Which pad colours for which floors?


06.07.2021

Blue, red, green – there are several different pad colours. The colours indicate the abrasiveness or texture of the pad in question. In this post, you will learn which pads are right for which floors.

Pads are versatile cleaning tools: they help to remove dirt, during polishing or when removing a protective treatment. When selected properly and correctly attached to the single-brush machine or scrubber-dryer, they decisively influence the cleaning performance.

The basic principle:
The darker the pad, the more abrasive (= stronger removal, more coarsely meshed).

There are three types of pads: Scrubbing pads, polishing pads and special pads.

SCRUBBING PADS:

Black


The black pad is a highly abrasive cleaning pad for basic cleaning and removing coatings from floors. It should be used in a targeted manner and only on highly scratch-resistant floors. The rule of thumb: If the green pad is too weak (= not abrasive enough), then you should opt for the black pad. For one specialised use in particular, the black pad is essential: Sanding wood (clamped between abrasive mesh and pad drive disc).

Typical areas of application:

  • sanded granite (basic cleaning)
  • PVC with heavy encrustations (basic cleaning, e.g. old coatings that are difficult to remove)

Green

The green pad is a versatile pad for basic cleaning, intermediate cleaning and sometimes even for final site cleaning. The green pad is also highly abrasive, which means it is only suitable for the removal of heavy or very heavy soiling on scratch-resistant floors. The big plus: With the green pad, you can remove heavy soiling in no time at all.

Typical areas of application:

  • Linoleum (basic cleaning)
  • PVC (basic cleaning)

Blue

The blue pad features low to moderate abrasiveness, which makes it the perfect choice for basic and intermediate cleaning of floors that are sensitive to scratching. In exceptional cases (very heavy soiling), the blue pad can even be used for maintenance cleaning.

Typical areas of application:

  • Natural rubber (basic and intermediate cleaning)
  • Sports/gym floor coverings (basic and intermediate cleaning)
  • Hard magnesite, industrial floors (basic cleaning)

Red

The red pad is the most commonly used, gentlest scrubbing pad. This is a truly universal pad for maintenance cleaning (e.g. for scrub drying or spray cleaning). It is used on all water-resistant floor coverings.

Typical areas of application:

  • Polished natural stone, e.g. marble (maintenance cleaning)
  • Polished artificial stone, e.g. Terrazzo (maintenance cleaning)
  • Elastic floor coverings, e.g. linoleum, natural rubber, PVC, CV (maintenance cleaning)

POLISHING PADS:

HS polishing pad, white/beige

These two polishing pads for the high-speed single-brush machine are the tool of choice for producing a glossy finish on a coated floor or removing scuff marks and scratches, for example when polishing after spray cleaning. The two pad colours deliver similar effects, although the beige polishing pad produces a more pronounced glossy effect in a shorter time. The polishing pads ensure high productivity and thus help to reduce costs. They offer excellent polishing results and are particularly durable.

Typical areas of application:

  • coated elastic floor coverings (e.g. PVC or VLT)
  • coated stone coverings
  • waxed wooden flooring (wooden floors)

US polishing pad, beige

The beige polishing pad was designed for the ultra-speed single-brush machine (very rapidly rotating motor).  As a result, it removes fine scratches and scuff marks from coated floors and polishes the floor to a glossy finish. These polishing pads increase productivity and therefore lower costs. They offer excellent polishing results and are particularly durable.

Typical areas of application:

  • PVC (polishing protective treatment to a glossy finish)
  • Linoleum (polishing protective treatment to a glossy finish)
  • Artificial or natural stone (polishing protective treatment to a glossy finish)

SPECIAL PADS:

Melamine pad

The Melamine pad is a highly efficient dirt eraser for maintenance cleaning and intermediate cleaning of microporous surfaces. Marks left by shoe soles and other stubborn soiling can be quickly removed using this special pad without leaving a trace.

Typical areas of application:

  • Porcelain stoneware
  • Untreated Terrazzo
  • Untreated PVC, linoleum

Microsol fibre pad

The Microsol fibre pad is the ultimate solution for stubborn soiling on all slightly textured floors for which brushes would be too coarse. This is NOT a microfibre pad, but rather a pad with integrated microbrushes. The fine microbrushes root out all traces of dirt and remove them completely.

Typical areas of application:

  • Floor coverings with joints (e.g. in sanitary rooms)
  • Tread safety flooring and tile flooring (e.g. in kitchens)
  • Laminate
  • CV
  • Gym halls (resin removal)

Carpet pad

First off: The carpet pad is not a piece of carpet, but rather a tool developed for the cleaning of textile floors and carpets. The special pad contains fine yarns and delivers surface cleaning and a rapidly improved appearance. While the green nylon strips mechanically support the cleaning effect, the white fibre area also transports moisture as well as dirt. The carpet pad is suitable for robust low-pile carpets made of synthetic fibres. The main advantage: Carpets dry quickly and can be walked on again in no time at all.

Typical areas of application:

  • Carpets (e.g. in hotel rooms)
  • Carpets in corridors (e.g. in hotels or restaurants)
  • Carpets in reception areas (e.g. in hotels or administrative buildings)

Additional detailed information and recommendations about the use of pads on specific floors can also be found in our Cleaning & Care Instructions.


FAQ – Three frequently asked questions about pads:

1. What can happen if you choose the wrong pad?
Using a pad that is too abrasive can cause enormous damage, scratches and colour changes on the floor covering. On the other hand, if you use a pad that is not abrasive enough, the dirt is not removed thoroughly enough.

2. Are the colours different depending on the manufacturer?
The pad colour system differs from manufacturer to manufacturer. But the majority of manufacturers operate on the principle of “darker = more abrasive”.

3. What about the sustainability of the Wetrok pads?
The Wetrok scrubbing and polishing pads are manufactured using 100% recycled material and brightened with oxygen (instead of with chemical bleach). This method reduces water consumption during production by around 17%.


Method finder
In our method finder, you can find instructions for more than 30 cleaning methods: free and available for download as a PDF.

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