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Hoover Floor Mate Scrubber Review

Thursday, June 17, 2010

With the 15-inch cleaning path and dual motor system, Hoover floor scrubber is revolutionary all-in-one cleaner that can be used to vacuum dry debris, as well as wet-clean and squeegee-dry most hard-floor surfaces including ceramic tile, sealed hardwood, marble, vinyl, and laminate. Quickly switch between cleaning options using the EZ Select dial. Exclusive Spin Scrub brushes–seven in all–gently and safely wet-scrub and buff hard floors, plus they pop out for rinsing clean. The Spin Scrub brushes can be interchanged with the grout brushes with specially designed bristles for cleaning tile grout on large surfaces.

The spin scrub is offered with one year manufacturer’s warranty and costs around $165.00 if you buy it from of the online retailers.

· All-in-one cleaning system vacuums, washes, and dries hard-floor surfaces
· 2-motor system; EZ Select dial for switching between cleaning options
· Spin Scrub and grout brush; separate tanks for clean solution and dirty water
· 13-inch cleaning surface; fingertip trigger control; fold-down handle
· Measures 45 by 15-1/2 inches; 1-year warranty
· Cleans all types of surfaces
even Ceramic Tile, Sealed Hardwood, Marble, Vinyl and Laminate.
· Removable Spin Scrub™ Brushes
No need to scrub on your hands and knees. Exclusive Hoover® Spin Scrub™ brushes do all the work for you. They gently and safely wet-scrub and buff hard floors, plus they pop
· Folding Handle
For easy assembly and compact storage

EZ Select Dial:

EZ Select Dial to vacuums, wash or dry your hard floor surfaces in your home. The first vacuum-wash-dry cleaning system specially designed to clean most hard-floor surfaces. Switching between cleaning options is a snap with the EZ Select dial. The Hoover Floor MATE™ can be used to both vacuum dry debris and wet clean non-carpeted hard floor surfaces like vinyl, tile and sealed hardwood. By eliminating the need for a mop, bucket, broom, dustpan, and floor steamer, the Floor MATE™ takes the work out of housework!

Dual Tanks:

Stop cleaning your floors with dirty water! With conventional mopping, you dip the mop back into a bucket of dirty water and put it on the floor again. The Floor MATE’S™ dual-tank design keeps the clean water and the dirty water separate, so you never put dirty water back on your floor.

Easy Storage:

The vacuum is very light Folding Handle for easy assembly and compact storage and also consists of a caddy for all cleaning attachments. It provides extra comfort and control over all accessories which are attached to vacuum and there is no need of locating all parts all around the house before use.

Two Motor Designs:

A powerful dual motor design utilizes one motor to create powerful suction and a second to drive the multiple brush system, providing excellent cleaning power for all your hard floor surfaces.

The Multiple Brush System provides outstanding wet cleaning performance due to the spinning action of the six counter-rotating brushes. The rotating brushes safely power-scrub all hard-floor surfaces. The brushes self-adjust with the surface of the floor enabling even cleaning of vinyl, ceramic, stone, laminates, marble and sealed hardwoods.

Removable Brushes:
· Taking care of the brushes is a snap. Simply remove the brushes from the cleaner and rinse them off with water. Now the Floor MATE is ready to work when needed.

Wet Pickup:
· Use the Floor MATE™ to quickly clean up spills and dry your hard-floor surfaces. Simply move the brush control switch to “Wet/Dry Pickup” and move the Floor MATE™ over the spill.

Front Mounted Floor Drying Squeegee:
· During wet pickup, the front mounted squeegee removes cleaning solution and spills, leaving the floor squeegee dry on the final pass.

Removable Squeegee:
Cleaning the squeegee couldn’t be easier. Simply unsnap the squeegee from the Floor MATE™ and rinse.
· The Spin scrub also comes equipped with a telescoping wand and a swivel head attachment to clean hard to reach areas. This feature allows you to easily clean small, hard to reach areas, such as behind the toilet. The telescoping wand extends to about 8 feet.

