BUYING GUIDES
What Size Floor Scrubber Do I Need?
Sizing a scrubber is a balance between theoretical productivity and the reality of your building. The right machine is the smallest one that still finishes the floor inside the cleaning window.
Start with area and time
Divide the floor area by the minutes available. That gives the coverage rate the machine has to sustain — before allowing for turns, fills, dumps and obstacles, which always reduce theoretical figures.
Then apply the building's constraints
- Narrowest aisle and doorway the machine must pass
- Lift dimensions and weight limits for multi-level sites
- Ramps, thresholds and dock levellers
- Storage footprint and charging position
Allow for real-world productivity
Published coverage figures assume uninterrupted straight runs. Congested retail floors, racking aisles and frequent turning all reduce achieved output, so build in headroom rather than choosing the theoretical minimum.
Consider two machines instead of one
Large sites with both open floor and congested areas are often better served by a large machine for the main area and a compact machine for tight spaces, rather than one compromise machine.
Common questions
- What if my cleaning window changes seasonally?
- Size for the tightest window you must meet. A machine that only works during quiet periods will cause problems at peak.
Talk it through with someone who knows the machines
Tell us about the floor, the cleaning window and the constraints. We will tell you what suits the site — including when a smaller machine is the better answer.