MECHANICAL CLEANING EQUIPMENTS
Vacuum Cleaners
A vacuum cleaner uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from
floors. Most hotels with carpeted floors possess a vacuum cleaner for cleaning. The dirt is collected
by a filtering system or a cyclone for later disposal.
Vacuum cleaners come in variety of models owing to their usage:
1. Upright vacuum cleaners take the form of a cleaning head, onto which a handle and bag are
attached. Upright designs usually employ a rotating brush-roll, which removes dirt through a
combination of sweeping and vibration. There are two types of upright vacuums; dirty-fan / direct
air, or clean-fan/ indirect air.
2. Canister (or cylinder) designs have the motor and bag in a separate canister unit (usually mounted
on wheels) connected to the vacuum head by a flexible hose. Although upright units have been
shown to be more effective (mainly because of the beaters), the lighter, more manoeuvrable heads
of canister models are popular. Some upmarket canister models have “power heads", which contain
the same sort of mechanical beaters as in upright units, such beaters are driven by a separate
electric motor.
3. Wet vacs or wet / dry vacuums - a specialized form of the canister vacuum - can be used to clean
up wet or liquid spills. They commonly can accommodate both wet and dry soilage. Some are also
equipped with a switch or exhaust port for reversing the airflow, a useful function for everything
from clearing a clogged hose to blowing dust into a corner for easy collection.
4. Back-pack vacs are commonly used for commercial cleaning. They allow the user to move rapidly
about a large area. They are essentially canister vacuum cleaners, except that strap are used to carry
the canister unit on the user's back.
5. Built-in or central vacuum cleaners move the suction motor and bag to a central location in the
building and provide vacuum inlets at strategic places throughout the building: only the hose and
pickup head need be carried from room to room. Plastic piping connects the vacuum outlets to the
central unit. The vacuum head may either be unpowered or have beaters operated by an electric
motor or air-driven motor. The dirt bag in a central vacuum system is usually so large that emptying
or changing needs to be done less often. Since this central unit is usually located outside the living
area, no dust is recirculated back into the room being cleaned. In addition, because of the remote
location of the motor unit, there is less noise in the room being cleaned than with a standard
vacuum cleaner.
6. Robotic vacuum cleaners move autonomously, usually in a mostly chaotic pattern ('random
bounce'). Some come back to a docking station to charge their batteries, and a few are able
to empty their dust containers into the dock as well.
7. Dustette or Small hand-held vacuum cleaners, either battery-operated or mains powered, are also
popular for cleaning up smaller spills.
8. Drum vacuums are used in industrial applications. With such a configuration, a vacuum "head" sits
atop of an industrial drum, using it as the waste or recovery container. Electric and Compressed Air
powered models are common. Compressed air vacuums utilize the venturi effect.
Most vacuum cleaners are supplied with various specialized attachments, tools, brushes and
extension wands to allow them to reach otherwise inaccessible places or to be used for cleaning a
variety of surfaces.
General Purpose floor machines (Scrubbing / Polishing Machines)
Scrubbing/ Polishing Machines consist of one large or several small brushes which revolve and scrub
the floor while water and detergent are released from a tank attached to a machine. With suitable
brushes this versatile machine can be used for shampooing carpets, polishing, spray buffing, spray
cleaning or polishing floors.
Wet extraction systems
Different types are there
Hot Water Extraction
Hot water extraction also known "steam cleaning" is the method of deep rinse cleaning of the entire
carpet. But actual live steam (vapour created at boiling point of water) is not employed in the
cleaning process. Hot water extraction is a deep cleaning process that removes embedded soils that
have been carried or blown over the carpet.
A hot water extraction machine, whether portable or truck mounted, has a pump which dispenses
water, under pressure, through spray nozzles into the carpet and a high-powered vacuum system
that sucks the dirty water into a holding tank within the extraction machine. This system includes a
three-step process:
1. Pre-spray carpeted area with a detergent that is not too strong (or too alkaline). They may
damage the carpet.
2. Agitate with a power scrubber which utilizes a rotary brush to loosen soils. This will not only
loosen soils but help cleaning agents penetrate into carpet fibres to deep clean the entire carpet
fibre.
