EP0663808B1 - Process and device for cleaning and/or care of floors and/or floor coverings of all kinds - Google Patents

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/EP93/02747 Sec. 371 Date Apr. 6, 1995 Sec. 102(e) Date Apr. 6, 1995 PCT Filed Oct. 7, 1993 PCT Pub. No. WO94/08504 PCT Pub. Date Apr. 28, 1994In a method for cleaning and/or care or floors and/or floor coverings of all types such as carpets, plastics, linoleum, parquet, ceramic, ceramic tiles or marble, etc., with a single-disk or multi-disk rotary machine having at least one drive dish, whereby the floor covering is treated with a cleaning and/or care substrate upon application of heat on a case-by-case basis, an especially good and economical operation succeeds in that a stream of hot air and/or heated auxiliary medium is employed as heat carrier and activation medium, and the hot air stream and/or heated auxiliary medium proceeds onto the floor surface through the drive dish. An apparatus suitable for this purpose comprises a drive dish provided with clearances and comprises a hot air generator. The drive dish can be fashioned as a brush at its underside and/or can have an interactive connection to a co-rotating pad.

Description

The invention relates to a method and a device for cleaning and / or maintaining floors and / or floor coverings of all kinds by means of a machine, the floor or floor covering to be treated being treated occasionally with an additional medium such as water with the supply of heat, using as a heat carrier a flow of hot air is used that reaches the floor surface through the machine.

Devices for cleaning floors and / or floor coverings are known in large numbers. The majority of these are designed and equipped exclusively for cleaning textile floor coverings and are not suitable for cleaning or maintaining other floor coverings such as plastic, linoleum, parquet or marble.

A carpet cleaning device is known from DE-U-8 304 300.7, which makes use of the electrostatic charge of the dirt particles. Cleaning at elevated temperatures is therefore not intended; however, in EP-B1-0188475 for carpets, cleaning at elevated temperatures between 40 to 80 degrees suggested. Treatment of other soils at elevated temperatures is not intended.

Single-disc machines or so-called rotor machines for cleaning and maintaining plastic, wooden or stone floors are known, which are often designed with rotating brushes. An example of this is described in WO-A-90 10415, which already discloses a supply of the cleaning liquid through the turntable.

However, such rotor cleaning machines generally do not have any Means to apply heat to the surface to be worked. If an old gloss layer, which had become unsightly due to contamination or abrasion, had to be removed from the floor before applying a new gloss layer, then this was usually done with the considerable use of chemical cleaning agents, especially with an ecologically questionable so-called basic cleaner, a strongly alkaline or acidic substrate, and made using hot water. The basic cleaner dissolved in the hot water was then poured onto the floor or spread with mop rags, and the soiled layer was removed using the cleaning machine after a predetermined exposure time. An uneconomically high level of manual labor was then required in order to carry out this complex work, which was questionable from the point of view of environmental pollution. The effect of warm water in this type of floor cleaning quickly diminishes because the water film applied to the floor represents so little heat storage that effective heating of the floor layer to be cleaned is not guaranteed.

A carpet cleaning machine is also described in DE-A-26 15 501. This is a vacuum cleaner compressed air spray and suction system for wet cleaning of permanently installed materials, with which cleaning liquid is pressed onto the material to be cleaned by means of compressed air via a flat jet nozzle and immediately removed again by forced suction. The compressed air can be heated by an electric heater, and the fabric is also dried by forced hot air. A major disadvantage of this system is due to the extremely complex and complicated design, moreover, effective use requires considerable experience. In addition, large amounts of cleaning agents are required and the drying time is relatively long despite heating.

The present invention has for its object to provide a method and an apparatus which are suitable for universal cleaning and / or maintenance of floors and / or floor coverings of all kinds such as carpets, plastics, linoleum, parquet, ceramics, stone tiles or marble etc. avoid the aforementioned difficulties, disadvantages and technical limitations of known devices. In particular, an essentially constant temperature should be adjustable in the area of the working area without the need to separately heat the supply of water and / or cleaning or care agents. Furthermore, the method and the device are said to be able to achieve such an effective cleaning effect that even thorough cleaning of floors or floor coverings of all kinds with extremely economical use of workers and cleaning or care products while avoiding the use of chemical, in particular ecologically questionable, basic cleaners with less work than is currently feasible.

The problem is solved in a method of the type mentioned with the invention in that the machine is a single or multi-disc rotor machine with at least one drive plate, and in that the additional medium and / or a fluid or pasty cleaning or care substrate is gradually heated, wherein it is preheated in a hot air stream in a first stage and then further heated as it passes through the drive plate.

