Presentation and safety driving warehouse floor cleaning

A dirty or wet floor can have serious implications in a warehouse, creating potential hazards that must be dealt with quickly. By choosing the right cleaning equipment and using it in the right way, logistics businesses can stay safe and well-presented with minimal disruption to work flow.

By regularly sweeping floors most hazards can be avoided and other equipment like forklifts will be protected from potential damage. Sweeping should always be carried out before any other type of cleaning like mopping or scrubbing and drying, to remove dust and debris first. Regular cleaning of the floor with a scrubber-drier will keep floor surfaces looking good, will help to maintain the value of floor coverings and will help to prolong the period between floor re-paints.

The following cleaning tips are suitable for any sized hard floor. The only differences come from the size of the floor and the type of floor finish.

Step 1 – preparing the floor
Sweep the floor to remove any debris and dust. Using a sweeping machine will provide a faster, more uniform finish and prevent dust from being kicked up into the air.

Step 2 – preparing the machine
Fill the scrubber-drier’s solution tank with water, adding a small amount of detergent (Kärcher machine equipped with the DOSE system keep the detergent out of the water tank, meaning detergents can be switched without emptying the tank). Kärcher detergents are highly concentrated, meaning only very small amounts (around 1-3%) are needed for a thorough clean, and we can advise on the right type and concentration for your floor. Kärcher scrubbers feature medium hardness brushes as standard, ideal for daily cleaning of areas that don’t get too dirty, but harder brushes or pads for tougher stains can be fitted to the machine in seconds without the need for any tools. Oil-resistant rubber suction squeegees are also available for use in oily and greasy areas.

Step 3 – tackling tough stains
Pre-spray any tough oil, grease or tyre marks with Kärcher’s Tyre Mark & Deep Stain Remover RM 776. Allow the detergent to remain in contact with the stain for a few minutes.

Step 4 – cleaning the floor
Clean the floor with the scrubber drier. The machine will scrub and instantly dry the floor. For very dirty floors the vacuum can be switched off to give the detergent and scrubbing brushes more contact time with the floor. Just switch the vacuum back on to dry the floor again.

Step 5 – looking after the machine
After each use, make sure you empty and rinse both the dirty water and clean water tanks. Brushes should be rinsed if necessary, and the machine’s rubber suction squeegees should be checked and cleaned to ensure streak-free floors.

Traditional wet mopping may seem like a low cost method of floor cleaning but over time it can actually cost many times more than investing in floor cleaning machines. Besides the extra time taken to clean floors effectively, mop and bucket cleaning leaves floors wet, encouraging bacteria to spread and creating slip hazards. Emptying, filling and moving of open mop buckets poses a health risk to operators, and dirty water is often reused.

By investing in a Kärcher floor scrubber-drier machine, consistent cleaning results are guaranteed, and floors are left instantly dry and reusable without risk. Kärcher scrubber driers also ensure that only clean water is used for cleaning, and ensure that operators don’t come into contact with dirty water or detergents during filling and emptying. Scrubber driers are also great at removing spillages quickly.

Kärcher scrubber-driers feature a detergent on/off system, where detergent is added to clean water just before it comes into contact with the cleaning brushes – meaning detergent can be changed instantly or turned off without needing to empty and refill the whole clean water tank, saving time and money.