Commercial Floor Cleaners Going Domestic
With the ever-increasing popularity of hard surface flooring options like laminate, vinyl and engineered hardwoods, the cleaning of these materials is becoming an art form all by itself. Textured finishes, moisture sensitive joint structures and coating systems that require PH-specific chemicals. It’s getting technical out there and the associated industries need to step-up, educate and service their market with good, clear cleaning solutions that prolong their respective investments in great floors. #savingfloors
The up-sell opportunity for flooring retailers at the tail-end of a new sale is incredible. Our collective clients can spend a significant amount of money installing these new floors in their homes and places of work, and with the correct cleaning system, they have a sure-fire way of extending their floors lifespan and investment. The retailer, in turn, has an even greater opportunity to earn a little more margin on an already secured client in offering a complete flooring solution. It’s the extra fries with the burger philosophy. A preplanned cleaning and maintenance offer for each floor type should be in every salesman’s pack and included with each quotation.
One such cleaning solutions provider that caught my attention early last year was Karcher. While they are known for their extensive commercial portfolio they have now created a smaller range of wash and vacuum machines for the domestic and light commercial applications that meet the technical requirements of our modern floor types.
In a normal recognizable domestic vacuum-like shape they have a few options available from the light domestic (FC 5) through to a more commercial format (BR 30/4 C) perfect for small restaurants and businesses. They both use a roller system (much like a paint roller) that has a clean water spray (cleaning solutions can be incorporated here) on the front with a vacuum on the back. This manages limited liquid exposure to the floor with maximum cleaning effect. With separated clean and dirty water tanks, dirt is never recycled through the system avoiding streaks and smears common with manual systems.
The bigger BR 30/4 C version has interchangeable rollers that can be swapped out for slightly more aggressive brush-type rollers which are suitable for wire-brushed floors or floor types with deeper textures and profiled edges. Easy to move and use, a simple solution for the bigger home or workplace.
In our latest vlog (Video Blog) we interview the local Cape Town agent here in South Africa where we go through the various components of both options. Well worth getting a visual on these awesome tools to understand what is available in this value-add market.
If this article or vlog has added any value for you and your business, please hit that like button and maybe, just maybe SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to stay informed of new videos concerning Flooring Africa and the ever-growing #flooringrevolution.
For more information on Karcher products please click here.