How to Choose a Floor Scrubber: Buying Guide for Businesses Trying to Improve Efficiency

Whether you’re a business trying to boost your cleaning productivity so you can maintain peak operational efficiency or you’re trying to start your own commercial cleaning company, choosing the right equipment is an essential first step.

It’s no secret that floor scrubbers are quite the investment, meaning this is a decision you need to get right the first time around so you can make the most of your machine. There’s a lot that goes into choosing a floor scrubber, though.

There are ride-on and walk-behind models, different battery technologies, variances in tank size and cleaning path, discrepancies in brush and pad styles, and more. 

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the manufacturers and models at your fingertips, but our floor scrubber buying guide is here to simplify things for you. We’ll walk you through how to choose a floor scrubber that fits your specific cleaning requirements and budget below.

Just know this, though - it can be as quick and easy as reaching out to our customer service team here at SweepScrub, your trusted choice for a commercial floor scrubber for sale. We carry the top brands and machines at unbeatable prices with exceptional support along the way!

Why Invest in a Floor Scrubber in the First Place?

Investing in a floor scrubber is one of the best investments you can make if you have frequent cleaning needs and expansive flooring surfaces to cover. The basics like a push broom or mop won’t cut it when time is of the essence and your hygiene standards are high.

Boosting Efficiency and Reducing Labor Costs

Imagine cutting your cleaning time in half, or even more. That’s what floor scrubbers are designed to do. While traditional methods like mopping take forever and leave behind dirty residue, scrubbers wash and dry the floor in a single pass.

This saves time and reduces the physical strain on your cleaning crew. It means they can get back to what they do best, boosting operational efficiency. It also means you save money by bringing labor costs way down. This machine will pay for itself over time.

Maintaining High Standards of Cleanliness

Sure, you want to keep your business clean if it’s customer-facing - be it a restaurant, gym, school, retail storefront, or something in between. You can’t risk a negative experience due to dirty floors, as it can cost you business and lead to poor word of mouth.

But maintaining high standards of cleanliness goes beyond appearance. It’s a matter of health and safety. Even if you aren’t worried about customers seeing your dirty floors, like is the case with factory floor cleaning or warehouse floor cleaning, it could be a matter of compliance.

Floor scrubbers deliver a deep clean that removes dirt, grime, and bacteria, leaving your floors spotless and sanitized. This is important in everything from healthcare facilities to food service businesses, schools, fitness centers, you name it. 

Protecting Flooring Investment

If for no other reason than to extend the life of your flooring, it’s worth investing in a floor scrubber. Dirt and debris that accumulate on the ground can scratch and degrade flooring over time. Floor scrubbers remove these to prevent wear and tear.

This means fewer costly repairs and replacements down the line, saving you money and ensuring your floors always look their best. This is the second way in which you can tie a tangible ROI to your floor scrubber.

But all these benefits require you to carefully consider your needs and understand how to choose a floor scrubber that meets them. That’s where our floor scrubber buying guide below comes into play.

How to Choose a Floor Scrubber: Comprehensive Floor Scrubber Buying Guide

Like we said from the start, you can say goodbye to all the guesswork and uncertainty of choosing the best floor scrubber by simply connecting with our customer service team.

We know these machines better than anyone. You can trust us to offer a personalized recommendation based on your budget and requirements. In the meantime, here are some tips on how to choose a floor scrubber.

Do You Need a Walk-Behind or Ride-on Model?

You can start by determining whether you need a ride-on or walk-behind model, each of which has its place. So what is a walk behind scrubber good for? These are ideal for small to medium-sized areas, like school hallways, retail spaces, and office buildings. 

The operator can push the machine, or in some cases, simply guide it since the machine may be self-propelled. It’s a practical choice for narrow spaces with a lot of foot traffic. They are far more maneuverable and typically more affordable than ride-on models.

We typically recommend walk-behind models for spaces less than 50,000 square feet. But, these may not be optimal for more expansive areas because operator fatigue starts to set in and efficiency falls. In these cases, a ride-on model makes more sense.

These are great for expansive warehouses, gymnasiums, or shopping centers since they provide superior coverage while letting the rider kick back and relax, preventing the need for downtime. They tend to be more expensive but offer a higher ROI for extensive cleaning needs.

In some settings, though, they would actually hold you back, like those with frequent tight corners or narrow spaces. Think carefully about not just the square footage but also the layout of your facility and choose the right method of operation. 

Understanding Different Types of Batteries

There are quite a few different battery technologies on the market, each with its pros and cons. We recommend you go with one of these three options, though:

• Lead Acid Batteries: The most common and affordable option. They require regular maintenance (like checking and refilling water levels) for optimal performance but can last around 2 to 4 years depending on usage.
• AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) Batteries: More convenient since they’re maintenance-free, and they also offer a longer lifespan compared to standard lead acid batteries. While more expensive up front, long-term costs of maintenance and replacement are lower.
• Lithium-Ion Batteries: The longest-lasting and fastest-charging battery type. They’re lightweight, hold a charge longer, and require zero maintenance. However, they come at a premium price.

Ultimately the choice between one of these three batteries will come down to budget. If you have the money, it’s well worth one of the most premium options to reduce maintenance costs and save money in the long run on replacements.

Your cleaning needs play a role, too. Those who plan on using the machine all-day for frequent cleaning will find the investment in lithium-ion batteries well worth it. Those who only need to run the machine for an hour or two at the end of the day will be fine with AGM or lead acid batteries.

Our blog has more resources on how long does a floor scrubber last and how to charge floor scrubber machines properly so you can make the most of battery life. 

Taking Tank Size and Cleaning Path Width Into Account

Two other considerations pertaining to the scale of your cleaning needs are the tank size and cleaning path width of your ideal machine.