3. A complete rinse with softened hot water is used. The clean, softened, hot water is sprayed onto
the carpet fibres through spray nozzles. The spray rinses all added chemicals, cleaners, and dirt into
an attached high powered vacuum shoe that sucks the dirty solution back into a holding tank on the
extraction unit. The removed soil is held in the tank until it may be disposed of later in a sanitary
drain, toilet, or proper waste facility. Solutions should not be dumped onto the ground outside, in
storm sewers, or in the streets.
Vacuum cleaners
Vacuum cleaners are the greatest friends of housekeeping cleaning staff. They come with nozzles
and attachments for all types of surfaces. They are used for large carpeted areas. They are quick, less
laborious and prevent dust from spreading elsewhere in the room.
There are many types of vacuum cleaners:
(a) Upright models work on a combined suction and beating process.
There are many kinds of upright vacuum cleaners:
Beater-bar vacuum cleaners agitate carpet piles and loosen dirt;
Brush vacuums agitate carpets glued to the floor;
Pile lifter vacuums have strong suction capacity and a separate brush motor that restores
crushed carpet piles. There are canister models with tanks that are mounted on castors
and some that are held on the operator’s back to reach difficult corners and edges.
(b) Floor models – Cylindrical or spherical vacuum cleaners that operate solely on suction.
A vacuum cleaner must be checked that it is functioning, before use. Here are some tips in the use
of vacuum cleaners.
1. It should move crossways over carpets to ensure that suction draws out the dust. A good
suction can be judged by the pull against the carpet.
2. Straighten the wire connecting to the power socket as coiled wire leads to unmanageable
knots that trip the vacuum cleaner or operator.
3. Pick small sharp objects like pins and needles by hand to prevent damage to the nozzle or
suction tube resulting in ineffective suction.
4. Clean the dust bags of the vacuum cleaner frequently as an empty bag provides greater suction.
The bag may be emptied into a newspaper or paper sack and disposed with the rubbish.
5. Keep all brush attachments free from dust, bits of cotton and hair, picked up in the course of
cleaning.
6. Never use conventional vacuum cleaners to clean wet floors.
A dust Ette is a small, light vacuum cleaner used for cleaning curtains, upholstery and mattresses. It
cleans by brush and suction and is very easy to handle.
Wet Vacuums: This vacuum sucks water from floors or can both suck and spray water to rinse the
soiled area. Squeegee attachments on wet vacuums can make floor clean-up, stripping and
scrubbing more efficient.
Wet vacuums come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Some canister models can be dragged on castors while others can be strapped on the back of the
cleaner (Backpack model). These vacuums have collection tanks that store the water that has been
sucked up from the floors. This equipment can be used on wet carpets as well. Some wet vacuums
may be pushed like a cart and are heavier for large water suction needs off floors.
Wet Extractors: While wet vacuum cleaners have a suction feature, wet extractors have suction
and water injection features. With this, they simultaneously rinse and suck water from the surface.
They are best for both carpets and floors. The basic principle of operation is that the extractor sprays
water and detergent onto the surface and then uses suction to extract the water into tanks built
into the wet extractor. Some machines have agitators before spraying to loosen the dirt from the
carpet. They have other attachments for draperies and upholstery as well.
Wet extractors come in various shapes and sizes. They come in lighter portable tank versions, as
well as the heavy-duty push-cart variety. They can be used for both floors and carpets. Some
extractors can also have a feature for dry pick-up like normal vacuum cleaners.
Rotary Floor Machines or General purpose floor machine
Rotary machines have several applications: shampoo, polish and scrub. They can be used for both
carpets and floors just by the changing an attachment e.g. the bonnet (cover) block can be changed
to brush carpets; pads for spin pad cleaning, mist pad cleaning, bonnet pad shampoos, buffing,
burnishing, scrubbing, stripping and refinishing floors; or brushes to perform dry,foam cleaning, or
brush shampoos. Manufacturers provide a variety of accessories for specific purposes:
Pads for stripping, scrubbing, polishing, burnishing and spray cleaning.
Mechanical scrubbers for large uncarpeted floors after they are washed with water and
detergent.
Scrubbers to clean any sticky grit on floors.
Mechanical polishers for large polished wood or vinyl floors. The floor must be swept clear
of dust and mud marks. Polish is lightly rubbed into the floor surface for the best results.
The machine has a feed-in tray for detergent solutions and tanks for water supply and water
extraction. Rotary machines come at different speeds ranging from less than 175 rpm for carpets
to 1500 rpm for burnishing and buffing of other surfaces.
