Floor Cleaning & Floor Machines
Scrubbers, polishers and mops do different jobs. This is how to tell which one your site needs.
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Floors · machines, manual systems and surface care
Floor care is decided by square metres per hour and by what the finish will tolerate. A scrubber that is too small costs you labour every night; a brush that is too aggressive costs you the coating. This page starts with the machine decision, then narrows to the surface in front of you.
- 19 guides
- 406 machines in the range
- 8 surface types covered
Scrubbers, polishers and what each one does
A scrubber applies solution, agitates and recovers it in one pass; a polisher only does the middle step.
Operators often buy one when they need both. Scrubbers remove soil and water; burnishers and polishers change the appearance of the finish. Whether you need both depends on whether the floor is coated, and on whether appearance or soil loading is the main complaint.
Start here
Floor Scrubber vs Floor Polisher: Do You Need One or Both?
The decision, and when one machine covers both.
Choose
Floor Scrubbers and Polishers: Choosing the Right Floor Machine
The specification that matches the site.
Small sites
How to Choose the Best Hard Floor Cleaner
Hard-floor cleaners for smaller areas.
Machine
Viper Floor Scrubbers – Power, Efficiency, Reliability
A scrubber range worth comparing.
Machine
Why Wizzard Scrubbers Are the Smart Choice for Small-Space Floor Cleaning
Scrubbers sized for tight spaces.
Sweepers and large-area machines
Sweeping and scrubbing are separate jobs, and a sweeper is a labour decision before it is a cleaning decision.
On large hard floors, dry soil has to come off before water goes on, or the first pass turns it into mud. Push, walk-behind and ride-on machines each suit a different square-metre count and aisle width.
Mops, buckets and manual systems
The mop system decides chemical cost, labour and cross-contamination more than any machine you can buy.
Flat and string mops are not interchangeable, and a bucket that cannot separate clean from dirty water re-contaminates the floor with every dip. The guides below cover the specification and the simple hygiene habits that make a manual system work.
Spec
Commercial Mop and Bucket: How to Spec a System That Survives Daily Use
Spec a system that survives daily use.
Compare
Flat Mop vs String Mop: Which Is Better for Commercial Cleaning?
Which one for which site, and why.
Maintenance
How to Clean a Mop Head (and Keep It White)
Keeping the mop head white and hygienic.
Surface by surface
Every floor finish has one thing that ruins it: water on laminate, alkalinity on timber, abrasives on polished concrete.
These guides are written around the damage mode rather than the cleaning method, because the damage is what costs money. Read the entry for your floor before choosing the chemical or the pad.
Timber
How to Clean Timber Floors Without Dulling Them
Without dulling the finish.
Timber
Why Karcher Is the #1 Choice for Wooden Floors
Machine options for wood floors.
Laminate
How to Clean Laminate Floors Without Warping Them
Without warping the joints.
Tile
How to Clean Floor Tiles Without Dulling the Finish
Without dulling the glaze.
Grout
How to Clean Grout and Get It White Again
Getting grout white again, honestly.
Concrete
How to Polish Concrete Floors: Honest Options
The realistic options for a polished finish.
Stains and stubborn marks
Rust, paint and mould each need a different chemistry, and all three can be made permanent by the wrong first attempt.
Rust responds to acid, paint usually responds to solvent or mechanical lift, and mould needs treatment rather than removal of the visible mark only. Treat the cause where the cause is a leak or a spill, or it comes back.
Rust
How to Remove Rust Stains from Tiles and Grout
From tiles and grout, without etching.
Paint
How to Remove Paint from Tiles Without Damaging Them
Lifting paint without wrecking the tile.
Mould
How to remove mould from Outdoor loungers, Chairs, Shade Sails, Tarps, Tents and Other Canvas & Vinyl Gear
Canvas, vinyl and outdoor gear.
Shop floor machines and floor care
Scrubbers, polishers, sweepers, pads, mops and the chemistry that goes with them, from Karcher, Viper and the Freshway range.
Browse floor machinesFloor care productsFrequently asked questions
Do I need a scrubber and a polisher?
Only if the floor is coated and appearance matters as well as soil removal. Uncoated floors in most commercial settings need a scrubber, not a polisher.
How do I stop a mop bucket spreading dirt?
Use a system that separates clean solution from recovered water, change the water on a schedule rather than when it looks bad, and never dip a soiled mop back into clean solution.
What damages a floor finish fastest?
The wrong pad or brush for the coating, over-strong chemistry, and leaving water to sit at edges and joints. All three are specification errors rather than cleaning errors.
Can I use one chemical on all floors?
No. Timber, laminate, stone and vinyl each have a pH and moisture tolerance, and the wrong product shows up as dulling, warping or etching.