Benefits of Using Cleaning Machines Versus Mops

Not taking into consideration the current crisis, we have as many as 50 direct and indirect contacts with floors every single day. On top of that, cross contamination is possible if the floor is contaminated, as it’s often the way.

You might be familiar the following joke

Lawyer: A woman shot her husband because he stepped on her freshly mopped floor.

Officer: That is correct.

Lawyer: Officer, can you explain why it took you 20 minutes to arrest the woman once you got there?

Officer: Because the floor was still wet.

With an endless amount of cleaning machines, scrubber dryers, sweepers, steam cleaners, pressure washers etc for sale or hire, some businesses are still leaning towards the old fashioned mop.

Mopping tends to be regarded as cost-saving, compared to cleaning machines. But that is false when you consider the labour to be the largest element of a cleaning budget.

Mopping wastes a large amount of time, creates a slip hazard, is labour intensive, and isn’t cost effective in regards to a company’s cleaning budget.

Manual mopping takes 2-3 times longer to clean than a cleaning machine, as tests have proven.

Having said that, there’s still a market for manual mopping systems, especially in hospitality and medical environments, where cleaning has to be performed with minimal disturbance to guests and patients. They’re silent and can easily be used in crowded areas.

Of course, right now we have to work harder than usual when cleaning to ensure hygiene standards remain high during the Covid19 crisis. It is more important than ever to keep our environment as germ free as possible.

The benefits of using a scrubber dryer definitely outweighs the use of a manual mop. Scrubber dryers completely suck up all the dirty water, leaving dry, safe floors, whilst also eliminating being sued for falls.

Imagine all the tasks employees could address by cutting cleaning times by at least 50%.

By using a scrubber dryer you can leave your mop and bucket in the store room.

A report on the findings of whether a manual mop could spread disease from germs and bacteria though cleaning, came to the following conclusion:

‘Following the demonstration of massive spread of bacterial contamination throughout the hospital by the wet-mopping techniques in use, quantative studies were undertaken to determine the source of contamination and to institute measures of control. It was found that mops, stored wet, supported bacterial growth to very high levels and could not be adequately decontaminated by chemical disinfection. Laundering and adequate drying provided effective decontamination, but build-up of bacterial counts occurred if mops were not changed daily or if disinfectant was omitted from the wash water.’

In other words, the mop becomes soiled and contaminated as soon as it is used, from the first application. Over time, the cleaning solution becomes contaminated as well. Whilst the study noted that the use of a disinfectant can help prevent this, as the mop, bucket, and cleaning solution become more and more soiled, what is referred to as the efficacy of the disinfectant – its ability to kill germs and bacteria – begins to diminish. As this happens, the mop begins to spread soils and potentially harmful contaminants.

It’s clear to see that unless we are looking at small areas, the scrubber dryer is a clear winner, with its agility, cost effective, ease of use, productivity, saving employee time, leaving a dry floor behind.