As a result of the measure according to the invention, the hot air flow or heated additional medium is brought to full effectiveness on the floor surface through the drive plate.

With the method it is surprisingly achieved for the first time that an essentially constant temperature of the processed floor or floor covering is generated and maintained in the area of the working area without the need for separate heating of the water or cleaning or care agent provided. As a result, such an effective cleaning or care effect is achieved that, for example, a basic cleaning of all types of floors with extremely economical use of workers and cleaning or care products while avoiding the use of chemical, especially ecologically questionable basic cleaners with relatively less work than previously feasible is. In particular, greasy soiling (approximately 50% of all soiling is greasy) is solved and removed much faster with the method using controlled heat input than with known methods. In view of the great shortage of personnel and rising personnel costs, for example in the hospital sector, the significant improvement in the cleaning effect which has been proven in tests leads to a noticeable cost and personnel relief.

One embodiment of the method provides that the additional medium is preheated in the first heating stage using a heatable drip tray.

Another embodiment provides that the additional medium is applied through the center of rotation to the surface to be treated. This results in a very good distribution with simultaneous heating of cleaning or care products and floor space.

Another embodiment provides that the hot air stream emerges at a comparatively high speed with the formation of an energy-rich flow against the drive plate and the mat, with additional medium such as water or fluid or pasty cleaning or care substrate being heated by the flow pressure and opening up through the drive plate or brush the ground is given up and evenly distributed.

A further embodiment of the method provides that the temperature of the machined surface is checked using a temperature sensor which is preferably located in the center of rotation of the rotor.

A further embodiment provides that the temperature of the processed surface is set in accordance with a predetermined cleaning or maintenance program and / or according to the type of floor covering. As a result, the use of energy can be set to a comparatively economical level.

Overall, with an optimal cleaning or care effect, extremely economical and effective use of cleaning or care products as well as energy and labor is achieved.

• daß diese einen Generator zur Erzeugung eines energiereichen Heißluftstromes mit einer Heißluftleitung und einer innerhalb des Maschinengehäuses abwärts gerichteten Heißluft-Austrittsdüse aufweist, wobei der Heißluft-Generator für mehrere Temperaturstufen mit einem Temperatur-Wahlschalter ausgerüstet ist,
• daß der Treibteller Löcher bzw. Durchbrüche aufweist, und
• daß das Ausblasorgan des Generators in einer zur Achse des Rotors etwa parallelen Achse angeordnet und seine Mündung vorzugsweise dicht oberhalb des Treibtellers etwa in der Mitte zwischen Rotationszentrum und Peripherie des Treibtellers angeordnet ist.

A device for cleaning and / or maintenance of floors and / or floor coverings of all kinds, with a drive unit arranged above a machine housing in a motor housing and a rotor driven by the latter via a shaft and a drive plate arranged on the underside of the rotor for carrying out the method according to the invention, is characterized

• that it has a generator for generating an energy-rich hot air stream with a hot air line and a hot air outlet nozzle directed downward within the machine housing, the hot air generator being equipped with a temperature selector switch for several temperature levels,
• that the drive plate has holes or openings, and
• that the blow-out element of the generator is arranged in an axis approximately parallel to the axis of the rotor and its mouth is preferably arranged just above the drive plate approximately in the middle between the center of rotation and the periphery of the drive plate.

Further advantageous configurations are provided in accordance with the subclaims. Details, features and advantages of the invention result from the following explanation of the exemplary embodiments shown schematically in the drawings.

Fig. 1

eine Seitenansicht der Vorrichtung,

Fig. 2

eine Draufsicht auf den gelochten Treibteller,

Fig. 3

eine Seitenansicht der Vorrichtung, teilweise im Schnitt,

Fig. 3a

das obere Ende der Führungsstange in Ansicht mit integriertem Handschalter,

Fig. 4

eine Ansicht der Unterseite der Vorrichtung,

Fig. 5

einen Schnitt durch den Treibteller entlang der Schnittlinie V-V in Fig. 6,

Fig. 6

eine Draufsicht auf den Treibteller gemäß Fig. 5,

Fig. 7

eine Ansicht des Flüssigkeitsrohres für Zusatzmedium in etwa natürlicher Größe,

Fig. 8

eine Ansicht der Vorrichtung mit beheizter Auffangschale,

Fig. 9

eine Draufsicht auf einen Treibteller mit integrierter Elektro-Heizung.

