Archive for the ‘Cleaning Equipment’ Category

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Autoscrubber Equipment Maintenance

Automatic Scrubbers

1. Battery-operated power equipment, like an automatic floor scrubber, needs special care and maintenance. See owner’s manual before proceeding.
2. Tese units compare in price to that of compact automobiles. Because of that, they should be treated with utmost care and according to manufacturer’s instructions.
3. It is advisable to grease the casters once every week. Oil all moving parts, such as the control bars, squeegee control rods, pressure points and hinges once every month.
4. Make sure that each drive wheel tire is inflated to the recommended tire pressure. Unequal tire pressures can adversely affect the total operation of the machine.
5. Drive brushes should be removed and cleaned after each use. The drive brush mechanism needs to be adjusted and lubricated according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
6. The squeegee assembly should be adjusted and lubricated. The reversible squeegee blades also need regular cleaning and adjusting.
7. An automatic scrubber has a solution tank, a recovery tank, and filters that should be flushed and cleaned on a regular schedule.

Battery Maintenance

1. When working with batteries leave the battery compartment covered up and work in a well ventilated area. Do not wear rings, because they can become welded to metal wrenches if a live terminal is accidentally touched.
2. Check the fluid level in the battery cells at least weekly. The battery caps are easily removed by pressing the ends of the white plastic extensions.
3. Check the electrolyte status of each battery cell with a hydrometer every 15 operating hours.
4. Periodically, check all battery cable and wiring for signs of damage or wear. Replace as needed. Once a month, remove all batteries from your machine. Clean all batteries, battery tray, and battery compartment with a solution of baking soda and water.
5. On the bottom of the battery compartment cover is a battery wiring diagram. Follow this diagram when you put the battery wires on the terminals. To prevent corrosion, apply a film of grease or Vaseline to battery lugs and bolt studs. Do not reverse connections when servicing or replacing the batteries.

Battery Charger

1. When actively using an automatic scrubber, you will use a battery charger to re-charge the batteries. With the charger unplugged from the electrical wall outlet, find the main connector that is marked “Connect To Charger.” Firmly push the two connectors together. When laying the charging cables across the batteries, be careful not to allow the metal parts of the connectors touch any battery terminals. Set the battery charger control according to the rate of current desired. After charging, remove the charger plug from the wall outlet and disconnect the charging cable. Reconnect main battery terminals.

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It is not uncommon to experience suction related problems with tools-on-board vacuum cleaners.  In addition, most of the new model tools-on-board vacuums have thermal shut-offs which will turn the motor off if begins to overheat as a result of reduced air flow.

Many of the vacuums also have warning lights which will come on as a result of reduced air flow.  If a vacuum is not picking up, the warning light comes on or the motor shuts off after a short time, it is a safe bet that there is an obstruction in the air flow / suction of the machine.

Troubleshooting the unit only takes a matter of minutes.  The first and easiest thing to check is the bag.  If it is full, it needs to be replaced. While looking at the bag, also check the filter that is located in the chamber with the bag.  This filter is the motor filter and its function is to keep dirt and debris from entering the motor.  If for instance, the bag were to tear, this filter will keep dirt from getting into the motor and causing a major repair.

Presuming all is ok with the bag and filter, turn the machine on and pull the wand out of the base (vacuum head).  You can check air flow through the wand by putting a finger into the end of the wand.  Don’t stick the wand to the palm of your hand – it doesn’t take much suction to make it stick.  When you put your finger in the end of the wand, you should feel a rush of air past your finger.  If you have air flow, the wand and hose are clear.  If not, something is clogged between the end of the wand and the bag.

If the wand or hose is clogged, you can usually detach them from the top of the vacuum.  When you do this, if the bag and filter are clear, you should be able to feel air flow into the vacuum by putting your finger into the connection port.  Clear the hose or wand and you will be back in business.

If you can feel air flow at the end of the wand, the problem is in the connection (throat) between the vacuum head and the wand.  This will need to be cleared and on some models it is harder than others.  Some have flex hoses and others have internal chambers – in either case, once this is cleared, you will have air flow from the vacuum head through the wand and hose into the bag and past the motor.   

All in all, there are four things to check:

• The bag
• The motor filter
• The hose and wand
• The throat between the vacuum head and the wand

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Why Are We Still Mopping Floors?

