Conventional 175 rpm floor machines are considered “essential” according to an e-poll of Building Service Contractors (BSCs) conducted for Tornado Industries by AlturaSolutions Communications. More than 85 percent of the more than 100 cleaning professionals polled said this cleaning tool is a “must-have” to meet their customers’ cleaning needs.

The survey also found that HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaners, which help protect indoor air quality, are also becoming “must-have” machines. Fully 80 percent
of those surveyed said owning a HEPA vacuum cleaner was “somewhat important” or “very important.”

Among other findings in the e-poll:

•    Weight, power, and performance were the big considerations when selecting a backpack vacuum, say 80 percent of the respondents.

•    When deciding on an upright vacuum cleaner, BSCs look for machines that are reliable, 41 percent, and have significant power and performance, 35 percent.

•    Eighty-six percent indicated they were familiar with cylindrical brush floor machines, which have brushes instead or rotary pads.

•    Of those who have purchased a cylindrical brush floor machine, 37 percent said they selected it because of “ease of operation” while 34
percent said the reason was “it does not splatter against walls or furniture.”

“About half of the respondents said they were not interested in ride-on carpet extractors simply because they do not clean facilities large enough
to require them,” says Jolynn Kennedy, marketing manager for Tornado. “However, when asked if they would be interested in a smaller walk-behind
extractor, fully 70 percent said yes.”

According to Kennedy, this e-poll indicates that BSCs know what they want when it comes to selecting jan/san equipment. “Low cost of ownership is
paramount because it increases profit margins. We saw this over and over again in the responses along with the need for equipment that is reliable,
powerful, and performs,” she says.

The poll has a 95 percent “confidence rating” indicating that even if a larger pool of similar respondents were surveyed, there is a 95 percent certainty the results would be about the same, AlturaSolutions said.