A floor scrubber is a floor cleaning device. It can be a simple tool such as a floor mop or floor brush, or in the form of a walk-behind or a ride-on machine to clean larger areas by injecting water with cleaning solution, scrubbing, and lifting the residue off the floor. [1] [2] With advancements in robotics, autonomous floor-scrubbing robots are available as well. [3]
Automatic floor scrubbers, also known as auto scrubbers, are a type of floor cleaning machine that are used to scrub a floor clean of light debris, dust, oil, grease or floor marks. These machines have either a rotary (disk) or cylindrical scrubbing head and an automated system for dispensing cleaning solution and then vacuuming it up. So, in one pass over the floor, a user can dispense a cleaning agent, scrub it into the floor, then vacuum it all up with an autoscrubber squeegee attached at the back of the machine. Auto scrubbers have a separate dispensing (solution) tank and collection (recovery) tank to keep the clean water separate from the dirty water and can be categorized into one of three main types: walk behind, stand-on, and rider.
Floor scrubbers are a more hygienic alternative to traditional cleaning methods such as a mop and bucket. Environmentally safe soaps can be used in conjunction with a reduced water system to save on both the amount of chemicals released into the environment as well as the amount of gray water produced. Some scrubbers are even capable of cleaning without a water and chemical system at all.
Most autoscrubbers cannot reach edges, corners, clean under obstructions such as drinking fountains, and cannot fit into alcoves. Therefore, mopping is needed to clean areas the autoscrubber cannot reach. Some manufacturers now produce floor scrubbers with orbital or oscillating brush decks, allowing edges, corners and overhangs to be fully cleaned.
Modern floor scrubbers have a pre-sweep option that removes the need to sweep the floor before scrubbing. The pre-sweep brush head is placed in front of the vacuum system to collect dust and debris before it can block the vacuum system. In the past it was important to sweep the floor before scrubbing to remove any debris and dust that could clog the vacuum hose or build up in the vacuum motor, which can decrease performance. If this happens, the hose may need to be removed to clear the obstruction and/or the motor may need to be blown out with compressed air.
Stripping solution should never be used as it can cause damage to the solution dispensing system, but can still be vacuumed up by the machine without harm. Occasionally, the solution system should be flushed with water mixed with vinegar to remove any soap and calcium deposits that could build in the solution system.
After each use, the dispensing (solution) and especially the collection (recovery) tanks should be emptied and rinsed out to prevent dirt build up. The pads/brushes, vacuum hose, and squeegee should also be rinsed to prevent dirt buildup. The motor should be run for several minutes afterwards to remove any moisture that could be present in the motor to reduce chances of corrosion that could damage the vac motor. Failure to do this maintenance can result in a loss of vacuum airflow and increase in costly repairs.
There are three common types of automatic floor scrubber heads: disk, cylindrical, and square oscillating.
Disk style floor scrubbers, the most common type, use a circular motion with a round pad or brush to agitate a cleaning solution against the floor to release soils. Disk floor scrubber heads work best on smooth floors.
Using counter-rotating, tube-style brushes that rotate perpendicular to the floor, cylindrical floor scrubbers clean rough or uneven surfaces. Cylindrical brushes usually have a collection tray behind the brushes that can pick up larger debris such as rocks and screws. This reduces the need to sweep or dust mop prior to scrubbing, although it is still a good idea if possible.
Similar to the disk style, square oscillating floor scrubbers use a flat pad to scrub the floor. The difference is that instead of spinning, it moves in a vibrating motion at a much faster speed. The square design allows for cleaning closer to walls and in corners.
The high speed motion and down pressure also allow this style of floor scrubber head to be useful for removing floor finish from vinyl composite tile and well as prepare wood floors for refinishing. A specialized abrasive pad is used for these procedures.
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When floor scrubbing machines became more available to many types of facilities, there was a need to cover a different type of flooring. Floor buffers or rotary floor machines use rotary brushes of a soft material to clean, scrub, and polish linoleum surfaces. For marble and wood floors, floor polishers may be used to apply protective coating to the floor. [1]
Floor burnisher is the term for a high speed floor buffer that rotates its pad at over 1000 RPM.
Closely resembling a large upright, wide-based vacuum cleaner with handlebar controls and requiring two-handed steering by beginners, a floor buffer uses one or more variable-speed circular rotary brushes to dislodge dirt and dust from and apply a polished finish to flat surfaces. They have a large, round scrubbing pad which is spun in one direction by a small motor, usually mounted directly over the center of the pad.
Larger powered floor buffers are used in schools, hospitals, offices and public buildings. These have wheels and are powered to allow the user to easily move and clean items stuck on floors. Scaled-down versions are available for home use and often sold as hard floor cleaners.
Floor-scrubbing robots are also available in a small form factor for residential applications. The Scooba by iRobot is one example.
A vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum, is a device that uses suction, and often agitation, in order to remove dirt and other debris from carpets and hard floors.
A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped during use. The material of both the block and bristles or filaments is chosen to withstand hazards of its intended use, such as corrosive chemicals, heat or abrasion. It is used for cleaning, grooming hair, make up, painting, surface finishing and for many other purposes. It is one of the most basic and versatile tools in use today, and the average household may contain several dozen varieties.