Numerous studies, some dating back to the early 1970s, indicate that the traditional mopping of floors is ineffective at best and may even be the source of increased soiling and contamination. The reason is obvious to facility managers and cleaning professionals well versed in floorcare, especially tile and grout flooring. As the mop is used, it gathers grit, soils, and contaminants, many of which are spread over the floor area in the cleaning process instead of being removed.

This can be true whether using conventional string or “spaghetti” mops or flat mops made of microfiber that are being used like spaghetti mops. Additionally, technologies developed to help prevent this spreading of soils from occuring over the floor area, such as dual-bucket systems that separate solution and rinse water, have proved to be relatively ineffective. This is because the mop head becomes soiled as soon as it touches the floor—even sooner if the bucket itself is contaminated.

Microfiber flat mops that are used for a limited square footage based on the soil load on the floor then bagged for cleaning can be an effective mopping technique.  Mops and cleaning solution will not get cross contaminated by being rinsed and wrung out.  A fresh mop is used for a designated area and is not reused until laundered.  This technique may not be cost effective for heavily soiled areas and floors as too many fresh clean mops will be required.

This problem becomes all the more evident when cleaning tile and grout flooring commonly found in restrooms in public facilities as well as locker rooms, shower areas, and foodservice areas. These floors are porous. Time, moisture, contaminants, and soiled mop heads and mop water will eventually discolor the tile and grout, causing staining and odors and fostering the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew.

When this happens, addressing the problem can not only be a time-consuming process but can even risk the health of the cleaning professional as well as the environment. Often the cleaning worker uses hand-held brushes to loosen grit and soil from the tile and grout, manually going over each section, which for a large area is a slow and laborious process.

Also, cleaning workers may turn to powerful acid-type cleaners and degreasers. These products may well remove the grit and soiling, but the fumes they release can be harmful, and skin and eye irritation—a common work-related injury among cleaning professionals—can be serious.

New Technologies Provide a Solution
Many facilities are turning to hard-surface cleaning equipment as an alternative to conventional floor mopping. Typically, this equipment is used to clean tile and grout flooring because it is able to deep clean porous floors and remove and dispose of contaminants down the drain rather than moving them from place to place.

For instance, some carpet extractor-type “dual surface” machines use a turbo, hard-surface floor cleaner attachment that pressure washes hard surfaces while removing waste water with a powerful vacuum system in one cleaning pass. These machines can use up to two gallons of water per minute with an adjustable 400 to 1,200 psi (pounds per square inch). This system allows the operator to adjust the machine’s pressure based on floor type and cleaning needs. Using the system, the operator first pre-sprays the floor with a cleaning chemical to loosen soils, then pressure washes and safely removes waste in one cleaning pass. Because the equipment is connected directly to water-feed outlets, it cleans the floor and then “dumps” solution and contaminants down the drain at the rate of 5.5 gallons per minute, aiding in productivity.

These are other benefits of this type of floor cleaning technology:

• Pre-spraying floors tends to limit the amount of chemical used for cleaning, making the process more environmentally responsible.
• Because this is a “one-pass system,” floors are cleaned and rinsed faster, enhancing worker productivity.
• Floors dry quickly because the moisture is extracted, unblocking floor areas sooner and preventing possible slips and falls.

Other options for automated mopping are the use of automatic scrubbers that put down uncontaminated cleaning solution, scrub with brushes and then vacuum up the dirty solutions.  Automatic scrubbers are 10 times more productive than traditional mopping.  If there is enought square footage in the building to be mopped that labor savings pays for the scrubber usually within one year.   The quality of the cleaning is also enhanced with the use of a scubber.

Answering the Big Question
If we have known for more than 40 years that conventional mopping systems can actually spread soils on floor surfaces, why are we still using them? For years, cleaning professionals and facility managers believed mopping effectiveness could be improved by simply using more powerful chemicals and switching to dual or separate bucket systems. Both ideas, we now know, have drawbacks.

Additionally, when the cost of labor was less, if cleaning workers had to take more time to manually brush floors to remove soiling, it did not impact the cleaning budget as much as it does today. Now, with cleaning budgets under greater scrutiny and often cut, this simply is no longer an option.

But the most likely reason cleaning workers continue using traditional mopping methods is simply that a better technology was not invented until recently. In this case, a variation of the famous quote holds true for floorcare: the necessity to clean floors more thoroughly and effectively was the mother of invention.

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