Hoover Floor Mate Recommendations:

It assembles very quickly. You really don’t even need the instructions. I did have to look at the instructions to figure out which of the two brushes were for the lino/vinyl floor. I used it on my linoleum kitchen and laundry room floors. It took a few minutes to get used to. You can’t use this thing like you would when you vacuum. You have to go slow and let the scrubbers do their work.

You’ll be amazed at the dirt the Floor Mate will pick up from floors you thought were already clean. Another thing I really like is the fact that it sucks the water off the floor right away – my floors are always in use (busy household, lots of little feet), so I can’t afford to wait half an hour for the floor to dry. With this feature they’re dry in about 5 minutes.

Nothing is going to get your floor as clean as good old’ hand washing on your hands and knees. But who is willing to do that anymore? This machine is a reasonable tradeoff between convenience and efficiency.

I wish there were a little feature like a light of some sort to help you see water. Don’t tilt the machine with the solution in it still…it will leak all over. I learned that the hard way when I was trying to switch brushes mid-way and left the solution tanks inside. This may be an electrical hazard too, so be careful! Also, make sure your pieces mentioned in the manual are actually IN THE BOX. My box arrived from Wal-Mart without an extension wand. I had to call Hoover, and they were great.

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Tomcat Heavy Duty Floor Scrubber Review

Saturday, May 22, 2010

The Tomcat, a commercial/industrial Automatic Floor Scrubber is the simplest, most durable and user-friendly floor scrubber available. These machines are designed and built to clean car dealerships, machine shops, warehouses, assembly plants, or just about any application where cleaning performance is desired and durability is demanded. While offering the toughness you are looking for, your operators will find them easy to maneuver into tight areas, and simple to service. It can accommodate large batteries for superior run time. The platform is available with different scrub heads, in both disk and cylindrical configurations. Brush pressure is maintained at one of five settings by the Central Command II.

The three DISK machines with 26″, 30″ and 34″ scrub paths offer more cleaning power than other machines. The disk deck is protected by heavy steel guards, and polyurethane rollers deflect impacts. Both brushes are gamble-mounted, which improves cleaning on uneven floors, and driven by a set of powerful motors for unmatched scrubbing.

Warranty
Tanks: 10 years, Parts: 3 years.
Pricing
$8,400 to $10,700
*plus optional equipment if requested

Standard Features Included On All Machines
210 AH battery pack
* Automatic 25 amp charger
* Battery condition gauge
* Brush pressure control
* Foam shutoff 
* Electric actuator for brush head
* Two brushes or pad drivers
* Non-marking tires and casters
* Polyurethane Corner Rollers
* Stainless Steel Fasteners
Many Available Options Include:
* Vac Hose & Wand Kit
* Spray Jet Kit (pressurized flow)
* Easy Fill
* On-board battery charger
* E-stop (emergency stop switch)
* 325 amp hour battery pack
* Maintenance free batteries (gel)

Built Tough:

Tomcat made in the USA continues to build equipment with a central “frame”. On further inspection, you will notice that our transaxle, casters, scrub deck, squeegee linkage, and battery package all index directly to a 7 gauge steel frame. Although our tanks have the thickest walls in the industry, we do not transmit any structural forces to them or allow normal collision damage to impact them. The Magnum series is built with 100% stainless fasteners, which simplifies service in the future.

Scrubber Sweeper Combination:

These machines are similar to the disk machines outlined except for the scrub system. Our 26″ 30″ & 34″ cylindrical units use two brushes, which sweep and scrub simultaneously. The Tomcat is made with large tanks, up to 40% larger than some of its competitors, thus reducing loss of time due refills.
Scrubbing: 

In especially heavy soil conditions, our cylindrical machines scrub even harder than our disk machines. If you have a dirty floor to clean, you will be impressed by the machines capability.
Sweeping:

Both machines can pick up bolts, wood chips, steel tailings, and heavy items up to 1 inch high. Swept refuse is held in a slide-out dirt hopper, with approximately a 1.0 cubic foot capacity.

