Versatility adds value to floor cleaning regimes 1 Jan, 2014

Natalie Dowse, Marketing and Product Manager for Truvox International, explains why multi-tasking floor cleaning machines make sense for contract cleaners who want to get the best results, and make savings in terms of time and money.

Recruitment professionals talk a lot about ‘transferable skills’, adaptable attributes that allow certain people to move more fluidly through the job market. The ability to be flexible is a definite bonus in a challenging economic climate, and it’s also valuable when it comes to floor cleaning machines.

Purchasing this sort of equipment constitutes a significant investment in budgetary terms, so it makes sense to buy the best, most versatile machine that you can afford – one that can ‘multi-task’ when it comes to flooring.

A key way for cleaning contractors to generate more profit, while continuing to deliver the service levels required, is the ability to tackle a broader range of cleaning tasks than previously, but at the same level of investment. In other words you need versatility – well-trained, resourceful operatives, using floorcare machines that will tackle a wider range of tasks.

Taking a hard look at the machines you have and the contracts that your cleaning teams have to service is beneficial. List the range of floor surfaces that each contract requires you to clean – wood, carpet, stone, vinyl, ceramic tile – and realistically decide whether the machines you have are sufficiently versatile and, quite simply, fast enough to do a good job in the hours that the contract’s terms make available. Other issues to consider are:

• Cleaning products: Assess the range of cleaning products that you use. Are they good enough for what your customers expect you to achieve? Are there new products that do the job faster, or with a better shine, or with less likelihood of cross contamination/infection? Could you achieve more for less outlay?
• Consumables: Are spare parts and consumables still available for your older machines? Having a machine out of service while you wait for parts could lose you a customer. If consumables are more expensive than they were, contracts might have become unprofitable.  
• Noise: Think about noise. Recently designed floorcare machines are nearly always quieter than earlier designs and customers concerned about noise – hospitals, daytime cleaning contracts – will expect you to keep up with the technology available.  
• Health and safety: Reassess health and safety issues. Customers increasingly look to battery-powered machines because they do not need to trail a power lead, thereby eliminating tripping over wires, a common cause of accidents, especially during daytime cleaning. Cordless machines are also often easier to transport between locations, with no need to waste time by gathering the lead in and securing before you need to move to another floor or room.

Scrubber dryers often lead the way when it comes to versatility. The best options feature counter rotating cylindrical brushes and are lightweight and compact. These types of machine can clean a wide range of hard flooring surfaces from vinyl, PVC, lino and profiled ceramic floors to more robust surfaces such as marble, granite and stone. They are even effective on soft floor coverings, including woven and non-woven short pile carpets, carpet tiles and entrance matting.  

All this means that you need to do some detailed homework when deciding on the type of floorcare machines to buy. On-site demonstrations will help you make your choice, but do ensure that they are run to your specification, showing how machines tackle the precise type of flooring you need to clean, so that you can compare productivity, suitability and adaptability.