The Inside Scoop on Commercial Cleaning Equipment

Commercial cleaning equipment or janitorial supplies are the tools used by cleaning professionals to keep buildings of varying sizes clean for the health and safety of all building occupants.

The commercial cleaning industry has seen exponential growth over the last few years due to increased focus on health and wellness benefits that come from consistent cleaning.

The industry continues to grow, and in fact between 2021 and 2030, the global commercial cleaning industry is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.5%, according to Allied Market Research.

The focus on making buildings as clean and healthy as possible for all building occupants continues to drive commercial cleaners to find the best supplies and machines to support the important work they do and to help make cleaning teams as efficient and productive as possible.

What Does Commercial Cleaning Cover?

Commercial cleaning companies offer a wide range of services depending on the needs and type of building. There can be major differences between an office building and an industrial or manufacturing building, but in general the following services are generally offered:

• Dusting
• Furniture Cleaning
• Bathroom Cleaning
• Ventilation Duct Cleaning
• Trash Collection and Disposal
• Window Cleaning (inside and outside)
• Sanitizing and Disinfecting High-Touch Surfaces
• Cleaning Common Areas—kitchens, lounges, breakrooms
• Floor Cleaning—Sweeping, Mopping, Vacuuming, Scrubbing, Polishing, Carpet Cleaning etc.

What Are Common Types of Commercial Cleaning Equipment and Supplies?

Commercial cleaning equipment continues to become more advanced as technology evolves and there is now a wide variety of items to choose from to get the job done effectively.

Finding the best equipment and supplies will require a thorough understanding of the space being cleaned.

Here are some of the most essential items when making your cleaning equipment and supplies checklist:

Commercial Cleaning Equipment

• Cleaning Carts
• Mop and Bucket
• Brooms and Dust Pans
• Window Cleaning Equipment (Inside and Outside)

Commercial Cleaning Machines

• Pressure Washers
• Electrostatic Sprayers
• Robotic Floor Sweepers
• Robotic Floor Scrubbers
• Carpet Cleaning Machines
• Commercial Grade Floor Scrubbers and Sweepers

Additional Cleaning Supplies

• Sponges
• Spray Bottles
• Dustpan and Brush
• Trash Bins and Bags
• Microfiber Cloths and Mops
• Window and Glass Cleaner
• Sanitizing and Disinfecting Cleaning Solutions
• Protective Clothing—Gloves, Face Masks—depending on the job

Benefits of Commercial Floor Cleaning Machines

Floor cleaning has quickly become the most advanced area of commercial cleaning in terms of machines used to tackle the work. Window cleaning, bathroom cleaning, and wiping down and dusting of surfaces require manual attention due to the unique structures and circumstances in those areas.

Floor cleaning, however, is one area where machines continue to play an important part in advancing the cleaning industry as machines can help employees be more efficient and productive and can help eliminate injuries related to repetitive movements.

Efficiency and Productivity

This process is cleaner than the traditional mop and bucket process, which often results in dirty water being used repeatedly on the floor.

These machines also have motorized pressure systems. This means the brushes are pushed down on the floor surface with a specific amount of weight, known as pad pressure, resulting in a deeper clean.

The squeegee systems are designed to pick up any excess water, helping to make sure floors are left dry, reducing chances of slip and fall accidents related to freshly washed floors.

Floor scrubbers and sweepers are also extremely easy to operate, making it easy for cleaning professionals to use, and according to TMH (Toyota Material Handling):

“Ride-on machines improve productivity by 400 percent compared to manually sweeping or mopping.”

Plus, when comparing this to the cost to pay an employee to clean the same amount of flooring with mop and bucket, and be as efficient as a scrubber or sweeper,

“Depending on the size of your facility, studies have shown they [ride-on machines] can pay for themselves in as little as three months” (TMH).

Safety

Commercial floor cleaning machines are also safer for employees to use because they require less manual work and make it easier to get the job done with less risk of injury related to repetitive movements.

Automated floor scrubbers and sweepers, both ride-on and walk-behind, help reduce injury related to bending over, as workers can sit or stand upright, while vacuuming or mopping the floor.

The same is true for injuries related to repeated wrist and arm movement that comes with traditional vacuuming or mopping.

In addition, some companies, like ICE Cobotics, are starting to power their commercial floor scrubbers and sweepers using lithium-ion batteries. These are safer for employees than traditional Lead Acid or AGM batteries because they require zero maintenance. Employees do not have to worry about watering batteries and spilling toxic chemicals.

Lithium-ion batteries can also be opportunity charged for more flexible and efficient cleaning, and they last longer than traditional batteries—helping to make employees more productive during each shift as there is less downtime related to charging machines.

Commercial Floor Cleaning Machines Come with Advanced Software

Many of today’s floor scrubbers and sweepers come with advanced fleet management software, adding to the lure of using these machines to help create more effective processes.

In many cases this means they can track:

• Machine User
• Charging Times
• Routes Cleaned
• Machine location
• Machine Usage including time of cleaning and how long cleaning lasted

This information is available in easy to digest reports and can help managers and BSC’s work with their teams to create more efficient and effective processes, as they can see what works well in certain locations and try to implement those processes in other locations they manage.

Commercial Electrostatic Sprayer Equipment

Essentially, the electrostatic sprayer positively charges a disinfectant as it sprays through the nozzle, the disinfectant lands on negatively charged surfaces. The positive and negative charges react to each other causing the disinfectant to evenly cover large areas of surface much more quickly than a person trying to wipe down complicated surfaces.

According to Infection Control Daily:

“The spray droplets can also reverse direction, moving against gravity and coating all sides of the target object. Thus, one of the advantages of electrostatic spraying is that it offers “wraparound” coverage, meaning it can quickly coat high-touch surfaces that may be time consuming to clean such as pens, light switches, faucets, and keyboards.”

Due to continued research on how long bacteria can live on surfaces, electrostatic sprayers continue to be a useful tool for commercial cleaners.

Commercial cleaners continue to see increased focus on the importance of their work and the widespread impact cleaning has beyond a clean space. For this reason, having access to the most advanced and helpful equipment and supplies is key to tackling the increasing workload.

ICE Cobotics is a technology and cleaning equipment manufacturer specializing in subscription services. We are here to help with your floor cleaning needs. Feel free to reach out to our Tech Connect Team at any time.