There are many types of professional floor scrubber dryer machines on the market, and choosing the best one for your business needs can take hours of deliberation and questions. It’s easier to figure out what you need if you first evaluate your floor space. Once you know what you need in a floor cleaner, you can choose between the available models more easily.
One of the biggest questions we hear from people is “Should we choose a ride-on floor scrubber dryer or a walk-behind floor cleaner?”
Here are 3 specific factors that will help you answer that question:
1. Floor area: Measure the square area of your cleaning area
The larger the area, the more likely a ride-on floor cleaner is the best choice. A walk-behind floor cleaner works better for smaller areas. But where is the dividing line between small and large when it comes to floor square meters? We’ve worked with companies all over the world to solve their cleaning questions, and we’ve got a good average measurement we suggest: areas that are 5000 square meters or more should consider a ride-on scrubber dryer. This will help cleaning teams clean larger areas more quickly and efficiently, thereby increasing productivity and reducing cleaning times. Does that mean you should choose a walk-behind floor scrubber dryer if your business has 4900 square meters? Naturally, that’s up to you. Just consider that very large, open spaces can take longer to clean with a smaller floor scrubber.
2. When and how often do you need to clean?
If you have only limited downtime for cleaning operations, your team needs to get everything done in that small time frame. Again, we appeal to the first question a little bit here: how big is the area you need to clean? If you have a limited amount of time for cleaning, a larger ride-on will clean it faster and more efficiently. On the other hand, you may have a cleaning schedule that covers certain areas at certain times a day. You have to consider those spaces as well. If it makes more sense to clean smaller areas on the spot over the course of the day, a walk-behind scrubber dryer will work too. To settle this question once and for all, you should continue to the third question.
3. Usage environment: What obstructions lie in the cleaning path?
Maybe you do have a large, 5000 square meter area to clean, but there are many obstructions that create smaller spaces in reality. For example, a supermarket has product aisles and checkout stations that might be too narrow for a ride-on floor cleaner. This is often the case with classrooms and offices as well. For organizations that have a combination of large, open areas and smaller areas where movement is more restricted, having a ride-on scrubber dryer and a walk-behind floor cleaner makes sense. Schools, for example, often have large, open gym areas that can be cleaned with a ride-on machine. Classrooms would be better served by a walk-behind floor scrubber dryer.
Additional factors when choosing between a professional walk-behind or a ride-on floor cleaner machine
Hopefully, those three questions can help you decide whether to obtain a walk-behind or a ride-on floor cleaner machine for your organization. However, there are other factors to weigh as well. For example:
- How easy is it to maintain?
Maintenance is important to get the longest life out of your floor scrubber dryer investment, whether it’s a walk-behind or a ride-on. Maintenance should be easy and any service you require should be quick and responsive to your needs. Your equipment should be durable and last a long time without any decline in cleaning quality. - How easy is it to use?
The past few years have highlighted the importance of our cleaning teams, while also placing extra burdens on them. Any professional cleaning equipment, including professional scrubber dryers, must be easy to use so they don’t have to spend a lot of extra time on the learning curve. Ease of use saves them time and helps them do a better job. - How long is the run time on the floor scrubber dryer?
Efficient, long-lasting, quick-charging batteries and motors are important because they save time and energy, helping your cleaning teams work without any interruptions when productivity is on the line.
Learn more about IPC’s professional floor scrubber dryers
Check out our wide selection of scrubber dryers and feel free to contact us with any questions you have.