Floor Cleaning 101: How to Choose the Right Floor Scrubber Brush

07 Jul.,2025

 

Floor Cleaning 101: How to Choose the Right Floor Scrubber Brush

All automatic floor scrubbers have the capability to use scrub brushes, but how do you know which scrub brush is right for your machine and your floors? Check out this helpful guide to learn about the various types of scrub brushes and their intended purposes and floor applications.

With competitive price and timely delivery, FUYI BRUSH sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

First, let’s start with the basic differences between scrub decks, brushes, and brush materials.

Difference Between Disc and Cylindrical Scrub Decks & Brushes:

Disc

  • Most common type of scrub deck on walk-behind scrubbers
  • Accommodates either scrub brushes or pads
  • Easy to change out brushes/pads
  • Cheaper, easier to maintain, and last longer than cylindrical
  • Strong down pressure allows for easy removal of scuff marks
  • Debris must be swept prior to using to prevent components from getting clogged

Cylindrical

  • Good for cleaning textured floors and getting into cracks and crevices
  • Aside from clearing large debris, floors do not need to be swept prior to using
  • Does not accommodate pads, only brushes
  • More expensive and harder to maintain than disc

Types of Floor Scrubber Brushes:

Wire

  • Most aggressive brush material
  • Works best for stripping and scraping heavily soiled floors
  • Most commonly used on rough concrete

Carbide Grit (46 grit - 500 grit)

  • Nylon bristles impregnated with silicon carbide
  • Grit sizes ranging from stripping to scrubbing to polishing capabilities
  • Similar to sandpaper, the lower the grit, the more aggressive the brush is
  • See our chart for the range of grit sizes and their ideal applications

Polypropylene (poly)

  • Durable general purpose scrubbing brush
  • Shorter life than Nylon but is typically cheaper
  • Typically has both stiff and soft options
    • Stiffer polypropylene brushes are best used on concrete and coated floors
    • Softer polypropylene brushes are best used on finished floors

Nylon

  • Softest bristles
  • General purpose scrubbing brush
  • Longest lasting bristle life
  • Best used on floors you don’t want to scratch
  • Typically has both stiff and soft options
    • Stiffer nylon brushes work great on tile, terrazzo, and other coated floors
    • Softer nylon brushes work great on decorative tile and softer finished floors

Choosing the Right Scrub Brush:

The type of scrub brush you need will depend on the style of scrub deck your unit has, the type of floor it will be used on, the intended purpose of use (stripping, scrubbing, or polishing) and what kind of substances you will be removing from the floor.

Please note that the color of your scrub brush is irrelevant. The color of the bristles varies between manufacturers and does not universally indicate aggressiveness or intended application, so this should not be used as a guide for purchasing replacements.

What floor scrubber brush should I use to clean rough concrete?

Wire brushes are the most durable option for cleaning rough concrete with a floor scrubber

What is the best floor scrubber brush for heavy-duty stripping or aggressive scrubbing?

We recommend using 46-grit and 80-grit scrub brushes for heavy-duty stripping or aggressive scrubbing using a floor scrubber on terrazzo, linoleum, vinyl, ceramic tile, and concrete floors.

Pad alternatives: Super black, black, or brown

What is the best floor scrubber brush for general scrubbing purposes?

We recommend using a 120-grit and 180-grit scrub brush for general scrubbing purposes on linoleum, vinyl, resilient, ceramic tile, anti-slip finish, terrazzo, concrete tile, raised rubber tile, and concrete floors.

Pad alternatives: Green or blue

What is the best floor scrubber brush for medium to light scrubbing?

For medium or light scrubbing purposes, we recommend using 180-grit, 240-grit, or 500-grit brushes on linoleum, vinyl, resilient, ceramic tile, anti-slip finish, terrazzo, concrete tile, and concrete floors.

Pad alternatives: Blue, red, or white

What is the best floor scrubber brush for gentle or soft scrubbing?

We recommend 500-grit, polypropylene, or nylon brushes for gentle or soft scrubbing purposes on linoleum, vinyl, resilient, polyolefin, ceramic tile, anti-slip finish, terracotta, terrazzo, concrete tile, marble, granite, epoxy floor, raised rubber tile, and concrete floors, as well as for carpet scrubbing.

Pad alternatives: Red, White, Yellow Black Diamond, or Green Black Diamond

What is the best floor scrubber brush for floor polishing?

If you want to use a brush instead of a pad to polish your floor with your floor scrubber, we recommend using a 500-grit scrub brush on linoleum, vinyl, resilient, ceramic tile, anti-slip finish, terrazzo, marble, and raised rubber tile.

Pad alternatives: White

For more Disc Brushinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

Can I use a more aggressive brush on my floor?

If the brush you are using does not seem to be effectively cleaning your floors, it might be time for you to switch to a more aggressive brush. We recommend following our brush guide as a reference and increasing the aggressiveness by one level at a time. You should always test new brushes on an inconspicuous part of your floor first to ensure that it is not damaging.

