Suppliers of mops and buckets would argue that mops are smaller and more controllable plus they are quiet and potentially require less training and are quick and easy to set up for cleaning spillages as well as being much less expensive.?To be fair, there is also an increasing variety of types to choose from aside from the humble mop and bucket, ranging from micro-fibre gliding cloths and mop heads as well as buckets fitted with all sorts of different wringing mechanisms.??
- Cost considerations?– The mop may be cheaper to buy on the outset but is it really an economical solution??Labour is the largest part of the cleaning budget and the time it may take a cleaner to mop clean a floor may well be less economical than the time it would take for a machine to complete it.? Mopping is quite often more labour intensive, particularly on larger areas and although the machine may be a sizeable outlay, over time the cost will outweigh the time and money saved in labour.?
- Hygienic solutions?– A mopping solution can be extremely effective and hygienic if used and cleaned correctly after each use.?Sadly over the years, we have seen many mops being used time and time again where the same dirty water is being swilled about over the floor, from one room to another.? Remember, if mop heads are not regularly changed or cleaned before each use, whatever germ is picked up in the mop fibres will be transferred to the next floor.?The difference is most floor cleaning machines have inbuilt dirty and clean water tanks where never the twain shall meet.
- Hazards?– We all know that wet floors, left wet can create slip hazards.??“Slips and trips are the most common cause of major injuries at work.?They occur in almost all workplaces and 95% of major slips result in broken bones.?Slips and trip injuries cost employers over ￡500m per year.”?(source: www.hse.gov.uk).? I think it’s fair to say that machines tend to leave a floor dryer than most standard mopping solutions and so could potentially save on insurance claims.
- Floor cleaning area?–?cleaning machines prove their worth when used in large or frequently dirty areas (high traffic areas or washrooms etc).?It’s far easier and quicker for a machine to work a large area or an area that requires deeper cleaning than it is for a cleaner to do - seems we've reverted back to the time, effort and labour cost argument again!
- Infection Control?–?A mop and bucket solution when used and cleaned or discarded correctly and efficiently can be the most suitable and appropriate solution for infection prevention.? Let's face it, we've all used many a mop and bucket and seen great results afterwards! Plus, if you use a colour coded system for your cleaning materials (mops, buckets, cloths etc.) for different areas, then infection control could be a relatively cheap and achievable task. Remember, if red is allocated for washrooms and green is for kitchen or food areas, they must never get mixed up!?
- Set up time?– Definitely a quick and easy set up piece of kit for any spillage, with no waiting around for the machine to be located or a suitably trained operative free to use it.
- Floor cleaning area?– If a cleaner is only given a small area to clean, the cost of a machine is more than likely not worthwhile - a good case where mop and bucket is mightier than the machine!
So, mop & bucket or machine?
The answer to the question therefore is not standalone or simple, it's very much dependent upon the type and size of the floor that needs cleaning and the most cost-effective solution for the clean.
Quite simply, mop, bucket and machine can exist in cleaning cupboard harmony together.
