When To Buy a Floor Scrubber & Upgrade From Manual to Automatic Cleaning

Quick Summary:

As your warehouse space continues to grow, so does your need to upgrade from manual to automatic floor cleaning methods. Manual mopping can’t maintain the same cleanliness or manage the frequency of cleaning required to keep your facility up to standards.  

If you're noticing rising labor costs, longer cleaning times, or increasing safety concerns, it might be time to ditch the mop and upgrade to a scrubber machine. This blog outlines when to buy a floor scrubber and how investing in one can help enhance cleaning performance in your facility.

Top Signs It’s Time To Upgrade To A Scrubber

Most businesses reach a tipping point where manual cleaning becomes inefficient, expensive, and risky. But if you’ve never considered the benefits of a floor scrubber or upgrading to use one in your warehouse, it can be hard to know when it’s the right time. 

Here are some signs you’ve outgrown traditional mops:

1. Cleaning takes more than 2 - 3 hours per day.

Not only do longer cleaning times eat into productivity and labor costs, but the results are usually inconsistent as mopping pressure ebbs and flows during their shift. A floor scrubber is designed to use consistent cleaning power, scrubbing floors in a fraction of the time, which can reduce labor hours and costs associated with manual cleaning.

2. You have over 10,000 sq ft of floor to clean.

It takes an experienced mopper about an hour to clean 3,500 square feet. To clean a 10,000 square foot facility, it can take an estimated 3 hours, and a multi-hour clean leads to the same problems we covered previously. 

3. You clean daily or multiple times per day.

More frequent cleanings means higher labor costs, especially if you’re still using a mop. A commercial floor scrubber can streamline that process, lowering the cost per clean. 

4. Your floors still look dirty even after mopping. 

When it comes to cleaning quality, mopping is only so effective. A mop pushes dirt and debris around the surface, often leaving streak marks or residue. A floor scrubber machine uses brushes and squeegees to deep clean and suction dirty water up into a recovery tank leaving the floor clean and dry in one pass. 

5. You’ve had slip-and-fall incidents.

Mopping can leave floors wet for up to an hour after cleaning, which is a major safety hazard for your staff. If someone gets hurt on the job, you may be responsible for covering their medical expenses – not to mention you’re down a staff member until they’re eligible to return to work. 

      6. Your team dreads cleaning tasks due to labor intensity. 

Staff members who dread work or find their job to be too straining on the body are more likely to be unhappy. And unhappy workers tend to job hop until they find a place they feel comfortable. A floor scrubber can help limit the labor intensity required to clean floors, boosting their comfort levels and efficiency during a cleaning shift. 

The ROI of Buying a Floor Scrubber

Investing in a floor scrubber is a huge investment. Acquiring a machine can range in cost from $5,000 - $30,000 based on the size, type, brand, and condition. However, most floor scrubbers pay for themselves in 12 - 18 months by reducing labor hours, chemical and water usage, and the risk of costly injuries. 

How Floor Scrubbers Reduce Labor Hours

If your goal is to reduce labor times, a floor scrubber will do just that. Most businesses report seeing a 40% reduction in labor times within the first year of using one. 

Manual vs. Floor Scrubber Labor and Time Comparison CHart

How Floor Scrubbers Reduce Chemical & Water Usage

Not only do scrubbers reduce labor and cleaning times, but they also help limit the amount of water and chemicals you need to use. Based on the chart below, an automatic floor scrubber can help facilities save 10,400 gallons of water and ounces of chemical per year:

Mopping vs. Floor Scrubber Water Usage Comparison Chart

This has 2 main benefits: 

1. Cost savings – via lower utility bills, fewer chemicals to buy, and other indirect savings like fewer pieces of equipment to replace. 
2. Sustainability & compliance –  lowering environmental footprints is becoming incredibly important for regulatory compliance and even public perception.
   

“We realized our team was spending 30+ hours a week mopping our warehouse. Scrubbershop helped us find a ride-on model that saved us thousands.”

~ Tasha E., Logistics Manager

Best Floor Scrubber Options by Facility Size

When you’ve decided it’s time to upgrade to a floor scrubber for your warehouse, the next step is to explore what options are available. The size of your facility plays an important role in the type of scrubber you should buy. 

Here are our top floor scrubber recommendations based on the surface area in your space:

Explore some of the best commercial floor scrubber brands and models. → 

Find A Floor Scrubber That’s Right For Your Needs

ScrubberShop connects you with verified dealers of walk-behind or ride-on floor scrubbers in your area. We’ll help you find quotes tailored to your warehouses’ square footage and cleaning goals, showing you options for new or used equipment. 

FAQs: When to Buy a Floor Scrubber