The tank size - both for solution and recovery tanks - dictates how much you can get done before you need to stop and refill the machine with fresh water/cleaning chemicals while emptying the dirty water tank. 

This is to say that facilities with larger floorplans can benefit from larger tank capacities. The less downtime, the better. A larger tank also means a heavier machine, though, which may impact maneuverability in smaller spaces.

While smaller areas can get by with a 10-15 gallon tank, larger facilities may find it more cost-effective to opt for 20-gallon tanks or larger.

On the other hand, cleaning path width speaks to how much floor you’re covering in a single pass. A wider cleaning path reduces the number of passes needed, which can save time in large, open areas. 

Again, though, this increased productivity will come at the cost of precision and maneuverability in narrow areas. You should consider the tightest space your machine needs to be able to go through, like hallways of your building, and choose a cleaning path width accordingly. 

There are cleaning path widths as small as 12” for narrow spaces, but a width of 17” to 20” tends to offer the best balance between efficiency and maneuverability. 

If you tend to clean large open areas and tight turns or spaces aren't a concern, a massive cleaning path width between 24” to 36” or more would make more sense.

Differences in Cleaning Pads and Brushes

We have an entire guide on the differences between floor scrubber brush vs pad styles. But, we want to touch on it here in our floor scrubber buying guide as well because it’s such an important consideration. It all comes down to aligning the choice with your flooring type.

Floor scrubber pads are great for smooth surfaces like vinyl, tile, or linoleum. They’re also color-coded by their level of abrasiveness - white pads for polishing, red for daily cleaning, blue and green for more aggressive scrubbing, and black for stripping floors.

Meanwhile, brushes are known for being more abrasive and durable. They’re commonly used on uneven or textured surfaces like concrete or tile with grout lines. Their scrubbing power can be a good thing since it removes dirt and grime with ease, but they could cause damage on sensitive surfaces.

You may find that you need both pads and brushes for different areas of your facility. Do some research into the specific types of flooring you’re working with. 

Ease of Machine Operation

While all floor scrubbers are inherently more user-friendly than the traditional approach of sweeping and mopping, some machines are more sophisticated than others.

Look for a machine with user-friendly controls that don’t require extensive training. The shorter the learning curve, the better. Some models also come with automatic solution dispensing, which helps control how much water and detergent are used during cleaning.

You should account for maintenance on your machine as well. The less you have to do to keep it working well, the more time you have to focus on other tasks. 

Budgeting for the Investment

Let’s address the elephant in the room - how much does a floor scrubber cost? It all depends on the specifics of the machine, of course. Smaller, more rudimentary walk-behind models will cost far less than larger, more advanced ride-on machines.

You can expect to pay anywhere from a few thousand dollars for a basic machine to tens of thousands for something more sophisticated. You should also account for the ongoing costs of operation like: 

• Replacement pads/brushes
• Detergent and cleaning solutions
• Battery replacements (if applicable) 

Remember, though, this is an investment that will pay for itself over time. Don’t try to cut corners by purchasing a cheap machine, you’ll pay for it in the long run. You can also look to financing the purchase to make it more justifiable. 

Vetting Brands and Suppliers

Once you have a good understanding of the specific features and specs you need, you can start to weigh your options. Not all floor scrubber brands and suppliers are created equal. You need to make sure you’re purchasing from a trusted manufacturer, like:

• Clarke
• Nilfiske
• Advance
• Tennant
• Viper

That being said, don’t overlook the value of private-label brands. If the equipment is up to par, you can get similar quality at a fraction of the price. 

Always look into warranties before pulling the trigger. Make sure you’re buying from a supplier that offers world-class customer service, too, so you’re not left in the dark after buying your machine. 

Whether you need help troubleshooting the equipment and finding a spare part or navigating a warranty claim, they should be eager and willing to assist you however possible. 

The Best Floor Scrubber for Your Unique Needs is a Click or Call Away!

You should feel confident in how to choose a floor scrubber after reading through this detailed floor scrubber buying guide. Like we said from the start, though, why navigate all this on your own when you can get one-on-one assistance from an expert at SweepScrub?

We’re your one-stop shop for commercial cleaning, whether you’re looking for an industrial ride-on floor scrubber machine or commercial walk-behind floor scrubber machine. 

We carry all the most well-respected manufacturers in the industry, and thanks to our long-standing relationships with these brands, we also offer the best prices online. You also gain access to any replacement parts you could need for any machine in our catalog.

But what really earns us business is our dedication to providing top-tier support across any interaction, whether you just want us to give you a personalized recommendation or have a few questions about making the most of your machine.

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you still have questions about how to choose a floor scrubber. We’re a click or call away ready to help you supercharge your cleaning process!

Bringing Our Floor Scrubber Buying Guide to a Close

That does it for our floor scrubber buying guide. Now that you know how to choose a floor scrubber it’s time to start weighing your operation’s unique cleaning needs and find a machine that can handle them!

Find more resources in our blog like how to use a commercial floor scrubber, why is my floor scrubber not working, how to change pads on floor scrubber, what are sweepers and scrubbers used for, floor scrubber vs buffer, and surface-specific cleaning guides such as:

• How to clean school floors
• How to clean commercial tile floors
• How to clean commercial kitchen floor
• How to clean concrete floors
• How to clean a commercial freezer floor
• How to clean rubber gym floor

Whether you need a floor scrubber, a floor sweeper machine, or a floor sweeper scrubber that can do it all, remember that this is your one-stop shop for the top selection, lowest prices, and best customer service.

Start saving time and money with a new floor scrubber from SweepScrub. Discover the right solution for your business today!