Using Preportion Chemical Packets With Autoscrubbers

Scrubbing and mopping vast expanses of flooring — think gymnasiums and school hallways — is often an arduous task, but thankfully autoscrubbers make the job less burdensome.

These machines allow custodians to cover square footage more quickly than manual mopping methods — a plus for both operators and building service contractors. But being able to cover more ground in less time has its downside, such as the long haul back to a centralized station to dump and refill solution tanks.

“Autoscrubbers give you the ability to clean tremendous distances,” says Mitch Darin, owner of Synergy Systems LLC, Highland Park, Illinois. “But the problem with tremendous distances is if you only have one centralized location you have to go back to that place to refill your tank. This can be especially difficult if you have multiple levels and your central storage is in the basement.”

In situations like this, preportioned chemical packets can be a worthwhile investment for the operators of floor care equipment.

“With the packs, people don’t have to go back and forth to a centralized location,” says Darin. “They can carry with them just what they need to do the job, and wherever there’s a sewer and sink they have a refill station, so their productivity increases.”

Jeff Adams, a sales representative at The Mop Bucket, North Kansas City, Missouri, advocates using preportioned packets in facilities that don’t have centralized mixing stations.

“If you don’t have dilution stations [preportioned packets are] a good idea,” he says. “And if you have water sources in other parts of the facility, the custodian doesn’t have to go all the way back to a filling station. He can cut a pack open, pour it in and fill it from the water source. It’s very convenient.”