BSCs Weigh In On One of Their Biggest Investments — Floor Equipment

Tom Watson, owner of TC Watson Cleaning Services in Medford, New Jersey, considers floor care to be the “gravy” of the commercial cleaning industry.

“It’s where the money is made,” 
Watson explains. “Add on services like floor and carpet care, and you ‘supersize’ your customer from a basic customer to a much more profitable one.”

Perhaps that’s why floor maintenance is of the utmost importance to both building service contractors — and, as the second largest source of customer concern after 
restrooms, according to industry consultant, Bill Fellows — to customers, as well.

But besides basic floor care tools, such as mops and buckets, the addition of high-powered vacuums, extractors, burnishers, strippers, sweepers, or autoscrubbers can be a major investment.

In fact, some large customers may require up to 14 different machines to complete a job, easily running BSCs thousands of dollars, says Steve Putnam, director of procurement at Marsden Bldg Maintenance LLC.

“From a capital expense standpoint certainly, floor cleaning equipment is a large investment,” Putnam says. “Selecting the correct equipment helps ensure the most profitable investment model overall.”

Because of their high cost, it is pertinent for a BSC to acquire floor care equipment in the most practical manner for their business. There are several ways to attain floor machines including purchasing through a distributor, through a manufacturer, as well as leasing or renting the equipment.

Putnam and other industry experts help BSCs weigh-in on the cost-effectiveness of each method.