Cylindrical or Rotary? That Is the Question

Author: Robert Kravitz

In several cases, cleaning professionals in Europe and other parts of

the world incorporated new cleaning technologies, products, and

equipment years before they became popular in the United States.

For instance, microfiber cleaning cloths and mops have been used

in Europe for more than 20 years. It has been only in the past few

years that they have become commonplace in this country.

The same applies to cylindrical brush technology. Cylindrical floor

machines—which have roller brushes on each end, as compared to

traditional rotary buffers with a single rotary disk—have been used

in Europe for about 20 years.

They were developed to tackle a very specific problem: many

buildings in Europe are centuries old, and because of this their

floors are often uneven or sloped after so much use. Additionally,

many of the floors in these old buildings are made of stone, marble,

and similar materials rather than the smooth surface tile or

linoleum that are common in this country.

However, just like the microfiber example mentioned earlier, cylindrical

floor machines have generated a growing interest and following

in the United States, and a few U.S. manufacturers are now

producing them. The following evaluation should help cleaning

professionals better understand how cylindrical and rotary systems

differ and which might better fit their needs. It may also

answer a few questions and help clarify some of the features and

benefits cylindrical brush technology offers.

Traditional rotary buffers use pads and rotate horizontally, from

side to side, at approximately 175 to 300 revolutions per minute

(rpm). Cylindrical machines have brushes and are multidirectional—

they can be maneuvered side to side; forward and backward—

at 1,000 to 1,400 rpm.

Some floor care experts suggest using the slower rotary machine

when performing restoration work on stone-type floors. However,

for more common floor care tasks, such as polishing, scrubbing, or

stripping, the cylindrical machine has greater contact pressure on

the floor. This along with its higher rpm can enhance cleaning

results.

The pads on rotary machines have a tendency to “throw” cleaning

solution on baseboards and walls. Additionally, because they are

round, it is hard to line them up against the wall for edge cleaning.

Because of this, some floor care technicians find it better to do

“edge work” by hand instead of with the machine. Cylindrical

machines have contra-rotating rollers that rotate inward, so splashing

solution against walls or baseboards is not a problem. In addition,

because the machines have a square base and not round like

a traditional rotary machine, they can line up directly against baseboards

to facilitate edge and corner cleaning.

With a rotary machine, the cleaning solution may be unevenly distributed

because of the brushes’ horizontal rotation. To rectify this,

floor care technicians need to make several passes over the same

floor area to evenly apply the solution.

With a cylindri cal machine, a film of cleaning solution fo rm s

between the two parallel rollers.This allows the machine to better

penetrate the floor with detergent, apply it more evenly to the

floor, and improve productivity.

For the most part, both types of machines can produce excellent

results on smooth floors such as linoleum and most tiles. However,

with structured floors, such as rubber-studded floors and uneven

or stone floors, cy l i n d ri cal te c h n o l ogy may prod u ce supe ri o r

results. This is because of the brushes these machines use, which

have greater penetrating capabilities.

For polishing a finished floor, the rotary disk machines appear to be

the better choice. Both systems will produce a high shine, but

when using soft polishing pads with a single-disk machine, the

results tend to be a deeper shine.

Overall, cylindrical machines are more versatile than traditional

rotary machines. And, because they apply cleaning solution more

effectively with higher rpm and contact pressure, they are apt to be

more economical as well.However, the best evaluation comes from

testing these machines yourself—under “re a l - l i fe” co n d i t i o n s.

Ultimately, trying each system in your own personal work environment

will help you determine which machine is best for you. Go to http://www.advantagecleaningteam.com/ or http://www.janiservu.com/

Robert Kravitz is a former building service contractor and now a

writer and co m m u n i cations pro fessional for the cleaning and

buildings industries.