There are a lot of floor pad options out there, and the manufacturers want to sell you about a dozen different types. Just google “floor pad chart” and you’ll see what I mean. Certainly, each floor pad may have a niche in mind, but I’d like to share the 4 common floor pad colors I recommend my facilities keep on hand without getting too complicated!
Maroon SPP Pads
These are one of the greatest inventions in floor maintenance history! With an SPP (surface prep pad) and the right orbital scrubber on your side, you can say goodbye to conventional chemical-based floor stripping. Rather than buying your “gator shows” and sliding down the hallways on floor stripper, you can make a few passes behind an orbital scrubber, removing 2-3 layers of floor finish each trip. Check with your local supplier on the best orbital machine available in your market, and how best to use it, but I typically use a red pad as a buffer, with a maroon SPP pad making contact with the floor, fill the machine with water, grab my Sonic drink, and take off. I won’t use chemical stripper again if I can help it!
Black Stripping Pads
Sometimes there is too much floor finish down on the floor, and you might be looking at 10-15 passes, even with the right equipment and SPP pads. In those cases, you’ll want to buy a high-alkaline stripper, dilute to the appropriate level, and agitate using a traditional black floor pad. (NOTE: make sure to pull up your squegee and turn off your vac motor on your floor machine – you don’t want to suck up floor stripper into an expensive floor machine!) Black rectangular doodlebug pads are also common for stripping the edges of a floor that can’t be reached using an orbital machine. Black pads can also be used to clean heavily soiled concrete floors instead of a red pad, if addition scrubbing power/agitation is needed.
Red Scrubbing Pads
For daily cleaning of common floor types (Vinyl tile, linoleum, terrazo, polished concrete, grouted tile, etc.), a red pad is just the right amount of scrubbing power without scratching floors or damaging floor finish. If you are using a red pad with an orbital scrubber, careful not to dial the head pressure up too much; it can virtually remove floor finish as well as a black pad under those conditions! Most schools, churches, arenas and office buildings will be well served to keep a stock of red pads handy for daily cleaning.
White Polishing Pads
If you have a highly shined, well care for wax floor, a white pad might be the best option for you. Less abrasive than a red pad, the white pad still offers some cleaning power, roughly equivalent to a microfiber mop at light pressure. If you are caring for a wooden gym floor or other highly polished surface, the white pad should be your default choice, for optimal cleaning without risk of scratching. Don’t get careless, though – a rock or other debris wedged into the face of a white pad has ruined many a gym floor over the years! Always check your pads for cleanliness before running a floor scrubber, no matter how “light duty” they are.