To determine which scrub brush you should purchase for your machine to meet your specific floor care needs, please refer to our buying guide below or call us at (888) 834-.

When Do I Need to Replace Scrub Brushes?

How often you need to replace scrub brushes will vary by frequency of use, type of floor, and the amount and type of soil being removed from the floor.

Disc brushes typically have a wear indicator which will help you determine when it should be replaced. Cylindrical brushes should be replaced after the bristles are worn to no less than ½ inch. It is important to be mindful of the length of your brushes at all times to maintain cleaning efficiency and avoid damaging your floors.

When in doubt, a good rule of thumb is that you should replace your disc or cylindrical brushes when they are more than halfway worn. If you are unable to determine how worn your brushes are, feel free to give us a call so we can provide you with the measurements for your brush.


Click here to download our comprehensive buying guide for brushes, brooms, and pads:

Questions?

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Floor scrubber brushes: the complete guide with tips for flawless floors

Floor cleaning can be a challenge, but if you choose the right brushes for your floor scrubber, you can get flawless floors with ease. In this article, we will explore all the information you need to know about floor scrubber brushes. We will see the different types of brushes available on the market, we will explore their applications, and we will give you some useful tips for choosing the right brush and achieving effective cleaning. If you are looking to improve floor cleaning, whether in industrial or commercial environments, you are in the right place. Continue reading the post to find out how these brushes can make a difference in the performance of your scrubbing machine and therefore in your cleaning routine.

Floor scrubbers brush base type

Before exploring the details of the brushes, it is essential to understand the different brush bases types, as the brushes change based on the type of base. Floor scrubbers can have three types of brush base:

  1. Disc, also called disk deck, which is the most common and is usually made up of one, two or more disc brushes. As we will see later, scrubber dryers with disc bases can be equipped with a pad holder to work with the pads.
  2. Cylindrical, also called sweeping deck, designed to collect small solid debris and normally composed of one or two cylindrical brushes.
  3. Orbital, composed of a washing head with pad which performs a micro-vibrational movement to work, also called micro orbital movement.

How is a floor scrubber brush made?

The brush is an object with multiple uses: in fact it is used for personal hygiene, in the professional and also industrial field. Specifically, the floor scrubber brush is composed of bristles made from different materials which are fixed to a polypropylene base, called a support disc, shaft or body. The solidity of the disc defines the reliability of the brush itself as it is the part that must not deform, while the material of the bristles determines the quality of the cleaning result.

Disc and cylindrical brushes

Disc brushes for floor scrubbers, as the name suggests, have a flat disc shape. They are effective for removing light and especially adhering dirt. While the cylindrical or roller brushes for scrubbing machines allow you to wash and collect small solid debris in a single pass. In both cases, floor scrubber brushes should be chosen based on the material of the bristles:

  • Natural fibre
  • Polypropylene (PPL)
  • Nylon (PA)
  • Abrasive
  • Steel

Natural fibre

Natural fibre brushes are also called union mix. They are a composite of natural fibers such as Bassine, Tampico and Palmyra. The disc ones are perfect for polishing and washing delicate surfaces such as marble, granite, porphyry, cotto tiles and carpet. While cylindrical natural fiber brushes are used to work in the presence of very fine dust and on smooth surfaces with small debris. They have a shorter life than nylon or PPL brushes and must be used with non-aggressive detergents. They are therefore not suitable for cleaning heavy dirt, but are excellent for maintenance cleaning.

Polypropylene (PPL)

Nylon (PA)

Abrasive

Steel

Floor pads for floor scrubbers

Tips for optimizing the performance of your floor scrubber brushes

We have seen that the floor scrubber brushes must be chosen based on the type of floor and the type of result you want. In fact, you can have the best scrubber dryer but if you don’t use the right brushes, the cleaning result can be poor, and you can even risk ruining the floor. Here you have some tips to help you optimize the performance of the brushes and therefore also of your floor scrubber:

  • Regularly check for wear. Some brushes are equipped with a special indicator to understand when it is time to replace them. A brush in excellent condition guarantees optimal performance. If the bristles are too worn, in fact, they are not flexible and cannot remove dirt effectively.
  • Clean the brushes. Dirt can get stuck in the bristles, compromising their effectiveness. Furthermore, if you use the floor scrubber in multiple environments, cleaning the brushes allows you to reduce the possibility of cross-contamination.
  • When scrubbing, be careful and first remove any materials that can get stuck in the brushes, especially the cylindrical ones where cords, string or pieces of packaging could get caught.

In conclusion, the choice of the type of the floor scrubber brush depends on the type of floor you want to clean and your specific needs. Disc brushes, cylindrical brushes and floor pads offer unique benefits. Choose the one that best suits your needs and follow the best practices to always obtain flawless floors with minimal effort. If you have any questions or need further advice on how to keep your floors shiny and clean, do not hesitate to contact us, a worldwide network of Comac authorized distributors is at your complete disposal.

Are you interested in learning more about End Brush? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!