Cleaning of industrial floors in production shops, assembly areas, warehouses and logistic centres has multiple objectives besides maintaining a clean work ambience. It ensures accident prevention, protection of health and environment standards as well as maintaining the value of the floors and the building as a whole. Many companies in India are still unaware of the advantages of investing in mechanised cleaning or neglect these facts “to save money for the company”.
The important objectives of floor cleaning of course involve certain costs which have to be minimised without making any concession in respect of standards of cleanliness. Nowadays, this dual objective can be achieved only by using scrubber-dryers. Manual cleaning will always be considerably inferior and international cleaning standards can never be achieved with manual cleaning methods.
Improving the image of a company by way of cleanliness is, however, not simply a question of neutral aesthetics. One of the first impressions a customer gains of a company is its high or low level of hygiene and cleanliness. Visible cleanliness also has a positive effect in terms of employee motivati¬on; the willingness to make a personal contribution to hygiene and economical use of materials in the company increases in a clean and tidy work environment.
One of the main objectives of floor cleaning is to avoid accident risks. For example, think of the danger of slipping on oil-stained warehouse and workshop floors; even settled dust can greatly reduce the anti-slip properties of hard floors. Some 15% of all industrial accidents reported involve falls. But also it is important to avoid getting dirt into or onto the machine tools or the manufactured components and products.
The benefit of cleaning involves a certain expenditure which increases directly proportional to cleaning intensity. Cleaning costs themselves are made up of about ~ 60% labour, ~5% administration, ~10% materials (detergence and care products, consumables) and about 25% for buying and maintaining the cleaning equipment.
In cleaning with a scrubber dryer, for example, the costs of daily cleaning should be well below one Rupee per square meter, of course depending on the type of floor covering to be cleaned, the method of cleaning, the expected standards of hygiene and cleanliness and so on.
Scrubber-Dryers are used for wet cleaning of hard surfaces and resilient floor in mainly indoor areas. So how does a scrubber dryer work: the machine can be a walk-behind or ride-on, electric or battery-operated. It has a fresh water and collection (dirt water) tank. Chemicals depending on the application are added to the fresh water and the fluid is channelled to the brushes which by rotation scrub the floor so the loose dirt and the water are vacuumed by a following squeegee back into the collecting tank. The cleaning result is determined by the driving speed, the brush contact pressure over surface, brush rpm and bristle material as well as the right detergent. So an experienced salesperson will advise the right combination.
The next question that is asked is how to choose the right machine. This starts with making the right decisions when building or converting a production shop or warehouse building: For example, a straightforward floor plan is beneficial for the use of cleaning machines; there should be a storeroom for cleaning materials and equipment on every floor with water supply, drainage, air went, as well as electricity.
Once all preparations have been made at the building stage to make cleaning as efficient as possible, one should focus on choosing the most suitable scrubbing techniques.
The speed of the brush has an equally important influence on scrubbing efficiency: The faster the brush rotates, the greater the floor contact of the bristles per unit time. The kinetic energy with which the bristles act on a stubborn dirt particle is therefore higher. Since roller brushes rotate at a much higher speed than disc brushes, they are superior to disc brushes in this particular area.
The benefit of cleaning involves a certain expenditure which increases directly proportional to cleaning intensity. Cleaning costs themselves are made up of about ~ 60% labour, ~5% administration, ~10% materials (detergence and care products, consumables) and about 25% for buying and maintaining the cleaning equipment.
However, disc brushes scrub a given floor surface area for longer than two roller brushes, assuming the same travel speed. They have, a shorter contact time, but this is more than compensated for by the higher number of bristles in contact and a higher rotation speed which creates a higher kinetic energy. Nonetheless, the contact time of disc brushes is not always identical: Owing to the circular scrubbing pattern, the edges are treated only briefly while the areas in the middle of the disc are treated for much longer.
Another advantage of roller brushes is the fact that they do not slew washing solution sideways. This means that their recovery efficiency is better and less water is lost in the recycling
mode. Furthermore, thanks to their high speed, they can also be used for polishing and crystallising.
Roller brush systems are particularly suitable for cleaning problem floors, such as non-slip tiles, studded rubber and other structured floor coverings, because they are better at getting into recesses than disc brushes. Advanced machines have nowadays the possibility to offer multiple speed settings so the machine can be tuned much more precisely to suit different cleaning challenges. In addition, roller brush systems normally include a sweeper function which means in that no pre-sweeping is required if only small dirt particles are littering the floor.
For both brush systems, different brush types are available as well as pads. From soft for granite tile floors to very hard brushes for stubborn sticky dirt, the right choice is important to get the best results. For pads, there is also wide choice available. During the demonstration of the machine, the suppliers should bring different sets to test and come up with the right solution for your cleaning challenge.
Another feature which can reduce the cost of the machine operation considerably over the usage period is to select a machine which has a detergent dosing system. The detergent is not poured in the fresh water tank but added from a separate tank to the fresh water flow at the brush and can be switched on/off or the detergent concentration regulated according to the soiled floor conditions. A smart operator can save 1000s of rupees. More advanced machines have even a smart dosing system which can be programmed by the supervisor so the operator can’t make mistakes.
So it is now up to you to make the right decision for the selection of the right machine seize for the area to be cleaned. It is not the original purchase price which should determine the decision but the kind of dirt to be removed, the frequency of cleaning and the cost per sqm which will give the least cost over a period of three or five years. The trained sales person of your machine supplier should be able to show you the calculation for the right machine with the perfect configuration.