The “DISK” machines offer more cleaning power than other machines and the deck is protected by heavy steel guards. Both brushes are gimbals-mounted, which improves cleaning on uneven floors. Each brush is directly driven for unmatched scrubbing performance.
The CYLINDRICAL machines have the added benefit of sweeping up debris while scrubbing. This may eliminate a need to dust mop, and greatly increase productivity.

The tank tips back for easy and full access to all the critical components, greatly simplifying maintenance. Tomcats “Drain Saver” basket captures all the small debris and litter, so you can dispose of it properly, instead of clogging floor drains. A strong sealed, all-gear transaxle permits climbing steep ramps and while heavy-duty, chemical resistant tires are standard, while grey non-marking tires are optional. The drive tires and caster wheels are oversized, which permits better clearance and navigation of obstacles. The transport speed of 4 mph can adjust to 3 mph any time the operator begins scrubbing.

Central Command Center:

With over 150 programmable features, we will gladly set the machine up to satisfy your needs. The LCD include 3 hour meters for better manager oversight (key switch, transport, burnishing), and illustrates error codes for a simplified trouble shooting. If the battery gets too low, the unit will automatically shut down “non-vital” systems.

Control System: 

Central Command II is the brains of the outfit. Our control module is sealed for protection against water, and easily accessed if service is ever required.

Scrubber/Sweeper Combinations:

The Tomcats that are the scrubber/sweeper combinations consists of:
Brush / Pad System
Brush / Pad Diameter: Disc Brush
(2) 13 in. – 26″ model
(2) 15 in. – 30″ model
(2) 17 in. – 34″ model
Cylindrical Brush
(2) 22 in. – 24″ model
(2) 25 in. – 27″ model
(2) 28 in. – 30″ model
(2) 32 in. – 34″ model

Tomcat Floor Scrubber Recommendations:

This is what I found. After reading the reviews I was a bit skeptical of its use. The platform is available with different scrub heads, in both disk and cylindrical configurations. I bought the cylindrical version any ways and my 1st attempt at scrubbing floor was good. I was impressed by its design, especially the bumper that keeps the hose and squeegee safe. And the way it cleans! It rubbed off all the tire marks left by forklifts. No mixing of hazardous chemicals, so no chances of accidents and operator is safe all the time. Never could imagine a drain plug attached on top of the tanks to eliminate accidental clutters.

AND, this is NOT how you use this machine:

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Floor Scrubber And Floor Buffer – What’s The Difference?

Thursday, March 18, 2010

It is not uncommon for people to assume that a floor buffer is the same as a floor scrubber. But, these two are different machines designed to carry different jobs, though cleaning basically. Perhaps, next time you happen to see some kind of a machine working on the floor of a big building, you could spare a minute to observe it closely and classify it as per the job it is performing there. Here, let’s understand the difference between the two. It will help, should you be thinking on the lines of getting into this business of building maintenance.

A floor buffer is a motorized machine that looks like a big potter’s wheel. It rests on the floor and on being powered by a motor it starts rotating. As a result, a scrubbing pad that is attached to its bottom also starts rotating. The motor is usually kept on its top, at central position of the pad. Some buffers are designed to include a solution tank. The cleaning agents kept in this tank are spread on to the floor thru the scrubbing pad. This is a helpful feature as it allows the operator to pour required volume of cleaner into it. That saves time as the cleaning agent is poured down the working machine without having to stop it. It further saves the strain of bending down to the floor for spraying of cleaning chemicals. However, the buffer is not capable of performing any vacuuming action on the cleaning solution on the floor.

So, you can make out that scrubbing surface on being driven by a motor starts rotating in a uniform circular motion. It rotates in one direction. No wonder then, that such machines are also addresses to as rotary floor machines. Therefore ‘floor buffer’ and ‘rotary floor machine’ mean one and the same thing. Some of the floor scrubbing machines may have a rotating head, which rotates along with the buffer. Others are provided with a cylindrical brush head. You’ll soon know the difference between the two.

