Floor Scrubber Cost - Understand Your Investment
For anyone beginning their research into purchasing a floor scrubber machine, understanding the costs is one of the first (and most important) considerations in the buying process. Aligning a certain budget with the current marketplace will help businesses, purchasing officers and contract cleaners make the right decision.
Usually, the primary purpose of investing in a floor scrubber is to help save costs in other business areas, particularly labour expenses. Using a floor scrubber will also significantly improve the results and productivity of the target application. When estimating the price of a floor scrubber, it is important to ensure the initial and ongoing expenses balance the long-term cleaning benefits.
There are several factors to consider when comparing floor scrubber prices in the market. Here is a guide on how much a customer could expect to spend on a floor scrubber machine in 2024.
Purchase Considerations
Like any plant purchase, the price a business or individual will pay for a floor scrubber will entirely depend on the needs of the application. Customers are spoilt for choice between a range of equipment brands whereby a sales representative can shortlist which model will effectively achieve the desired cleaning outcomes.
Initial Costs
Purchasing any floor scrubber outright will incur an initial capital cost. The most influential elements that will impact the cost of a floor scrubber are:
The configuration (walk-behind or ride-on, disc or cylindrical, single or dual disc)
The type of accessories fitted (i.e, fast batteries vs standard batteries, overhead guards, spray guns etc)
Warranty offers
The size of the area desired to be cleaned (cleaning path width)
The floor material type (tiles, cement, epoxy etc).
Dirt volume
The brand of the equipment.
For a standard, compact walk-behind floor scrubber, the starting cost is usually from $5,000 to $12,000 depending on the influences of brand, size, power type and accessories. This figure moves into $20,000 through to $80,000 for the most heavy-duty ride-on industrial solutions available.*
Why is there such a big price variance?
Most floor scrubber prices are custom quotes due to the differences between each customer application type. Quotations are usually raised after completing a site survey by a sales representative who would have inspected the site and recorded the requirements.
A floor scrubber designed to clean areas of 1,000 square meters and above will demand a higher price point (due to the size of the equipment) and floor scrubbers fitted with a touch-screen operating system compared to a membrane panel will also come at a higher price point (the more 'bells and whistles' add the price up)!
Additionally, if a customer is cleaning highly soiled industrial premises, abrasive scrubbing brush accessories may be required instead of standard polypropylene brushes to scrub the higher volumes of dirt in a reasonable amount of time.
Keep in mind, that there are also some ‘cheap and nasty’ options potential buyers should steer away from. Why? Because the lifecycle and performance of this equipment is low, and operators will spend more money in the long-term replacing the equipment!
Suppose a customer is budget-conscious and is trying to avoid the bottom of the market range, Viper equipment is a fantastic brand still suitable for commercial cleaning applications at a more conservative price.
Premium brands, such as Tennant, Nilfisk and i-team ANZ fetch a higher price, but the quality, innovation, and market reputation demand a higher price point.
*The above floor scrubber prices are general in nature and do not indicate custom pricing featured in individual quotes.
Ongoing Costs
There are three main ongoing costs for a floor scrubber:
Consumable expenses
Preventative maintenance expenses
Corrective repair expenses
Consumable expenses are the components that wear down over time and eventually need replacing. Floor scrubbing brushes, scrubbing pads and squeegee rubbers are some examples. The frequency of when these need replacing will depend on the application. The user manual usually provides some guidance on how to determine this. It is always recommended to buy a spare set of brushes, pads and/or squeegee rubbers to avoid downtime delays. Over time, it will become easier for customers to forecast the cost frequency of consumables based on their usage.
Preventive maintenance expenses are those incurred from routine service bookings designed to check the overall machine's health and to prevent any critical (and expensive) problems from developing. These costs are primarily the travel, labour and part components.
Corrective repair costs, costs from technical issues, are often avoidable by implementing proper use and care methods and by completing preventative maintenance services.
Total Cost of Ownership
Based on the above factors, businesses will be able to estimate the total cost of ownership for their floor scrubber to help forecast costs and savings year-on-year. For contract cleaners, this is especially useful to compare revenue against costs to measure return on investment. For businesses that clean in-house, accurate recording of expenses can help develop more efficient operations strategies to allow staff to focus more on their core tasks.
Ways to Save on Floor Scrubber Price
1. Time your purchase with special discount promotions
One of the easiest ways to save money is to time a purchase during a promotional period such as EOFY or Black Friday. Ask your Sales Representative about current offers to get the most bang for buck! Businesses may also use the opportunity to spend the same budget but on a premium unit that may not have been considered before, gaining extra investment value.
2. Consider the second-hand market
Cleaning equipment dealers like Capital Equipment Hire also sell excellent second hand units for customers looking for a cheaper alternative without sacrificing the performance. Consider your needs and use cases, you may find a second hand machine that will suit all of your needs without the need of brand new equipment.
3. Consider floor scrubber hire
There are many benefits to renting vs buying a floor scrubber if the capital cost of purchasing is too much, which still provides businesses access to quality equipment. Signing up to a weekly, monthly or yearly agreement also includes the cost of consumables, giving customers peace of mind of a single fee billed monthly. Keep in mind, any replacement parts will still incur a separate cost.
Capital Equipment’s floor scrubber hire range can be found here.
4. Only buy when you have the time to do proper research
We often see poor purchase decisions made when not enough research is done by the customer. Are you too busy to be looking at a floor scrubber right now? Then wait until you have enough time to review your options, complete a site inspection and machine demonstration. In general, it shouldn’t take an extensive amount of time to make a decision, however, giving it the time it needs at the start will increase your chances of making the right investment choice.
5. Consider alternate payment methods
There are many ways to acquire a floor scrubber through different payment methods best suited to your business. Capital Equipment Hire is a Merchant of Zip Pay and can also help customers acquire financing through other partners. Please note, we are not financial advisors and can only connect clients to partners.
6. Take good care of your floor scrubber
One of the easiest ways to reduce ongoing costs is to simply take good care of the unit. This, combined with consistently committing to preventative maintenance services will ensure the machine is well maintained and monitored for critical problems or breakdowns. The cost of repairs is far more than the cost of preventative servicing!
Seek Professional Advice Before Making a Decision
The cost of purchasing a floor scrubber is well worth the investment for future operation success. Whether it is a contract cleaner or an independent business, there is a floor scrubber solution suitable for the application requirement.
The most effective way to select the right model for your application is to book a site survey and machine demonstration through Capital Equipment Hire.