When is it Time to Buy an Autoscrubber for Your Cleaning Business?
If your cleaning business has buildings with large areas of hard floor space to maintain you'll need an efficient machine - an autoscrubber - to tackle the job timely and efficiently. There are many varieties of autoscrubbers on the market today. They come with all kinds of features and an array of "bells and whistles" that may be useful, but add to the price tag and may not be necessary for your business. So how do you decide what features you need in an autoscrubber?
Adding an autoscrubber to your cleaning equipment inventory can be a big investment for a small cleaning company.
But it also means you can maintain floors faster and with fewer employees, which saves you money in the long run. Autoscrubbers may cost anywhere from $2,500.00 to $11,000.00. Your cleaning company will have to make the determination if an investment in an autoscrubber is going to lead to more jobs and added profit. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do we clean buildings large enough to justify the purchase of an autoscrubber?
- How soon will the autoscrubber pay for itself?
- What is our budget?
- Should we buy or lease the machine?
- Should we buy new or used?
- Do we have staff that is willing to learn to use the autoscrubber?
- Will having an autoscrubber free up staff time to clean other buildings or work on other projects?
- Do we have a way to transport an autoscrubber to various locations?
Once you have decided that an autoscrubber will benefit your cleaning business your next step is to decide what features you want and need in a machine.
- You or your employees may be using an autoscrubber for several hours at a time, so you need to consider the machine's comfort and ease of use.
- What size of autoscrubber do you need - 17", 20", larger? Do you need a walk behind or a rider model?
- Are you looking for an electric model or battery?
- Most models will offer a choice of brushes, drive disks and pads, electric, or batteries and chargers. Some models have low noise levels. Evaluate these features in the machines you are considering.
- How large is the solution tank and recovery tank? The larger machines have larger tanks so you won't have to empty and refill the tanks as often.
- Do you need adjustable pad pressure?
- Do you need an off-aisle brush and squeegee tool?
- Do you need a traction drive or a brush drive machine?
Another important feature to look at is the run time -- how long the machine can run before the batteries need to be recharged. Machines vary in the battery capacity as well as how the batteries can be charged. With some machines you are able to charge up the batteries through a common wall outlet.
Look for machines that are easy to maneuver and handled easily by one person. Do the buildings you clean have tight corners and small spaces you need to get into?
Once you know what you need in an autoscrubber talk with your janitorial distributor to see what models are available and are in your price range. Make sure whatever model you consider buying is easy to maintain and has parts that you can easily access. Also ask your supplier if they repair autoscrubbers and if replacement parts are easily ordered.
Manufacturers have greatly improved autoscrubbers over the last couple of decades. Today's machines are easy to operate and clean more thoroughly than the autoscrubbers that were available just a few years ago. Autoscrubbers can clean large areas quickly and efficiently and do a much better job than using the traditional broom and mop. Taking your time and making sure you buy the right autoscrubber for your cleaning business can increase your employee's productivity and your profit margin!
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