Biggest Mistakes With Floor Pads And Brushes

What are the biggest mistakes managers/cleaners make with floor pads and brushes?

A big mistake we see today is with operators using low speed conventional pads on high speed equipment.  It is important to be sure the pad being used is designed to run at the speed of the machine.  This mistake can adversely affect the pad and the floor.
— Rory Beaudette, VP Sales / COO, ACS Industries, Inc., Lincoln, Rhode Island

1.    Buying inferior quality (poorly constructed) pads that do not last, requiring additional  labor  to do the job or that are inconsistent and  not designed to do the job at hand.  This wastes chemicals and employees time.  Buying the cheapest pad raises your total cost to do the job.
2.    Not using the least aggressive pads that will do the job, e.g. using extreme strip pads when a premium black strip pad will do an effective job.  By using too aggressive a pad, you can scratch or damage the floor tile.  There is a place for both.
3.    When purchasing pads, chemicals and other items, buy from a knowledgeable distributor who sells quality products and offers training in combining and using the best products in a cost efficient floor care system, for your particular needs.
— Randall Flowers, Vice President of Corporate Accounts, ETC of Henderson, Inc., Henderson, North Carolina


One of the biggest mistakes made is leaving the brush on the machine after the task is done without proper rinsing.  This will increase the wear and tear of the brush and also deform the bristles if they are not removed from the machine after using.
— Chris Shaw, Northeastern Regional Director of Sales, Malish Corporation, Mentor, Ohio

Probably the most common mistake cleaning professionals make is that they don’t match the correct pad to the actual results they want to achieve.  In fact, there are many variables that impact which material works the best.  We look at chemical type, machine type, floor substrate, current maintenance and/or cleaning regimen, and condition of the floor to determine which floor pad type is appropriate for each application. All of those variables should be clear before selecting a floor pad.
— John Miller, VP of Executive Sales and Marketing, Americo Manufacturing Company
 
Why is it important to make sure the staff is using the right equipment for the job? What harm can the wrong equipment do?

When using a low speed conventional pad on a high speed piece of equipment, the operator is going to damage the floor.  The pad will just be too aggressive for the work to be done.
— Rory Beaudette, VP Sales / COO, ACS Industries, Inc., Lincoln, Rhode Island

1.    Using the wrong burnishing pad can burn the floor (especially high spots), remove too much finish during the burnishing process and give you less than the best gloss readings.
2.    Sometimes people strip the floor, when all they really needed to do is a really good deep scrub, removing the dirty top coats of finish.  This saves both labor and chemicals.
— Randall Flowers, Vice President of Corporate Accounts, ETC of Henderson, Inc., Henderson, North Carolina

What are the top two misconceptions about floor pads and brushes?

Many in the industry believe all pads are the same from all manufacturers.  Although this is basically true, there are exceptions based upon the method of production. We see this a lot with natural hair pads for high speed burnishing.  Managers believe all hair pads are natural hair but that is not true.  There are manufacturers who use synthetic hair to reduce cost. There is a very big difference between natural and synthetic hair pads regarding the level of gloss achieved.
— Rory Beaudette, VP Sales / COO, ACS Industries, Inc., Lincoln, Rhode Island

1.    “A pad is a pad is a pad!”    NO, it’s not!  A pad is one of the most critical parts of a successful floor care program.  Premium quality pads are manufactured from the finest quality fibers, resins, binders, abrasives and in certain cases, other raw materials, to specifications that assure the pad will perform the job stated by the manufacturer.  It is important that they work the same, efficient way every time. 
2.    “ Buy my cheap pad and save a lot of money”.   NO.  Premium pads save money. Floor pads represent only a small part of the total cost of a floor care system or job.   However, due to inferior performance, non-premium pads can increase the cost of chemicals used (amount of finish, stripper etc.)  and  increase the labor needed to do the job, which is by far  the largest single cost.   Even a great operator cannot give great result with poor quality floor pads.  However a great pad can overcome a multitude of “sins” and problems.
— Randall Flowers, Vice President of Corporate Accounts, ETC of Henderson, Inc., Henderson, North Carolina

The top misconception is that brushes costs more and pads cost less. Overtime, this is not true.  A brush can outlast a pad 200 to 1! A single brush may be more expensive than a single pad, but the amount of pads used in a week, month, or year is much more costly than using a brush.
— Chris Shaw, Northeastern Regional Director of Sales, Malish Corporation, Mentor, Ohio