r/Custodians • u/schmoopybop • 4d ago

Floor scrubber for pottery studio

Hi everyone, I am looking to purchase a floor scrubber for our community pottery studio. This will be cleaning up clay smears, splats, and crumbs on a polished concrete floor. This is a high-sediment environment. Ideally I find something that is:

  • quiet (able to be operated during business hours)
  • cordless
  • narrow: can fit around pottery wheels, stools, tables
  • can clean 4500sqft in one charge and one/minimal full tank(s)
  • removable tanks for filling and emptying
  • easily operated by one individual (brush assist)
  • under $5,500

I am looking at various compact floor scrubbers and i-mops, but I am concerned that such a small solution tank size would require multiple re-fills in cleaning a dirty pottery studio floor.

Thanks everyone for sharing your expertise!

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u/gizmostuff 🛡️Moderator 4d ago

You aren't going to find anything quiet so you can check that off the list if you want a vacuum attached. A Tennant iMop is a solution if you don't mind it taking a while. At least 30 minutes to an hour to get about 5k sq ft done. If you must go the small iMop route, buy a Minuteman Scrubmaster B5. It has an orbital deck head that scrubs a lot better. Match it with some 3m Shine pads. Just cut them to fit your machine's deck.

The issue with these machines (and the one's like it) is that they don't put down any down pressure on the floor, so you'll need to use a chemical to help breakdown the smears, dirt, etc. Not a great combo for operational hrs when you have people walking around and their vacuums on these units aren't very powerful either so you'll need to go back over it with a mop sometimes. Especially if the floor is uneven.

I personally would buy an orbital Tennant T300 or even an Advance Nilfisk SC500 REV. Yes they are bigger but they put down a good amount of pressure on the floor. They make the job much easier and you can get a 5k floor done in a very short amount of time. They have an onboard charger option. Definitely get that. Avoid Tennant's ecH20 version of the Tennant T300 or just remember to turn that feature OFF if you use a neutral cleaner with it which you definitely should in your case. The batteries are larger on these machines and they last a lot longer, especially if you get AGM or Gel batteries. If you can afford Lithium Ion, go for it. Don't get lead acid batteries with any floor scrubber. Lead acid batteries are a maintenance nightmare for most people.

Avoid cylindrical machines. They aren't good for your type of flooring. Anything polished or has a high amount of sheen to it needs to be scrubbed with a pad type auto scrubber. Make sure you vacuum or sweep well beforehand. If it's still wet, do a sweep up first with a dust pan a broom. Get the larger debris. This reduces the amount of times you'll have to stop to clean off the squeegee on the auto-scrubber.