As school begins to break for the summer the custodial staff at Joliet Junior College prepares for their busy season. Responsible for the main campus plus an additional five satellite campuses, they will spend the summer working to prepare campus floors for fall student traffic.

In the past, they have used traditional swing machines to strip their floors but recently switched to the Square Scrub orbital floor preparation machine to  prepare their VCT floors for finish application and clean ceramic tile floors. By switching to the Square Scrub and using the "top scrub" method for their VCT floors they were able to save money by eliminating the purchase of several chemicals. Also, the process is a lot quicker and safer.

"We were able to scrub out 4x the amount of space by switching to Square Scrub machines" said Nick Sciaccotta, custodial superintendent of the junior college.

According to Sciaccotta, floor machine has been implemented into their nightly VCT prep work as well as their tile and grout cleaning.

"At first the staff was hesitant because it was new and different from what they had been using" said Sciaccotta. "But as they continue to use the machine, they are beginning to appreciate the ease of use and time savings. They have really enjoyed the positive impact that eliminating the tough spot work has had on their work day."

Sciaccotta did say that at the start there was a bit of a learning curve when using the machine because his staff was used to having to "finesse" their machines to get them to do what they wanted them to. They found however, that with the Square Scrub they were able to control the machine and perform much more precise work including tight areas and corners.

When asked about the features, Sciaccotta mentioned the slotted removable weights.

"With the different floors we have we are able to adjust the machine's weight accordingly. I also like that machine accessories can be purchased independently of the machine itself. We can decide later on we might like to add a Solution Tank to one machine or all. We can try it out on one machine and if we like it, we can purchase another one for another machine."

When asked what advice he could offer to someone considering which machine would work best on their floors he said, "Our situation may be different than someone else's. Test it out. It is really important to test machines side by side. Had we not tested them on different types of floors, we may not have made the decision we did. Some sales representatives just try to sell me the most expensive equipment, but my sales representative took the time to educate me on why the Square Scrub would be best suited for our individual needs."

Overall, making the switch from swing machines to the Square Scrub has made a positive impact on the Joliet Junior College staff's workflow, the schools expenditure on items such items as chemicals and the time it takes to prepare an area. The ease of use, features like slotted removable weights and optional accessories allow Sciaccotta and his staff to work more quickly and efficiently. Sciaccotta and his staff are looking into the future. He plans to add additional Square Scrub machines as other brands need to be replaced and is even considering polishing concrete using the floor machine.