The Complete Guide to Floor Cleaning Brushes, Pads, and Brooms: Selection, Material, and Care
The Complete Guide to Floor Cleaning Brushes, Pads, and Brooms: Selection, Material, and Care
Selecting the correct brush, pad, or broom is essential for effective floor maintenance, worker safety, and controlling costs. Using a brush or pad that is too soft leads to insufficient cleaning and wasted time, while an overly aggressive one can damage your floor, incurring costly refinishing expenses.
Floor Cleaning Systems
Industrial floor cleaning equipment generally uses two main systems:
- Disc (Rotary) Systems: These systems can utilize either pads or disc brushes, held in place by a pad driver.
- Cylindrical Systems: These systems rely solely on brushes and have the added benefit of handling light debris removal, as the opposing rotation of the brushes lifts dirt and deposits it into a recovery tray. Sweepers use cylindrical main brooms and side brooms.
1. Floor Pads (For Disc Systems)
Pads are ideal for smooth surfaces like vinyl, terrazzo, and polished concrete. They are used with disc scrubbing systems and are consistently manufactured in specific colors to indicate their level of abrasiveness:
| Color | Abrasiveness / Application |
|---|---|
| White | Gentle, removes light soil and scuffs. |
| Red | Medium-duty, ideal for daily cleaning and light scrubbing. |
| Blue | Heavy-duty, suitable for more aggressive scrubbing and may remove some coatings. |
| Green | Very aggressive, often used to prepare floors for recoating. |
| Black | Most aggressive, designed for stripping finishes from floors. |
2. Scrub Brushes (Disc and Cylindrical)
For uneven surfaces, brushes are superior to pads because their bristles can reach into cracks and crevices. They are also more durable on slip-resistant (grit-impregnated) flooring, which can tear pads.
Note on Color: Unlike floor pads, the color of a scrub brush cannot be used as a reliable guide to its aggressiveness or application. Aggressiveness is determined by the material, bristle diameter, and grit size.
Scrub Brush Materials (Most to Least Aggressive)
| Material | Bristle Diameter / Grit | Description and Application |
|---|---|---|
| Wire | .030-gauge high carbon steel | Most Aggressive. Ideal for stripping and scrubbing rough concrete surfaces. |
| Carbide/Grit | Varies (e.g., .065"/46 Grit, .040"/120 Grit) | Nylon fiber impregnated with grit particles, providing an abrasive effect. Used for heavy-duty stripping (Heavy Grit) of concrete/quarry tile to gentle daily scrubbing (Lite Grit) of marble/epoxy finishes. |
| Polypropylene (Poly) | Varies (e.g., .020" crimped, .030" level) | Medium-Duty. Economical, retains stiffness when wet, and is a good all-purpose brush for general cleaning. Crimped filaments are better for holding cleaning solutions and uneven surfaces. |
| Nylon | Varies (e.g., .010" crimped, .030" level) | Provides excellent wear life and is slightly more aggressive than natural fiber, used for light-duty to general cleaning. |
| Natural Fiber | White Tampico, Union Mix, Bassine | Softest. Typically used for gentle scrubbing and polishing hard surfaces like marble, terrazzo, and linoleum/vinyl tile. White Tampico is naturally resistant to chemicals. |
3. Sweeping Brooms (Cylindrical Sweepers)
Sweeper brooms utilize specific materials and patterns for effective debris removal.
Cylindrical Broom Materials (Sweeper and Side Brooms)
| Material | Aggressiveness | Description and Application |
|---|---|---|
| Crinkle Wire | Most aggressive | Designed to loosen the most compacted soils in areas requiring little or no dust control. |
| Bristle & Wire | High | Crinkled wire provides a light cutting action, while the bristles lift and sweep. Ideal for compacted dirt and dried mud. |
| Nylon | Medium | Stronger than softer bristles, with the longest brush life. Preferred for sweeping rough surfaces or high temperature soils. |
| Natural Fiber & Wire | Medium to High | Great for sweeping dry, dusty floors with compacted soils. Natural fibers control dust better than Proex, but soften when wet. |
Cylindrical Broom Patterns
Bristle tufts are positioned in carefully planned rows and patterns, such as Full-Fill (aggressive sweeping, good dust control) and Patrol-Fill (open space between rows to lift soils and larger trash).
4. Maximizing Effectiveness and Longevity (Care and Monitoring)
Proper usage and maintenance are key to extending the life of your cleaning tools and optimizing results.
Monitoring Performance
- If dirt remains: You may need a more aggressive brush/pad option, a different or properly mixed cleaning chemical, or a replacement because the tool is worn out.
- If you notice scratching or gouging: The brush/pad is too aggressive for your floor, or the down-pressure is set too high.
Brush and Pad Care
- Inspect Daily: Check for wear before and after each shift. Replace worn components promptly.
- Clean: Prolong the life of scrub brushes by cleaning them at the end of each shift to remove accumulated stripper, wax, and debris. Simply spray the brush off using hot water and hang it to dry.
- Rotate: On scrubbers with two or more disc brushes, switch them (left to right) to ensure even wear, as they rotate in opposite directions. Cylindrical brushes and brooms should also be switched/reversed if the machine design allows.
- Monitor Down-Pressure: Incorrect or overly aggressive down-pressure is a common cause of premature wear, equipment damage, and reduced battery runtime. Do not increase down-pressure past the recommended setting to fix poor cleaning. Always refer to your scrubber's operator's manual for the correct settings.
