The Best Way to Clean Large, Hard-Surface Floors

by | Jun 12, 2018

What is the best way to clean floors that are large, hard-surface floors – think entryways, malls or airports? These floors present specific challenges to a cleaning crew. Floors like these take a constant beating from weather and foot traffic while their size makes sweeping, mopping and polishing a formidable task. Despite these hurdles, good looking, well-maintained floors are a must for any business. Even back-of-house-environments, like warehouses, can’t function well with dirty floors.

Cleaning these surfaces with old fashioned tools like mops and brooms takes too long and leaves behind too much dirt and germs. Autoscrubbers are faster than mopping, but much more expensive.

Are You Going to Mop That?!

Mopping is very time consuming with one study estimating that it takes 30 minutes to mop 1,000 unobstructed square feet. Add obstructions and the time jumps to 40 minutes or more.  All of that work is hard on your body since wet mops are heavy, get heavier with use and wringing them out requires bending and pressing.

The standard five-foot handle doesn’t fit tall or short workers well. Mopping incorrectly puts undo stress on backs and shoulders but even if you’re doing it right they leave floors wet, creating a slip and fall hazard. No wonder mopping is the second leading cause of cleaning related injuries according to a University of California study.

What’s worse, mopping doesn’t really clean well at all so it is definitely not the best way to clean floors. Studies show that mops leave behind a significant amount of dirt, soils, and contaminants, possibly leading to cross contamination with other surfaces.

Auto-scrubbers: Big, Bulky and Expensive

Autoscrubbers might seem like a better choice. With features like pre-sweepers, automated dispensers for cleaning solution, and vacuums, the technology works much faster than a mop.  They do a good job of fully removing soil and leave floor surfaces dry and ready to use.

However, they’re big and bulky. Most autoscrubbers can’t reach edges, corners or clean under obstructions like drinking fountains so workers will have to finish the job with a mop. They can be complicated to use and they’re very expensive, costing up to 90% more than an Kaivac AutoVac Floor Cleaning Machine.

The Best Way to Clean Floors at a Great Price

An AutoVac machine delivers the same advantages as an autoscrubbers at a much better price. The technology cleans and completely removes dirt, soils, and pathogens from large, hard-surface floors three to four times faster than a mop and bucket. They are easy to use and reduce the risk of on-the-job injuries. And they cost much less than autoscrubbers to purchase and maintain. In fact, you could afford a half dozen Kaivac AutoVac machines for less than most autoscrubbers. Why waste your money on big costly equipment?

Key to Success

Jancoa, a building service contractor company located in Cincinnati, OH, credits the Kaivac AutoVac Battery for their success. With 300 employees cleaning 12 million square feet of commercial space daily, company leaders prize technology that improves productivity, is easy to use and is cost effective. That’s why they use the Kaivac AutoVac Battery. In fact, they have 50 machines at this time.

‘We were impressed with these machines right away,’ says Jancoa COO, Clint Bard. ‘The ease of movement and maneuverability is exceptional and you simply can’t beat the price point.’

Amy Milshtein covers design, facility management and business topics for a variety of trade publications and consumer magazines. Her work has won several awards, most recently a regional silver Azbee Award of Excellence.She lives in Portland, OR with her family and Clyde, a 15-lb tabby cat. Once an avid hiker, these days she finds herself on the less-challenging -but-still-exciting 'creaky knees' trails.
Amy Milshtein
Cart
  • No products in the cart.