Cleaning a floor scrubber: why and how (plus maintenance tips)
A floor scrubber is a significant investment¿-¿whether you run a small business or a successful cleaning company.
If you want to make the most of this investment for a long time to come, you need to take good care of your machine.
That means not only using it responsibly, but also cleaning and maintaining it.
One of the main maintenance tasks is cleaning the clean water tank and the dirty water tank.
It's best to clean them after each use to prevent odors, soap buildup, and faulty parts.
But what exactly happens to your floor scrubber if these tanks aren't cleaned properly?
The consequences of a dirty clean water tank
You might assume that a clean water tank requires little or no cleaning. After all, it holds clean water; the name says it all!
However, don't forget that during your daily cleaning routine, you add a dose of cleaning product to it.
This is the single most important reason why you need to clean your clean water tank after every use.
Additionally, cleaning product is denser than water. According to the laws of physics, that means it settles at the bottom of the tank.
That's where a layer of residue slowly begins to form, which is a dangerous situation.
Your clean water tank is connected by a pipe to the water inlet near the brushes.
That's how water reaches the floor. This pipe is fitted with an inlet filter to capture residue.
When the filter is saturated, residue makes its way toward the inlets and blocks them.
And the result? You can no longer clean with water.
The consequences of a dirty waste water tank
It would seem to make more sense to clean the waste water tank after every use.
It's full of cleaning product, dirt particles, and bacteria.
If you leave it as it is after emptying it, you create an ideal breeding ground for bacteria
which multiply and lead to a whole range of unpleasant odors and even health risks.
This poses a threat to both the health of your cleaning staff and the reputation of your company or organization.
You also risk damaging key components of your floor scrubber. Your waste water tank contains a 'float'.
This acts as a barrier between the dirty water and the suction motor. As the water level rises in the tank, the float rises with it.
However, if you leave any soap residue in your waste water tank, the float can get stuck.
If that happens, it no longer rises with the water and the water can reach the suction motor.
In this case, the machine will continue scrubbing, but it will stop vacuuming. You will then need to replace the motor.
And the result? A machine out of service for a period of time.
On top of that, your cleaning budget will have to go toward a cost that could have been avoided.
What's the best way to clean a floor scrubber?
And what's the best method for cleaning these tanks? It all depends on the type of cleaning you're doing, whether preventive or corrective.
If you're doing a corrective cleaning, you'll obviously need more products and more time to achieve the same result as a preventive cleaning.
We'll walk you through both options with a handy step-by-step guide!
Preventive cleaning of clean water tank
- Open the lid of the clean water tank.
- Unlock the cap on the drain hose and empty the tank by pointing the hose toward the ground. Minimize this step by filling the tank with only the amount of water you actually need.
- Meanwhile, rinse the tank using a hose connected to a faucet.
- Check and rinse the inlet filter if necessary. It is located under the machine. Then put it back in place.
- Place the drain hose back into its holder and refill the clean water tank with the amount needed for the next cleaning. This prevents any residue from hardening. Screw the cap back onto the drain hose.
- Let the machine run for about twenty minutes using only clean water. This helps flush the water intake all the way to the brushes.
Warning: only add the cleaning product when you're actually going to clean. That way, you can prevent residue from building up.