Gofer Parts Blog

A floor buffing machine is a device which is designed to clean and polish all types of floors such as linoleum, wood, and marble. This device is quite like a vacuum cleaner in appearance with rotary brushes that rotate under the machine. These brushes are designed to function at various speeds according to the type of floors. The speed and the direction of these brushes can be controlled easily with a set of controls and steering handle.

The term 'commercial floor' is usually used to separate the location from a typical domestic setting and to imply that the floor will, in general, be exposed to a variety of factors such as much higher volume of traffic or different kinds of wear and tear that are generally not experienced in a domestic setting. A commercial setting could be anything from the lobby of an office building with polished slate flooring, to a classy office with a polished hard wood flooring and, perhaps more so than with domestic settings, the type of flooring chosen in each case may reflect the type of use it will be exposed to more than being chosen for purely aesthetic reasons.

The vacuum cleaner was first conceived of in the early part of the 1900s by the Hoover Vacuum Company. Since then, the vacuum cleaner has evolved into the ultimate carpet cleaning machine. The three main types of vacuum cleaners are upright vacuums, backpack vacuums and wet dry vacuum cleaners. An upright vacuum is the most common type of vacuum sold in the United States. This vacuum works on the principle of a beater brush that rotates and agitates the carpet fiber, and a vacuum system that sucks debris from the beater bar chamber. The backpack vacuum cleaner is the newest type of commercial vacuum. It works on just suction alone utilizing a large vacuum motor that creates massive air movement which sucks debris through a tube which is attached to a floor tool. A wet dry vacuum uses a large motor and a canister to suck up debris that is both wet and dry. It does this by using a canister with a large motor mounted on top. If the water level reaches a certain point within the canister a float ball mechanism shuts off the motor so that moisture is not sucked into the motor damaging the electrical system. The most prevalent of all the vacuums sold in the United States is the upright. This vacuum is used by both commercial and residential users and ranges in price from $50 into the thousands. There are two main types of upright vacuum cleaners, the single motor upright and the dual motor upright. Most residential motors fall under the category of single motor upright which uses one motor to drive both the brush and vacuum system. A dual motor upright utilizes a separate motor for the vacuum and brush system making it a stronger and more powerful unit. The number one selling dual motor upright vacuum cleaner is the Windsor Versamatic. This vacuum is known for its dependability and deep cleaning power.

In recent years there have been many advancements in auto scrubber technologies. The one major advancement is the use of electrically converting water into a cleaning solution. One of the pioneering companies to do this is Tennant. With Tennants EC H2O technology there is no need to use harsh chemicals or detergents making this a greener approach to cleaning. An auto scrubber uses suction and rotating discs to lay a cleaning solution down on the floor, scrub it and then retrieve the solution. There are many companies in the world that produce auto scrubbers the most popular being Tornado, Nobles, Tennant and NSS. Tennant have taken a different approach to cleaning by constantly advancing the technologies that they use within their auto scrubber units. The most advanced of Tennants auto scrubber line is the T5.

The Tennant Company was originally founded in Minneapolis, MN in 1860 as a small sawmill that produced wood products and flooring. Eventually, the company needed to refocus during the 1930's when The Great Depression hit the country, and founder, George Tennant, purchased a floor machine that 'dry cleaned' wood flooring from a local janitor. He focused the company's efforts on this motorized piece of floor equipment and the entire company became known for floor maintenance. The Tennant Company cleaned defense plants during World War II until it developed a floor sweeper that could reduce dust in factories.

Nobles floor equipment is a brand (engineered by Tennant Company) that was started over 50 years ago in St. Paul, Minnesota. Originally, Nobles manufactured military parts that were reliable and durable. Today, the company is based in Holland, Michigan, and its focus is floor maintenance equipment. Nobles has over 400 distributors and is known for its no-nonsense cleaning equipment like floor scrubbers, burnishers, vacuum cleaners, carpet spotters, carpet extractors, and floor sweepers.

Which floor machine type is right for your needs? Both sweepers and scrubbers offer big advantages in the fight against filth. Let’s look at a few of them.

Making the investment in floor cleaning equipment is a big deal. It is important to protect that investment by performing regular maintenance to extend the life of your machine. Below are some ideal ways to care for your floor cleaning equipment.