Janitorial Brush Buying Guide

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Nothing ruins a dining out experience like messy floors, dusty windows, and dirty bathrooms. When the restaurant, café, or bar is not clean, you start to question the management, the service, and ultimately the food. If that happens, the restaurant starts losing money. Taking the time to clean properly will prevent those issues and keep customers coming back for more. Good sanitation begins with proper cleaning tools and the most important tool is the brush. This guide provides the basics of janitorial cleaning brushes to ensure your business stays in tip-top shape.

The Essentials

There is a lot more to brushes than meets the eye. There are dozens of different types of brushes, each type has a specific use, and there are different bristles for every type of job. That’s a lot to take in! The easiest place to start is a list of the basic janitorial brushes every foodservice operation needs:

Brush Type	Use
Duster	For use on all surfaces to remove dust particles and boost visual appeal
Floor and wall brush	For use on non-carpet floors and walls to remove grease and grime before mopping
Grout brush	For use on tile floors to clear heavy dirt and grime from between tiles
Hand and nail brush	Placed next to a stainless steel sink to promote proper hygiene when washing hands
Push broom	For clearing floors of dirt and dust before scrubbing and mopping
Toilet brush	Placed in restrooms next to the toilet to promote frequent and thorough cleaning and sanitation

Bristle Types

There are different bristles available for different jobs. When selecting a bristle type, you'll want to keep in mind several factors, including recovery strength and softness. Recovery strength refers to a bristle's ability to retain its original shape and rigidity, even after consistent use. Bristles with good recovery strength will have a longer useful life and not break or splay out from the center of the brush. Bristle softness is a measure of how coarse bristles are to the touch. Soft bristles are ideal for delicate surfaces you wish to protect from scratches, while hard bristles are useful for cutting through tough grease and grime.

It can be overwhelming, but understanding the bristle types and their typical applications will make your decision easier and ensure that you are purchasing the proper brush for any job.

Bristle Type	Applications	Bristle Softness
Animal hair bristles	Floor sweeps; dusters; brushes for gentle cleaning	Very Soft
Synthetic bristles	Floor sweeps; toilet brushes; floor scrubbers; all-purpose scrub brushes	Medium Soft
Vegetable fiber bristles	Heavy floor scrubbers; all-purpose scrub brushes; counter dusters	Hard
Wire bristles	Grout brushes; removing heavy soil	Very Hard

Caring for Your Brushes

Because janitorial brushes do such heavy cleaning, they require some cleaning of their own. Janitorial brushes are very durable, so cleaning and caring for them is easy. Do remember, however, that some brushes may not necessarily need cleaning. It would be terribly unsanitary to hand-wash a toilet brush, not only because of what it is used for, but also because of the chemicals it may come in contact with. The same can be said for push brooms and floor scrubbers. You don’t want them to be filthy, but these brushes do not require regular cleaning either. Grout brushes, hand and nail brushes, and general scrub brushes, on the other hand, can and should be cleaned periodically.

ACS B125 5 1/2 inch Scrubble Iron Handle Scrub Brush with Poly Bristles

To care for your brushes:

Run your brush under hot water and rub bristles with dish detergent (to avoid contamination, wash janitorial brushes in a sink separate from kitchen sinks).
Keep an eye on the base of your brush, making sure that no grime or grease remains lodged where the bristles meet the handle.
Leave in a clean place to air dry.

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