Top tips for getting the most out of your floor scrubber squeegee

You work hard every day to maintain your customers’ trust! So if the floor scrubber you sold them doesn’t pick up water effectively, they could end up blaming the machine and perhaps even blaming you. Likewise, if you’ve bought a floor scrubber and it just doesn’t seem to be working well, your cleaning efforts will be sub-par and it could end up causing a build-up of dirt and grime as well as causing hazards for customers and staff such as wet and slippery floors.

Whichever category you fit into, having an ineffective floor scrubber could be damaging to your sales, profits and reputation. It stands to reason therefore that this is something you want to avoid at all costs. The good news is, keeping your customers happy might not have to cost you an arm and a leg. It could just be a matter of educating yourself and your customers about how to use and care for floor scrubbers effectively.

In fact, the solution could actually just be as easy as picking the right squeegee. We have been hearing a lot recently about floor scrubber cleaning challenges associated with the new anti-slip, LVT and rubber floors. So we went out and did some squeegee field testing to see how we could help. As a result, we have a few handy tips and tricks to share with you.

What is a floor scrubber squeegee?

You don’t need a degree in mechanics to understand what a squeegee is. In its simplest form, you’ve probably seen a squeegee is used to clean windows. It’s essentially a tool with a smooth, flat, rubber blade which is used to control the flow of liquid on a flat surface.

How important is the squeegee in a floor scrubber?

When it comes to floor scrubbers, a squeegee is extremely important. The squeegee blades’ main function is to wipe away liquids from flat surfaces. The squeegee works in conjunction with all the other parts of your floor scrubber such as pressure pump to ensure your floor is left clean and dry. Ineffective squeegees could leave you with wet floors which could cause or increase the risk of accidents.

Top tips for squeegee care

Invest in the right brand

Although it sounds like a simple enough tool, there are many different brands and types of squeegees out there. We choose to supply Linatex® over other brands and machines because it can deal with most surfaces and environments. Don’t believe us? Experience our Linatex® vs. gum rubber tear test machine and see why it’s the material type that matters, not the colour!

Attributes to look for

Selecting a specific brand is a great way to ensure a certain level of quality. But to get the most out of your squeegee, it helps to understand the specific attributes that make a good squeegee effective. For example, the blades used by Linatex are predominantly latex which makes them resilient, abrasion resistant and able to withstand high temperatures. These are all extremely important qualities to look for in squeegee blades.

Adjust properly

Squeegees by their very nature need to be adjustable. But you could be making your squeegee less effective by not quite adjusting it properly. To adjust your squeegee, you need to ensure the right amount of downward pressure is applied.

Maintenance

Like most equipment, squeegees need to be maintained in order to perform at their best. After all, they come into contact with all sorts of materials and tough situations on a regular basis so it stands to reason that you need to clean and inspect them regularly to keep them working properly.

One key thing to look out for when inspecting your squeegee is the edges. New squeegees in good condition will have four edges with square angles. Once the edges have started to wear down and start to display a more slope-like angle, it is time to flip it over to a new edge, rotate to the other side or even replace it completely.

Replacement

Knowing when to replace your squeegee is key to getting the best value out of your floor scrubber. One one hand, why throw away the whole machine when you can have it performing like brand new by simply replacing one small part? On the other, why replace a squeegee when it can still function with a few minor repairs? Knowing when exactly your squeegee needs replacing (as opposed to just a bit of adjusting or maintenance) is therefore essential.

Whilst we recommend that you adjust and maintain your squeegee and its blades whenever possible, it is extremely important to replace your squeegee when it shows actual signs of damage. To check if your squeegee blades are worn out, remove them from the machine and place them in hot water. Then you can take a better look to see if the blade is worn, torn or wavy. If so, it is time to replace them.

Another sign that your squeegee needs replacing is if the scrubber starts leaving water or narrow blotches of dirt behind. If this occurs, you either need to replace your blades or the entire squeegee.

Replacing your squeegee or squeegee blades at the appropriate time will help make sure that your floor scrubber cleans effectively. It will also help you to get the most out of your floor scrubber machine and save money on buying a new one when a simple squeegee-adjustment will work just fine.

Want to learn more?

Want more info and demonstrations on squeegees and other vital cleaning equipment? Come see us at the 2019 ISSA show and learn everything you and your customers need to know to get the most out of your cleaning gear.

Or, for further advice on buying cleaning equipment today, give our friendly sales team a call now on 1800 650 989.