Five floor pad dont’s

Errol Goldberg managing director of Glomesh NZ share's a few simple rules for floor pads that can make a big difference.

It is a fair assumption that any pad user would want to get maximum life and productivity out of their floor pads. Following a few simple rules can make a big difference, as Errol Goldberg managing director of Glomesh NZ, points out.

DON’T use a pad that does not fit the machine. If a pad is used that is too large and protrudes beyond the skirt of the machine, then the edge of the pad becomes the bumper, hits up against skirtings or furniture and tears.

On the other hand, if the pad is too small there is a considerable loss of productivity. For example, using a 400mm pad on a machine that should use a 425mm pad makes a startling difference to productivity. What a 400mm pad will do in 60 minutes a 425mm pad will do in 53 minutes, a saving of almost 12 per cent in labour time – for a pad just 25mm larger.

DON’T leave the pad under a machine stored upright. The weight of the machine constantly on the pad will crush the pad and destroy its memory thereby losing its flexibility and efficiency.

DON’T use one side of the pad only and constantly. Both sides of a pad should be used. The rule of thumb is that one side should be used for an hour, the pad turned and the other side used for an hour and the pad then replaced with a second pad.

DON’T leave pads unwashed at the end of the shift. Assuming a four hour shift on a machine, two pads will have been used on that machine in that time. Carry a garbage bag. When the first pad has been used on both sides, pop it into the bag and tie before attaching the second pad to the machine.

When that pad has been used on both sides take both pads to the sluice and wash out. Leaving until the next day allows the polish that is adhering to the pad to harden and become hard to remove. A five minute wash can add considerable life and efficiency to a pad.

DON’T buy a pad just because it is cheap. A cheap pad could well be made of inferior, sub-standard fibres of lighter denier than necessary, could be surface coated with lots of abrasive (the cheapest element in the pad) to disguise the poor fibres which are supposed to be the workhorse of the pad. And it is impossible to tell by the look or feel what quality of binder has been used to glue the fibres together. A cheap pad using a cheap binder will have a far shorter life.

 This first appeared in the August issue of INCLEAN NZ 

www.glomesh.co.nz

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