Golden Valley, MN, August 29--Determined to clean up against competition, Tennant Co. has come up with a machine that scrubs dirt out of carpets with little water, letting them dry in a snap, according to the Star Tribune.
The Golden Valley floor-equipment maker recently introduced its patented ReadySpace carpet-cleaning machine, which snatches up stains with so little water that carpets dry in 10 to 30 minutes. Carpets treated with traditional cleaners can take eight to 18 hours to dry.
The commercial machine, which costs about $10,000, has been well-received by carpet-care associations and high-traffic businesses. Customers include the Minneapolis Convention Center, the Las Vegas Airport, several Las Vegas casinos, and hotels and schools throughout the country. The product so impressed Las Vegas Airport officials that they bought two of the lawn-mower sized machines on the spot at an initial road show.
Tennant officials have sold hundreds of ReadySpace units and expect sales to far exceed 1,000 by year's end. That equates to roughly $10 million in revenue.
The ReadySpace uses patented rollers that rotate at high speeds to lift dirt out of carpets. Instead of soaking the carpet, water is used only to rinse the rollers. As a result, only a third of a gallon is used each minute. That's 70 percent less water than standard soak and extraction machines use. Less water means less time drying, a critical consideration among maintenance professionals.
The ReadySpace effectively cleans 13,200 square feet per hour, compared with the standard machine, which covers 5,500 square feet an hour.
The United States and Canada make up the largest customer base for the ReadySpace. It was introduced this year in Japan, Australia and South America and will go into Europe in the next few months.
