Do you know how to polish floors? The easiest way to polish floors is with a good-quality floor polishing machine. Floor polishing machines are electronically powered and simple to use. The bottom of the polisher is round in shape and is made to rotate in a circular motion while it glides across your floor. The polisher is guided by a handle that you can adjust for a comfortable height.
How To Polish Floors
Before you start polishing your floors, make sure that your floor is free from grit and soil. Using a floor polisher when a floor has small grit on it can scratch your floor. To start, remove as much furniture as you can from the area you are going to clean and polish. After you have moved as much furniture as possible, the next step in polishing your floors is to vacuum or sweep the floor. Using a dust mop will ensure that any remaining grit will be removed..
After sweeping the floor you need to clean any soil that has accumulated on your floor with a mild cleaner. Here is a few suggestions for cleaning your floor before you polish it.
Cleaning Your Floor
Ceramic tile floor: Damp mop your floor with a mix 1 cup of white vinegar with a gallon of water. After cleaning, rinse the entire area with clear water to remove any cleaning solution residue.
Laminate floor: Mix 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar in 1 gallon of water. If a vegetable oil polish has ever been used on the floor, double the amount of vinegar. When cleaning laminate floors, it is best to put your cleaning solution in a spray bottle. Clean your laminate floor by spraying cleaner sparingly on your floor and then using a dry mop or rag to wipe clean. Be careful, laminate flooring can expand when it comes in contact with excessive water. After a spray cleaning your laminate floor, a clean cloth should be used to wipe the floor dry.
Hardwood floor: use a wood-cleaning product diluted according to the label instructions. Saturate a sponge or rag mop in the water, then wring it almost dry so it feels only slightly damp to the touch. Damp-mop the floor, being careful to prevent standing water on the floor. Rinse with a clean mop dampened in clear water, but only if the cleaning product requires it. Wipe up excess liquid because standing water can damage wood surfaces.
Concrete floor: Fill bucket with about 1 gallon of warm water and a small amount of mild cleaner or dish soap. DO NOT use ammonia or vinegar as these may damage the finish! Dip wet mop in cleaning solution and wring out. Mop floor in small sections, rinsing and wringing the mop frequently. Refill bucket with clean warm water and mop again to rinse away any remaining soap residue (again work in small sections, rinsing mop frequently).
Ready, Set, Go!
After cleaning your floor to get rid of any grit and dirt, you are ready to polish your floor using a floor polishing machine. Ceramic tile floors do not need wax or other substances to shine. For laminate floors, wood floors, and concrete floors, use the manufacturers instructions for the correct product to use for polishing and sealing your floors. Make sure that you have a polishing pad to use with your floor polisher.
Preparing Your Floor Polisher
- Tilt the floor polisher back.
- Align the lugs with the corresponding slots in pad holder counterclockwise to lock it in place.
- Adjust the handle to a comfortable position. Locate the operators handle on or near your upper thigh.
- Maintaining balance is key for smooth operation.
Using Your Floor Polisher
- To control direction of the floor polishing machine, gently lift up on the handle and machine will move to the right.
- Conversely, to make the floor polishing machine move to the left, simply lower the handle or gently push down, this will make the machine move in the opposite direction.
- Hint: remember “raise right” and “lower left”
After your floors are polished to a bright shine, remove the polishing pad by giving it a quick, hard turn clockwise.
Are you ready to polish your floors? You can rent one of our floor polishers in 13 inch, 15 inch, or 20 inch sizes. Ask our Northside Tool Rentals equipment experts about renting your next floor polisher.