Controlling Spending With Floor Pads And Brushes

Some cleaning managers comment that they over-purchase when it comes to pads and brushes (in terms of quantity and frequency of purchases). How can managers determine the appropriate quantity of pads and/or brushes needed to complete the work within their facility?

Every pad manufacturer provides information regarding how many square feet a pad will perform.  Managers/operators should consult with their manufacturer.  In many instances, these numbers can vary depending upon the experience of the operator, the number of passes performed and the equipment being used but the data is a good guide.
— Rory Beaudette, VP Sales / COO, ACS Industries, Inc., Lincoln, Rhode Island



Determine the approximately how many pads should do the job from similar projects or by asking your suppliers advice.  Add an extra 10% for safety, so the job is not stopped by running out.  Your supplier should have more pads available if you miscalculated, so over inventory should not be a problem.
— Randall Flowers, Vice President of Corporate Accounts, ETC of Henderson, Inc., Henderson, North Carolina



Replace brushes according to wear.  If a brush is properly maintained (not left on the machine, and properly rinsed out after use), it will last a very long time.
— Chris Shaw, Northeastern Regional Director of Sales, Malish Corporation, Mentor, Ohio


Many departments are looking for ways to cut back on their floor chemicals. How can pads and brushes help them do that?

All pad manufacturers offer a line of chemical free strip pads today. Typically, these are a thin line maroon type and are used on rectangle oscillating machines. For the traditional operator using a conventional machine, we see many today performing a     strip and recoat with a green scrub pad rather than stripping all wax off which requires much more stripping chemical.
— Rory Beaudette, VP Sales / COO, ACS Industries, Inc., Lincoln, Rhode Island

1.    Buy quality pads, formulated and structured to do the job properly.
2.    Establish a floor maintenance schedule, to reduce the frequency of stripping and reapplying finish.
3.    Use the proper floor pads in your system to remove the least finish while scrubbing, cleaning, polishing, burnishing and other maintenance procedures.
4.    Try using a high quality maroon pad to chemically free or dry strip.  By using this procedure, you can get down to your base coats of clean finish and eliminate the need for stripper.
5.    When practical, use diamond impregnated floor pads,  i.e. “diamond pads”  in your system.  They work well when used with water on unfinished terrazzo.  Many facilities are stripping all finish off of their terrazzo floors and simply polishing the natural stones with diamond floor pads.  They are saving money by not having to purchase finish and stripper, while maintaining a high gloss using these pads.
— Randall Flowers, Vice President of Corporate Accounts, ETC of Henderson, Inc., Henderson, North Carolina