Buffers are made to rotate at varying speeds, which may vary from 175-350 rpm. Obviously the kind of cleaning affected by a machine depends on its speed. Low speed buffers are meant for scrubbing jobs. These are suitable for cleaning floors that have in-ground dirt requiring muscle power for their cleaning. They are also ideal for removing old wax coatings from a hard surface, like a tiled floor that you often notice at grocery stores. Generally, a low speed buffer rotates at a speed of about 175 rpm.

Depending on its design, a low speed buffer can be employed for scrubbing, carpeting and bonneting. For performing such actions the machine should have a more powerful motor to perform these high friction jobs. Before performing any of these actions, check with the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Contrary to the instructions of the manufacturer, if you happen to use the machine for carrying out any of the jobs it’s not meant for; you lose benefits of warranty clause. That makes it all the more important to go thru the manufacturer’s instructions and if in case of any doubts, better to check up with the manufacturer.

High-speed buffers, on the other hand are meant for polishing of hard floor surfaces.
Typically they work at speeds higher of 1000 rpm to 300 rpm and can’t be used for any type of scrubbing work. Proper selection of the right polishing pad and the buffing spray delivers an excellent shine on a hard floor surface, something you can’t expect from a low speed or even a variable speed machine.

Floor buffers are generally power-driven, connected to main supply. Though, some are having internal batteries. Some of these machines are designed to work on propane engines too. The idea of internal batteries or propane is to do away with power cords while working. That helps, as there is no interference with the scrubbing job. Nevertheless, the advantage of working on an electric machine is uninterrupted supply for continued work without having to charge batteries or refill the fuel tank. But, battery powered models are preferred for LEED and green building maintenance programs.

Floor scrubbers or automatic floor scrubbers are just auto scrubbers meaning one and the same thing but work very differently than the machines described above. Apart from the scrubbing head, which in any case is needed, they are provided with an automatic dispensing of the cleaning solution and the subsequent vacuuming. That facilitates dispensing of cleaning or stripping solution, scrubbing it on the floor and finally vacuuming the whole affected area. All these actions are performed in a sequential order with the aid of a squeegee attachment provided at the back of the machine. Auto scrubbers have two tanks; a dispensing tank and a collection tank, so dirty water is stored separately from the clean water.

Well, automatic scrubbers are expensive machines, but it’s worth investing in these machines, as the time you save in cleaning your floors and the quality of output is worth the kind of money you put in them. One big reason for patronizing these machines for maintenance programs of big buildings is saving of operator time and hence expense.

You need to consider quite a few factors for deciding the type of machine i.e. a floor scrubber or a floor buffer, which will most suit your requirements. If you have very large areas with open and wide spaces, as in the middle of a mall, and tight areas, like say bathrooms, then perhaps you need to have both the types of machines.

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Maintaining Polished Concrete Floors

Monday, February 8, 2010

It was only in the mid 1990’s that for the first time a process was developed and marketed for polishing of concrete floors. Those marketing the system for the first time would often call it as a “no-maintenance” floor. Even these days some of the contractors sell it as a “no maintenance” floor; it’s a misnomer though, as any finished floor requires some maintenance and care.

With improvements in the process of concrete floors, came in the recognition of many good maintenance programs.

Basically, a maintenance program is necessary to get rid of minute scratches caused on the concrete floor by movements of people and machines like forklifts and shopping carts and production carts. Such heavy volume of traffic, generally on the same route, causes the floor to lose its lustrous shine. In technical language these minute scratches, not visible to naked eye are referred to as micro scratches. When light, be it natural or artificial, falls on these scratches, it is not reflected back but gets refracted and the floor begins to look dull, rather than shining. However, it all takes time that is proportionate to the volume of traffic. For instance it would take much longer for a house or restaurant to develop this flaw than a warehouse of shop floor.

