Scrubber
Not much was done initially with scrubber dryers except for the introduction of various brushes and pads in the 1970s. Alterations in the size, weight, water consumption pattern or wastewater recycling facilities, alternate fuel/battery options and others have been in-built or introduced only in the recent years. In the 2000s, scrubber-dryers were tuned to track locations and produce real time performance data, as the innovative phase set in to measure the operational efficiency of various machines.
Some of the innovations introduced in battery operated machines include the interchange of brush heads for the different bodies, making it simpler for customers to always use the right system either disc or roller brushes. More use of electronics makes it easier to operate and still ensure the optimum water/ detergents consumption as well as the brush pressure, so the running time can be extended.
Innovative accessories introduced previously for multifunctional cleaning activities, have advanced to include the operations of two machines in one. Floor cleaning essentially involves pre-sweeping of the area before running the scrubber dryer. A simple attachment mounted in front of the ride on scrubber does away with the need for a separate sweeping process and machine and also an extra operator. Roots has introduced this last year.
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The Dust Ball is designed to roll around on the floor, propelled by an internal motor that shifts the center of gravity to make it move. When the battery is depleted the Dust Ball rolls back into its charging hoop, while a full container will cause it to stop and glow. There’s a reason other existing robotic cleaners are low and squat, as this allows them to get under furniture where dust bunnies tend to hide. The Dust Ball’s big size also means it’s going to have a hard time cleaning up close to the wall[/box]
Similarly, a new class of machine has been created by Karcher in its mechanized mop with functions of a scrubber. This new machine provides fresh water for cleanig and mechanical vacuum systems to dry the floor. It also automatically empties the dirty water in a separate tank. Without any power, the unit needs to be just pushed around. Besides, structural and operational changes, there has been a wide range of additions and deletions made to scrubbers; prominent among them being the cold and hot water cleaning options.
The irony, in spite of innovative solutions brought to the fore, is the lack of immediate acceptance. Even today, brooms or for that matter mechanical broom sweepers take the streets to deliver a cosmetic cleaning rather than actual cleaning.
While, sweepers and scrubbers are larger machines, vacuums and high pressures are equally essential for floor cleaning and have much wider applications. Clean India Journal will bring an account of these machines in the forthcoming issues.
