Is your automatic floor scrubber letting off an odor that’s…unpleasant? While floor scrubbers are extremely valuable pieces of equipment that reduce labor and help your facility look its best, when they aren’t properly maintained, they can emit an odor that’s less than pleasant.

Luckily, this is a relatively common issue and one that’s easy to fix. Look at the solutions below to rid your scrubber of its bad odor!

If your scrubber has white residue in the tank…

White residue is a sign that the cleaning chemicals used in your scrubber were too diluted. This causes a reaction with calcium and magnesium, both hard water ions.

White residue may also be a sign that some chemical residue was left in the tank because of water evaporation.

These films don’t cause odors on their own, but when they form, it is usually at low temperatures, and they are often accompanied by malodorous bacterial biofilms.

If you notice white residue but no smell, treat your tank with a dilute acid solution. If you do notice a scent, treat it with a mild bleach solution. That can take care of the bacteria causing the odor.

If your tank has gummy residue…

Gummy residue in your auto scrubber’s tank is usually a sign that incompatible cleaning chemicals were used, causing cross-contamination. Like white residue, a gummy one doesn’t usually cause an odor but develops alongside bacteria that can cause a bad smell. Clean your filter and treat your tank with a mild bleach solution to get rid of both the odor-causing bacteria and the gummy residue.

Banishing Bad Smells

Even if you don’t see residue, if your tank smells, there’s bacteria present. Use a mild bleach solution to treat the tank, and if the problem persists, contact us today.