Moreover, the micro scratches act as a small storehouse for dirt particles that further adds to the dullness of the floor. An economical and ‘neutral’ cleaner, if at all there, can’t take care of such high traffic areas. Though, such a cleaner may work satisfactorily for homes or small retail places.

The intensity of dullness and the time it takes to be visible entirely depends on traffic that the floor bears. You would notice that the aisle of any big or popular store begins to look dull in the first 60 days, whereas the rest of the store continues to look new for 6 months or so.

However, following of proper maintenance procedures delays the formation of patterns made by foot traffic by one to three years.

The techniques that were hitherto applied for polishing marble and natural stone have been extended to polishing of concrete now. Just like the stone industry, polished concrete industry had to find ways and means to take proper care of these floors.

Let’s take the case of the lobby of a busy office. The owner should know unless some maintenance program is followed the floor is sure to lose its luster soon, as a consequence of the traffic that results to causing micro scratches.

He should equally be aware that it is quite affordable to put into practice a maintenance program that is financially more viable than hiring someone who comes to polish the floor once in awhile.

The janitorial contractor, maintenance crew or even the contractor that polished the floor in the first place, can be asked to polish concrete floors.

An appropriate maintenance program is rather simple and should generally include:

1. Sweeping and/or dust mopping of the floor should be done at least once during the day, preferably twice.

2. All the mats at various entrances should be cleaned and vacuumed every week. This is especially important for homes and restaurants as sand particles and fine dust causes maximum damage to a polished concrete floor.

3. Concrete cleaner conditioner to be used for cleaning of floors on a daily or weekly basis. Homes, restaurants and small areas maybe cleaned with a mop. However, larger areas need to employ a ride on or walk behind auto scrubber. The janitorial team can be entrusted with this.

4. The final part of the schedule includes applying a high quality liquid concrete polish with a proper machine. This eliminates those micro scratches and makes it easier to clean the floor, thereby reducing long term maintenance costs.

These days you also get penetrating sealers and polishers, which on being used along with lithium densifiers help to make the above maintenance measures last longer and these work out economical than repolishing the floor on periodical basis.

Should you be planning to have polished concrete floors make it a point to talk over the maintenance program with polishing contractor and ask for his recommendations of the products to be used and the schedule to be followed.

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How To Find A Floor Scrubber

Thursday, January 28, 2010

We are all aware of the saying “cleanliness is next to godliness”. By keeping our surroundings clean, we are trying to create healthy surroundings for ourselves. Keeping your house clean keeps away many diseases and reduces chances of accidents and injuries thereof. Keeping the house clean calls for the services of a scrubber and choosing the right floor scrubber is quite a task. Of course we maintain cleanliness for hygienic reasons but the pleasure of a shining floor can’t be denied. It compliments cleanliness. For this purpose we need a floor scrubber.

Primarily a floor buffer is meant for cleaning and polishing your floors. This is what makes your floor lustrous and shining. This job can be executed in more than one way, and that makes it important to select a machine that would best answer your requirements. Please understand there is not one model that could alone answer all the requirements.

First of all you will find that the product is available in many brands. Some of them being: Black & Decker Sweeperland, and Koblenz. All of them are known to be quality manufacturers, being in businesses for pretty long. Each has quite a few models to offer and you have to decide what you really need before buying any.

You should be aware of the area to be maintained, as that is the most helpful pointer in the right direction. For instance, the common ones vary from 20 to 38 inches in diameter, whereas the commercial ones are more than that. That’s why it’s important to know your requirements. That helps to buy an appropriate and efficient machine.

The next thing you should be aware of is the kind of surface for which you are buying a scrubber. Is that going to be smooth or otherwise? You see the point is that there is no universal model that will work on all kinds of surfaces. Further you have to choose the medium for operating the machine. It could be driven by electricity, gas or battery.

Though gas and battery powered ones are more efficient, they lose their energy efficiency rather fast. The most convenient choice will be have an automated scrubber, but only if you have big budget.

