All through my years, I have been asked thousands of sweeper and Scrubber related questions. One that has consistently popped up are squeegee questions. So, let’s talk about squeegees.

To understand the squeegee materials and what to use, we have to first understand the floor types. I am going to put a possible type of company with each floor type. Although, I know I’ll get a lot of e-mails.


They are:

#1 Newer, smooth, non-sealed concrete (such as a distribution center)
#2 Newer, smooth, sealed concrete (such as a food warehouse).
#3 Uneven, concrete with abrasive materials such as steel chips to be picked-up. (I’m thinking, a machine shop).
#4 A floor that has a liquid material such as motor oil to be scrubbed up (as in an auto repair shop).

These four floors probably cover 95% of all factor floors in the United State. Now, let’s look at the squeegee blade types.

They are:

#1 Pure Gum Rubber

#2 Linatex Rubber

#3 Neoprene Rubber

#4 Urethane Rubber

Pure Gum Rubber is tan in color. The material is actually a man-made Synthetic. The original word “gum” derives from a gum tree which was used as a base. After World War II the United States started to synthetically manufacture it. It has an average to good wear, however, it has a very short shelf life. Always store in a dark, dry area, as ultra-violet light has an adverse effect on gum rubber.

Linatex is a material which is 98% rubber. Harvested from rubber tree Farms in Maylaysia it is more expensive than gum, but, it has a very good to excellent wear and will not tear or cut. The disadvantage is that it is not oil resistant. When oil is introduced, Linatex soaks up oil as a sponge and will expand to as much as three times the normal size. Also, there are companies that substitute red color gum rubber as Linatex, but don’t be fooled. The Linatex is a bright red, where as red gum is almost maroon in color.

Neoprene is the workhorse of all rubbers in oily and dirty situations. It is also the most cost effective blade for all oil resistant situations. I have always preferred to use Neoprene but make sure the durometer is between 60 – 70. Anything other than that has a tendency of tearing easily.

Urethane is very elastic with a clear appearance. It has a sticky feel to it. The strong characteristic is that it holds up well to oils and rough floor surfaces. It will not cut or tear and it wears excellently. It’s disadvantage is the cost. It is approximately 4 to 5 times more than other rubber.

All the sweeper/scrubber manufacturers use some of these materials but not all. Tennant, for example, does not use neoprene. Nilfish-Advance used Neoprene as a sweeper skiring material, but that’s about it. American Lincoln uses mostly pure gum on their scrubbers, but do offer Linatex. Powerboss, from my understanding, discontinued supplying Linatex.

After 30 years experience, this is my personal chart that I developed:


#1 Floor Linatex if Tennant, Gum for other machines

#2 Floor Gum
#3 Floor Linatex
#4 Floor Neoprene or Urethane

A real quick mention: If tile floors: Use Gum

This topic deserves much more attention, and perhaps in future articles, they will be addressed. If you have any questions about this article or any sweeper/scrubber related problems, e-mail me at mikec98423@yahoo.com