Top Tips for Maintaining Floor Cleaning Equipment

Your organization has likely invested thousands in a variety of cleaning machines to keep your facility clean, safe and inviting for employee and visitors. If any one piece of commercial floor cleaning equipment breaks down, it’s not just a headache for your cleaning crew, it’s a potentially costly repair if the problem lingers. In some cases, you might have to scrap the machine entirely and buy a new one—which comes at an even higher cost.

Properly maintaining your cleaning equipment is one of the most critical things you can do help ensure the longevity of your equipment and optimal cleaning performance. The best way to guard against costly repairs and equipment replacement is performing regular maintenance on your cleaning fleet. By paying attention to the condition and performance of your machine and all its parts, you can greatly extend the life of your commercial cleaning equipment and lower your overall operating costs.

Any downtime adds up

Floor cleaning equipment consists of many static and moving parts from hoses, tubes and fittings to brushes, pads and squeegees. All of which can decrease cleaning performance if they aren’t regularly maintained and replaced if necessary. Machine uptime matters as every 30 minutes of extra cleaning equates to $198 of extra labor costs per month, or $2,270 annually (based on a seven day cleaning cycle with labor costs at $13 per hour).

Here are the top tips for performing maintenance on your cleaning fleet and extending the lifespan of your cleaning equipment.

Sweeper-Scrubbers maintenance tips

To keep sweeper-scrubbers operating at their peak, check all fluid levels—electrolyte level, hydraulic fluid, engine oil, and coolant. Remove any string, banding, plastic wrap, or other debris that is wrapped around the brushes and motor shafts. Check the condition of brushes, brush patterns and brush skirts and confirm the radiator and hydraulic cooler fins are clean. Clean the exterior of the machine and check for any signs of wear.

Having the correct fit helps reduce downtime and service calls, lowers labor costs and puts money back into your business.

Restorative carpet care

If your cleaning machine is only a commercial floor scrubber, routinely check the condition and rotate the squeegees. Clean the scrubber vacuum fan screen or filter and clear debris and blockages from the vacuum hoses. Make sure to refer to the machine maintenance chart in the operator’s manual to confirm all requested maintenance procedures are performed according to schedule.

Mechanized mops maintenance tips

Tennant’s i-mop® line of mechanized mops offers three models—i-mop Lite, i-mop XL Plus and i-mop XXL Plus—all of which need to be properly maintained for optimal productivity and performance. They have squeegees, brushes, and wheels that need to be cleaned and checked for wear. While not necessarily daily, the squeegee needs to be removed regularly from the mechanized mop to be rinsed out.

Robotic Floor Scrubbers maintenance tips

If you’re one of the many forward-looking organizations that have incorporated an autonomous floor cleaning machine into your fleet in recent years, you know these robot cleaners are fairly hands-off. Designed to work alongside human cleaners doing routine, labor-intensive floor cleaning, these Tennant autonomous mobile robot (AMR) machines require very little, if any, maintenance after initially plotting the floor cleaning path.

Since AMR technology is quite innovative, it’s wise to invest in a service plan that provides technical expertise is the robot cleaner suddenly stops functioning. A good service plan should provide telephone technical support and on-site, factory-direct technicians that can get your machine running quickly—often the next day.

Vacuum cleaners maintenance tips

To keep commercial vacuums running their best, staying on top of maintenance means changing filters frequently and cleaning the vacuum inside and out. If filters become filled with dirt and debris, machine performance will suffer. Same goes for the brushes and wheels—they need to be regularly inspected and cleaned. If any part of your Tennant commercial vacuum needs to be replaced, make sure you choose TennantTrue® parts for optimal machine performance.

Protect your investment with routine maintenance

Frequent, routine maintenance is one of the best ways to prevent sudden breakdowns and extend the lifespan of your commercial floor cleaning equipment. Ensure your equipment is properly maintained and monitor for common machine breakdown causes, such as parts and signs or wear.

In many cases, taking advantage of a preventative maintenance program like those offered by Tennant makes good business sense. These programs help you maximize equipment uptime, boost labor efficiency, protect your investment and increase ROI, save costs and ensure critical outcomes of clean.

Get the Tennant preventative maintenance checklist for your aging equipment.

Learn whether preventative maintenance for floor cleaning machines is worth it.

Contact us for any service needs.

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