These are the essentials of buying a floor polisher, and finding the right one for your requirements is not so simple an affair as it might seem. But the fact remains that even if you use it for home only, it would have paid for itself after a couple of uses. Else, you need to rent one every time you do flooring. Moreover, look at the convenience of having it in your garage to be used as and when you feel the need.

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How To Clean Ceramic Tile Floors

Monday, January 18, 2010

Ceramic tile floors often installed in bathrooms, hallways and kitchens look good and like any other floor, they also need to be cleaned periodically. However, cleaning of ceramic floors is different from cleaning of wood or vinyl floors. It’s not only different, but a bit difficult too. That’s because the tiles are a glazed material whereas the grout applied between two consecutive tiles is unglazed mortar that gets dirty or stained much faster than the tiles. Though a sealer is often applied to grout, it still does not remain as resistant to stains and dirt as the tile itself. It’s understandable that dirty grout imparts a dirty look to the whole floor. So let’s look at some of the ways for cleaning it.

Of the many household products that could be utilized for the purpose, the best is a mixture of white vinegar in warm water. Vinegar contains tartaric and citric acids, though in very mild form. This makes an excellent cleaning agent when mixed with warm water. It works as good as any commercial cleaning product at a very affordable expense. For cleaning of grout, make a mixture of vinegar and warm water in equal ratio and apply it to the grout with a sponge. Let it remain there for a few minutes before scrubbing the grout with a toothbrush. You may have to apply the mixture a second time, depending on severity of dirt and stains. Using a sponge to sop up the residue and clean the floor with a soft detergent.

Vinegar being acidic in nature will remove any grout sealer that hasn’t worn out. Having cleaned the grout apply grout sealer with a paintbrush. After the first coat has thoroughly dried, apply the second coat. You may get grout sealer from any home improvement store or a store that sells tiles.

The same solution of vinegar and water may be used get rid of stains on tiles. But, you should clean the entire floor with a sponge and let it dry before applying the cleaner.

Since you are going to handle an acidic material you should protect your hands with rubber gloves while applying the cleaning agent or fresh grout. You need not necessarily use an electric floor scrubber/polisher for cleaning of ceramic tile floors. Mind you, excessive application of scrubber/polisher makes the tiles look their shine and they begin to look dull. It’s not recommendable to use Clorox bleach for cleaning ceramic tile floor as it causes the tiles to start looking yellowish and erodes the grout also.

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Floor Scrubber Benefits And Advantages

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Cleaning floors of frequently visited places by a large crowd like those of retail stores or convenient stores pose a challenge to the owners of these places. Usually they employ the traditional mop and bucket arrangement. However, there are better cost effective arrangements that are safe and simple too. One such arrangement is the use of floor scrubbers.

Let’s take the case of a convenience or retail store. Here, a wet floor means your customers can’t reach your shelves to pick up or examine some of the needed items. Every now and then you have to block one isle or the other for the floor to get dried up. So that makes you lose some of your sales and loss of sales means loss of business. Similarly, in case of industrial units, work can’t proceed unless the floor is dry and working on wet floor could be dangerous.

One big limitation of using a mop is that it spreads the dirt around. As a result, floor appears clean until it dries. As a matter of fact all the dust and residue that was there originally gets shifted and spread over, may be a little diluted.

A good industrial grade floor scrubber offers an ideal solution. The system followed by a floor scrubber comprises of first spraying the floor with water and cleaning chemicals followed by scrubbing to break up dirt, residue and spill and finally a squeegee-vacuum combination to suck up the used water that leaves a thoroughly clean and dry floor.

Floor scrubbers are very simple to use and operate. It needs to be filled up with cleaning agents and then emptied at the end of cleaning process. They need little maintenance and are comfortable to push, thus saving the back of the operator from unnecessary strain.

There are quite a few types of floor scrubbers and you have to identify your requirements before ordering one. Some run on batteries while others work on electricity and are provided with a cord that gets dragged behind the operator. Some of these machines are designed to work on propane that permit better mobility and are the easiest to operate.

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