5 Benefits of Preventive Maintenance for Janitorial Equipment

June 24, 2022

An essential part of being able to clean and maintain your facility is keeping your janitorial equipment in working condition.

Not only will your cleaning staff need to perform basic maintenance procedures before and after each use, but your machine will need more thorough periodic maintenance to keep it up and running.

This additional maintenance is referred to as “preventive maintenance.”

Preventive maintenance is an important component of making sure that your equipment doesn’t experience long downtimes and that your cleaning staff has access to the machines they need to complete tasks in your facility.

In this article, we’ll tell you why janitorial preventive maintenance is an important part of keeping your equipment up and running to save your facility time and money.

5 Benefits Of Preventive Maintenance

When performed routinely, janitorial preventive maintenance will avert unexpected downtime caused by broken and out-of-service equipment along with other issues like increased cleaning times, lower productivity, and higher costs.

Most frustratingly, equipment always seems to break at the wrong times. Like when you are trying to get ready for the first day of school, open up the office, or get ready for the lunch rush.

You may not think you need preventive maintenance because your equipment is in working order, but these maintenance procedures are meant to prevent breakdowns and extend the life of your machines.

It’s also common to avoid preventive maintenance because it’s an additional cost for your business, but when performed properly, it can save your business money on labor, repairs, and time in the long run.

Preventive Maintenance can provide your business with 5 main benefits:

Cost Savings
Time Savings
Increased Occupant Health and Safety
Longer Asset Life
Less Equipment Downtime

1. Cost Savings

The greatest benefit of preventative maintenance is a lower cost of labor and money saved on expensive machine repairs.

Machines that aren’t properly maintained can break down more often because the parts are not serviced regularly and become worn during regular use.

Preventive maintenance can help your business reduce how much it spends on repairs by catching and fixing issues before an extensive repair is needed.

For example, if you are not checking the batteries on your floor machine, you may cause your batteries to have a shortened life and require replacement.

If your staff or chosen service center is able to maintain your machine before a part breaks or needs to be replaced, you can reduce the cost of getting your machine back up and running and eliminate the risk of the machine breaking down mid-cleaning procedure.

You can also save on labor costs with commercial preventive maintenance. When equipment breaks it will take your staff more time to complete cleaning tasks in your facility.

With labor being the most expensive resource, it’s imperative to ensure equipment is in working order especially when some equipment can boost productivity by up to 230%.

2. Time Savings

Equipment often breaks at the most inconvenient times. When your janitorial cleaning machines break, your staff will have to spend more time cleaning, leading to reduced productivity and higher labor costs for your business.

This is due to the need for using older, less efficient cleaning tools or methods while waiting for your broken equipment to be repaired.

Janitorial preventive maintenance will keep your equipment in working condition without disruption. It also greatly reduces the chance of needing reworks due to poor cleaning results from malfunctioning or poorly taken care of equipment.

For example, floor machines that are not maintained after use can lead to wobbly machines, causing floor scratches or scuffs and uneven cleaning.

Incorrectly maintained floor machines can also lead to damage to other parts of your equipment, like the pad driver.

Regular maintenance can help catch any worn parts so that they can be replaced before they cause an issue for your janitorial team.

When your staff can work uninterrupted, they can get more done.

3. Increased Occupant Health and Safety

If a part of your machine is broken, worn, or dirty, you may not be able to get the best clean possible.

Equipment operating in poor condition will leave behind dirt, debris, and bacteria that would normally be removed.

For example, a commercial floor scrubber with a malfunctioning recovery system may not be picking up enough slurry from your floors. If the people in your building walk on your floors thinking they’re dry, there’s an increased risk that they will slip on the wet floor.

Not only is this unsafe and a hazard for guests, but this will also affect the appearance of your floors.

Another important consideration is the health and safety of your staff.

On some floor maintenance equipment, floor pads are used to complete cleaning tasks and should be checked periodically to make sure they aren’t damaged or worn. If your staff attempts to complete cleaning with a damaged or extremely worn floor pad, it may fly off of the machine and put the people in your building at risk of injury.

4. Longer Asset Life

Every piece of equipment has an average life span or amount of time it’s expected to last before needing replacement.

Preventive maintenance can help extend the life of your equipment and keep it up and running for longer.

It’s normal for your equipment to have wear and tear from daily use around your facility, but a regular maintenance schedule will keep your equipment in good shape, extending the overall life of your equipment.

For example, a full flush of the solution and recovery system on an auto scrubber is needed to help you identify any leaks or loosened connections in the machine.

A full system flush is also important to help remove and loosen any built-up residue in the machine. Chemical residue left in a solution tank can clog the solution lines and cause the failure of internal valves and pumps.

If not performed at least once a month, hoses can be affected and dramatically lower the overall lifespan of your machine in turn costing you more money.

5. Less Equipment Downtime

A majority of equipment breakdowns are caused by preventable issues when caught early on.

Commercial preventive maintenance addresses potential issues before they cause your machine to break or go out of working order. Extensive issues can be avoided so you don’t have to wait for parts and repairs for your machines.

For example, a floor buffer will need lubricant to be applied to all of the pivot points and assembly parts that may become dry and hard to rotate. Without proper lubrication, the machine may start to squeak and grind. If ignored, this can cause damage to the axle or frame of the machine.

Failing to lubricate the joints of the machine can lead to out-of-service equipment. In today’s market, the parts needed to repair the machine could take weeks to months to arrive so you can get your machine back in running condition.

Scheduling maintenance when it’s most convenient as opposed to waiting for unexpected breakdowns will help reduce the amount of time your equipment spends out of service.

Final Thoughts

Preventive maintenance is a key step to making sure that your cleaning staff can clean and maintain your facility to the best of their ability.

Some tasks are easy and can be performed by your janitorial team, like charging a dead battery, but others may require maintenance to be done by a service professional, like replacing a power cord.

Imperial Dade has service centers across the country that can send out a licensed technician to your facility to perform the preventive maintenance services your machines need to keep them running.

If you’re located in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, or the Caribbean reach out to an Imperial Dade specialist today to schedule janitorial preventive maintenance for your janitorial equipment.