major selling point of robotics during the recent health crisis. The pandemic helped bring the value of robotic automation to the forefront, especially in retail and other essential businesses, Butcher said. “We saw a big spike in autonomous activity at U.S. retailers last year, especially in the second quarter when robotic usage rose 24% compared to the previous year. For Brain Corp, this has translated into strong growth. We saw more than a 300% increase in deployments of BrainOS-powered scrubbers in 2020, and we have seen strong demand continue into this year.”

Avidbots has seen a 100% demand increase for its robot since March 2020, particularly from airports, warehousing and logistics centers, manufacturing facilities, schools, and retailers. “We anticipate demand will continue to remain high once the crisis has passed, as society will continue to demand a much higher level and frequency of cleaning and disinfection than before and businesses will be required to retain higher and more frequent cleaning protocols,” Sheikh said.

Collins said Tennant Company has found that “customers are embracing robotics more than ever before” during the pandemic. “The pandemic has put a focus on cleanliness and cleanliness is now part of a company’s brand,” he said. “Automation can help our customers improve the cleanliness of their facilities, creating healthier and safer spaces for their employees and customers.”

The numerous benefits

In addition to labor reallocation and the increased productivity that comes with it, Collins notes robotic floor scrubbers can address many key end user needs, including increased measurability of their cleaning efforts, reduced costs, enhanced customer/employee experience, and proof they are keeping pace with innovation.

Consistency of performance is a major benefit, too, according to Kris Dihrkop, director of strategic accounts, and Chris Wetmore, vice president of sales, at ICE Robotics. A robot can be counted on for consistency and completing a task in exactly the same way, “so you know what to expect every single time you deploy a machine,” Dihrkop said.

Using autonomous machines can also lower insurance costs, stemming from reduced worker injuries and reduced damaged to merchandise caused by human errors, Butcher notes.

Perhaps the most exciting development in recent years is how robotic floor scrubbers can now provide a “confirmed” or “measurable” clean.

“With a manual solution the floor cleaning cannot be quantified or qualified,” Sheikh said. “There is no way to track what was cleaned and with what efficacy. Autonomous solutions on the other hand provide metrics and data on every single cleaning operation…Cleaning operations can use these metrics to optimize floor care over a period of time.”

A return on investment

Return on investment (ROI) for robotic automation varies by customer, but end users can maximize their ROI by looking at their operations holistically, Collins said. When calculating ROI consider including everything from reduced costs to enhanced worker productivity and improved customer experiences.

While there is no “magic number,” the payback period for a large-scale investment in robotic floor scrubbers can be as little as 12-18 months depending on usage patterns and customer goals, Butcher said. “For certain industries, such as retail, this ROI can be greatly accelerated with the addition of other add-on applications to the robotic scrubber, such as a shelf-scanning accessory that collects valuable inventory insights to reduce out-of-stocks, verify pricing and planogram compliance, and improve customer experiences,” Butcher said.

Sheik also believes a 12- to 18-month payback is achievable depending on labor rate, facility size, and robot deployment frequency.

Customers with a higher volume and frequency of cleaning needs typically achieve ROI quicker, said Dihrkop at ICE Robotics. “How you procure and maintain the product is part of the equation: all-inclusive subscriptions provide lower total cost of ownership and help clients more quickly realize ROI.”

To find out more about robotic floor scrubbers, please contact us at (951)735-2905 or visit www.scielifts.com.

Southern California Industrial Equipment proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.