April Cleaning Tip:
By Mike Schaffer - President, Tornado Industries

How to Save Money When Selecting a Floor Machine

The first step school administrators should take in order to save money when selecting a new floor machine is to not purchase the equipment based on its showroom price.  A bargain priced machine may have quality and durability issues, be too small for the area to be cleaned, be difficult to use, etc.—all of which can turn cost savings into a very costly mistake.

Instead, look for floor care equipment based on the following factors:

• Operator visibility.  For safety and enhanced worker productivity, workers must have a clear view of the work area.   Look for equipment with a low profile so workers can view work areas in front of them as well as on either side.

• Ease of use.  Check that workers of all shapes and sizes can easily and efficiently use the machine.  Are the controls easily accessible and easy to understand?  Is the machine easy to clean?  Are parts such as the squeegee readily accessible and easy to change?  If the answer is no to any of these questions, it may be best to look for another machine.

• Quiet.  Several studies now indicate that loud equipment negatively impacts worker productivity.  The noise level of cleaning equipment was not a concern years ago, but now we know the quieter the machine, the healthier it is for the worker, resulting in improved worker productivity.

• Tank size. Floor machines with too small a tank can spend half of their time being emptied and refilled in the janitor’s closet.  It is estimated that each visit to the janitor’s closet to empty and refill water/cleaning solution takes about 15 minutes.  Select machines with the largest tanks available in their size category.

• Pathway size.  Match the size of the machine to the floor care needs.  Select machines with a pathway size that allows cleaning to be completed with just three passes.  In some cases, selecting a more expensive machine with an oversized cleaning path will not necessarily clean a floor any faster than a smaller machine.  And a machine that is less expensive, but too small, will add to time and labor costs.

Finally, anyone selecting floor equipment now should consider its environmental impact.  Some machines, such as cylindrical brush floor machines, use up to 30 percent less chemical and water.  This makes them much more sustainable than conventional floor machines.  Further, a Green floor machine will be equipped with a vacuum system that captures and holds impurities, preventing them from becoming airborne.