Does Using An Orbital Scrubber Make A Difference?

Education facility managers and administrators struggle to balance limited operational budgets and a need to maintain clean and healthy schools for their students and faculty.

Subject to continuous foot traffic, school floors become soiled quickly and that dirt is tracked throughout the building. Soiled floors not only detract from the overall aesthetics of the facility, but slick dirt and grime can cause slip and fall hazards while dust and allergens adversely impact indoor air quality (IAQ).

Numerous studies have identified poor IAQ as a key contributor to the development of asthma in young people and the spread of other illnesses among students and faculty. These illnesses lead to increased absenteeism, which is directly linked to poorer classroom performance.

Orbital scrubbers allow maintenance teams to maintain a high level of cleanliness with minimal chemical and water usage. By actively removing dirt and grime, as well as the chemical residue that attracts dirt, orbital scrubbers help maintenance staff to keep the school healthier. The introduction of orbital scrubbers has allowed school districts across the country to maximize operational resources, enhance the learning environment while continuing to achieve a high level of appearance that meets the expectations of parents and staff.

While orbital scrubbers achieve a high level of performance for daily scrubbing, these machines also offer the flexibility to be used for deep scrubbing and chemical-free floor finish removal. Traditionally, the deep scrub and recoat process required many hours of labor, multiple machines and harsh chemicals. Orbital scrubbers allow schools to perform this operation with water only — no chemicals — helping schools to enjoy significant budget savings while introducing fewer chemicals in to their facilities.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Scott Keller is a market manager for Nilfisk, Inc. (www.advance-us.com, www.clarkeus.com). He can be reached at 763/745-3824.

Featured

  • Compton High School

    Compton High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Compton High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.