Roomba is a term that refers to a series of autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners made by the company iRobot, and was first introduced in September 2002. Roombas have a set of sensors which help them navigate the floor area of a home. These sensors can detect the presence of obstacles and steep drops.
A street sweeper or street cleaner is a person or machine that cleans streets.
A mop is a mass or bundle of coarse strings or yarn, etc., or a piece of cloth, sponge or other absorbent material, attached to a pole or stick. It is used to soak up liquid, for cleaning floors and other surfaces, to mop up dust, or for other cleaning purposes.
Housekeeping is the management and routine support activities of running and maintaining an organized physical institution occupied or used by people, like a house, ship, hospital or factory, such as cleaning, tidying/organizing, cooking, shopping, and bill payment. These tasks may be performed by members of the household, or by persons hired for the purpose. This is a more broad role than a cleaner, who is focused only on the cleaning aspect. The term is also used to refer to the money allocated for such use. By extension, it may also refer to an office or a corporation, as well as the maintenance of computer storage systems.
Scooba was a floor-scrubbing robot made by iRobot. It was released in limited numbers in December 2005 for the Christmas season, with full production starting in early 2006. The company introduced a lower-priced version, the Scooba 5800, in the second half of 2006. It introduced a new Scooba 450 at CES 2014 in January 2014.
Swiffer is an American brand of cleaning products that is made by Procter & Gamble. Introduced in 1999, the brand uses the "razor-and-blades" business model, whereby the consumer purchases the handle assembly at a low price, but must continue to purchase replacement refills and pads over the lifespan of the product. Swiffer has become a half-billion dollar brand in fifteen countries.
A carpet sweeper is a mechanical device for the cleaning of carpets. They were popular before the introduction of the vacuum cleaner and have been largely superseded by them. However, they continue to be used in many home and commercial applications because they are lightweight and quiet, enabling users to quickly clean small messes up from the floor without disturbing patrons, patients, babies and pets, and because they do not require electricity to operate.
Carpet cleaning is performed to remove stains, dirt, debris, and allergens from carpets. Common methods include hot water extraction, dry-cleaning, and vacuuming.
SEBO is the brand name of vacuum cleaners made by Stein & Co GmbH, a company based in the German town of Velbert. They produce a range of upright and cylinder vacuum cleaners for domestic and commercial use. SEBO stands for SEmigewerbliche BOdenpflege, German for semi-commercial floor care.
A cleaner, cleanser or cleaning operative is a type of industrial or domestic worker who is tasked with cleaning a space. A janitor, also known as a custodian, porter or caretaker, is a person who cleans and might also carry out maintenance and security duties. A similar position, but usually with more managerial duties and not including cleaning, is occupied by building superintendents in the United States and Canada and by site managers in schools in the United Kingdom.
Vapor steam cleaners or steam vapor systems are cleaning appliances or devices that use steam to dry, clean, and sanitize surfaces. The steam is produced in a boiler that heats tap water to high temperatures to produce low-pressure, low moisture water vapor.
Floor cleaning is a major occupation throughout the world. The main job of most cleaners is to clean floors.
Dry carpet cleaning involves the use of specialized machines to clean carpets with recently developed chemical technologies that permit no-moisture or "very low moisture" (VLM) cleaning, resulting in carpet beautification, and removal of stains, dirt, grit, sand, and allergens. Clean carpets are recognized by manufacturers as being more visually pleasing, potentially longer-lasting and probably healthier than poorly maintained carpets.
A central vacuum cleaner is a type of vacuum cleaner appliance installed into a building as a semi-permanent fixture. Central vacuum systems are designed to remove dirt and debris from homes and buildings by sending dirt particles through piping installed inside the walls to a collection container inside a remote utility space. The power unit is a permanent fixture, usually installed in a basement, garage, or storage room, along with the collection container. Inlets are installed in walls throughout the building that attach to power hoses and other central vacuum accessories to remove dust, particles, and small debris from interior rooms. Most power hoses have a power switch located on the handle.
A robotic vacuum cleaner, sometimes called a robovac or a roomba as a generic trademark, is an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner which has a limited vacuum floor cleaning system combined with sensors and robotic drives with programmable controllers and cleaning routines. Early designs included manual operation via remote control and a "self-drive" mode which allowed the machine to clean autonomously.
A domestic robot or homebot is a type of service robot, an autonomous robot that is primarily used for household chores, but may also be used for education, entertainment or therapy. While most domestic robots are simplistic, some are connected to Wi-Fi home networks or smart environments and are autonomous to a high degree. There were an estimated 16.3 million service robots in 2018.
A scrubber, is a type of wide brush with a long shaft used for cleaning hard floors or surfaces. Unlike a broom, which has soft bristles to sweep dirt away, a scrubber has hard bristles for brushing. It may therefore be used wet, with water or cleaning fluids. Around the head of the brush there may also be a removable floorcloth or mop, either soaked in water for cleaning or dry for wiping dry. However, these days other cleaning implements tend to be used for such purposes.
