Floor Cleaning 101: How to Choose the Right Floor Scrubber Brush
All automatic floor scrubbers have the capability to use scrub brushes, but how do you know which scrub brush is right for your machine and your floors? Check out this helpful guide to learn about the various types of scrub brushes and their intended purposes and floor applications.
First, let’s start with the basic differences between scrub decks, brushes, and brush materials.
Difference Between Disc and Cylindrical Scrub Decks & Brushes:
Disc
- Most common type of scrub deck on walk-behind scrubbers
- Accommodates either scrub brushes or pads
- Easy to change out brushes/pads
- Cheaper, easier to maintain, and last longer than cylindrical
- Strong down pressure allows for easy removal of scuff marks
- Debris must be swept prior to using to prevent components from getting clogged
Cylindrical
- Good for cleaning textured floors and getting into cracks and crevices
- Aside from clearing large debris, floors do not need to be swept prior to using
- Does not accommodate pads, only brushes
- More expensive and harder to maintain than disc
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Types of Floor Scrubber Brushes:
Wire
- Most aggressive brush material
- Works best for stripping and scraping heavily soiled floors
- Most commonly used on rough concrete
Carbide Grit (46 grit - 500 grit)
- Nylon bristles impregnated with silicon carbide
- Grit sizes ranging from stripping to scrubbing to polishing capabilities
- Similar to sandpaper, the lower the grit, the more aggressive the brush is
- See our chart for the range of grit sizes and their ideal applications
Polypropylene (poly)
- Durable general purpose scrubbing brush
- Shorter life than Nylon but is typically cheaper
- Typically has both stiff and soft options
- Stiffer polypropylene brushes are best used on concrete and coated floors
- Softer polypropylene brushes are best used on finished floors
Nylon
- Softest bristles
- General purpose scrubbing brush
- Longest lasting bristle life
- Best used on floors you don’t want to scratch
- Typically has both stiff and soft options
- Stiffer nylon brushes work great on tile, terrazzo, and other coated floors
- Softer nylon brushes work great on decorative tile and softer finished floors
Choosing the Right Scrub Brush:
The type of scrub brush you need will depend on the style of scrub deck your unit has, the type of floor it will be used on, the intended purpose of use (stripping, scrubbing, or polishing) and what kind of substances you will be removing from the floor.
Please note that the color of your scrub brush is irrelevant. The color of the bristles varies between manufacturers and does not universally indicate aggressiveness or intended application, so this should not be used as a guide for purchasing replacements.
What floor scrubber brush should I use to clean rough concrete?
Wire brushes are the most durable option for cleaning rough concrete with a floor scrubber
What is the best floor scrubber brush for heavy-duty stripping or aggressive scrubbing?
We recommend using 46-grit and 80-grit scrub brushes for heavy-duty stripping or aggressive scrubbing using a floor scrubber on terrazzo, linoleum, vinyl, ceramic tile, and concrete floors.
Pad alternatives: Super black, black, or brown
What is the best floor scrubber brush for general scrubbing purposes?
We recommend using a 120-grit and 180-grit scrub brush for general scrubbing purposes on linoleum, vinyl, resilient, ceramic tile, anti-slip finish, terrazzo, concrete tile, raised rubber tile, and concrete floors.
Pad alternatives: Green or blue
What is the best floor scrubber brush for medium to light scrubbing?
For medium or light scrubbing purposes, we recommend using 180-grit, 240-grit, or 500-grit brushes on linoleum, vinyl, resilient, ceramic tile, anti-slip finish, terrazzo, concrete tile, and concrete floors.
Pad alternatives: Blue, red, or white
What is the best floor scrubber brush for gentle or soft scrubbing?
We recommend 500-grit, polypropylene, or nylon brushes for gentle or soft scrubbing purposes on linoleum, vinyl, resilient, polyolefin, ceramic tile, anti-slip finish, terracotta, terrazzo, concrete tile, marble, granite, epoxy floor, raised rubber tile, and concrete floors, as well as for carpet scrubbing.
Pad alternatives: Red, White, Yellow Black Diamond, or Green Black Diamond
What is the best floor scrubber brush for floor polishing?
If you want to use a brush instead of a pad to polish your floor with your floor scrubber, we recommend using a 500-grit scrub brush on linoleum, vinyl, resilient, ceramic tile, anti-slip finish, terrazzo, marble, and raised rubber tile.
Pad alternatives: White
Can I use a more aggressive brush on my floor?
If the brush you are using does not seem to be effectively cleaning your floors, it might be time for you to switch to a more aggressive brush. We recommend following our brush guide as a reference and increasing the aggressiveness by one level at a time. You should always test new brushes on an inconspicuous part of your floor first to ensure that it is not damaging.
To determine which scrub brush you should purchase for your machine to meet your specific floor care needs, please refer to our buying guide below or call us at (888) 834-9948.
When Do I Need to Replace Scrub Brushes?
How often you need to replace scrub brushes will vary by frequency of use, type of floor, and the amount and type of soil being removed from the floor.
This likely caused damage to this customer’s floor.
Disc brushes typically have a wear indicator which will help you determine when it should be replaced. Cylindrical brushes should be replaced after the bristles are worn to no less than ½ inch. It is important to be mindful of the length of your brushes at all times to maintain cleaning efficiency and avoid damaging your floors.
When in doubt, a good rule of thumb is that you should replace your disc or cylindrical brushes when they are more than halfway worn. If you are unable to determine how worn your brushes are, feel free to give us a call so we can provide you with the measurements for your brush.
Click here to download our comprehensive buying guide for brushes, brooms, and pads:
Questions?
Call us at (888) 834-9948
Email us at parts@triadservice.com
Or submit a help request here: Parts Request
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