Show it:

Fig. 1

a side view of the device,

Fig. 2

a plan view of the perforated drive plate,

Fig. 3

a side view of the device, partially in section,

Fig. 3a

the upper end of the guide rod in view with integrated hand switch,

Fig. 4

a view of the underside of the device,

Fig. 5

6 shows a section through the drive plate along the section line VV in FIG. 6,

Fig. 6

5 shows a plan view of the drive plate according to FIG. 5,

Fig. 7

a view of the liquid tube for additional medium in approximately natural size,

Fig. 8

a view of the device with heated collecting tray,

Fig. 9

a top view of a drive plate with integrated electric heater.

The device shown in FIG. 1 has a rotor (1) with a drive unit (5) in a motor housing (25). The rotor (1) sits on one (not Shown) in the machine housing (24) and has a drive plate (2), preferably profiled on its underside, with an underlying rotating mat (50). As can be seen from Figure 2, the drive plate (2) is formed with holes (3) or slot-shaped openings (4) and optionally on its underside as a brush.

The mat (50) can be designed differently depending on the type of floor covering (49) being processed; for example, when used for carpet cleaning, it has a covering with cleaning bristles. The mat (50) can consist of a porous textile body, for example of a needle fleece, and has on its underside a structural covering adapted to the respective cleaning procedure. Depending on the type of cleaning, there are very different mats (50), which are also referred to as "pads". They can consist of fabrics with more or less hard textile material, they can be air-permeable or impermeable for cleaning carpets or fabrics and z. B. consist of polyvinyl fibers. Harder fabrics for basic cleaning are made of polyester or polyethylene (nylon). Brushes with hard bristles are used for roughing or shampooing. Other pads, which consist of disc-shaped nonwovens, for example made of polyester or nylon, can have embedded grinding wheels depending on their hardness. For their identification, such pads are colored differently depending on their lower or greater abrasion. Green colored pads have medium abrasion. They are mostly used in cleaner processes, black pads are used for basic cleaning. Occasionally, pads can also make breakthroughs exhibit.

The device has a generator (20) for generating a hot air stream (23), the temperature of which can be adjusted to match the type of floor or floor covering (49) to be worked. A favorable cleaning temperature is, for example, 40 ° Celsius for textile coverings, and a maximum of 80 ° Celsius for non-textile floors and / or coverings.

The hot air generator (20) has a blow-out element (21), the mouth (22) of which is arranged just above the drive plate (2). The mouth (22) of the blow-out member (21) is located approximately in the middle between the center of rotation and the periphery of the drive plate (2).

As a result of this arrangement, the hot air stream (23) and the cleaning or maintenance substrate applied together with it are advantageously applied through the drive plate or the brush (2) and / or the mat (50) onto the floor surface (49) to be cleaned. The industrial hair dryer (20) produces a hot air stream (23) emerging at a comparatively high speed, the action of the hot air, for example through pores in the mat (50) against the floor surface (49), resulting in an advantageous increase in the cleaning action. The advantage is that the amount of heat transported in the hot air stream (23) or from the additional medium is brought into effect through the drive plate (2) and the rotating mat (50) on the floor covering surface (49) being cleaned or cared for .

The cleaning and care device according to the invention is equipped with a conventional chassis, for example with two wheels (44), and with a guide rod (45) on the preferably heavy machine housing (24). It has a metering device (38) for cleaning or care products, the outlet opening of which is arranged above the drive plate (2). It can therefore also be used that the metering device (38) has an outlet channel arranged in the axis of rotation (x-x) of the shaft of the rotor (1). It is thereby achieved that cleaning or care agent emerging from the center of rotation is applied uniformly and extremely economically to the surface (49) to be cleaned and distributed there by the rotating mat (50). Furthermore, a temperature sensor extending up to the floor covering (49) to be worked is arranged in the axis of rotation (x-x). This then works together with a control device known per se in the sense that the temperature of the surface (49) to be cleaned is optimally set in accordance with a predetermined cleaning or care program and / or the type of floor covering.

Figure 3 shows the cleaning machine in side view and partially in section. This has a die-cast machine housing (24) with a chassis with two wheels (44) arranged thereon. The guide rod (45) is arranged on the chassis and, at the end thereof, an operating handle (46) with an ON / OFF switch (47) is arranged as shown in FIG. 3a. The guide rod (45) can be opened and closed in a joint (43) with the machine housing (24). The device has a liquid container (39), which optionally receives water as an additional medium or a cleaning or maintenance substrate. A flexible hose (37) is connected to this, which conducts the additional medium to a metering device (38). Starting from this, an outlet pipe (40) is connected, which is formed on the outlet side with a pipe coil (42) shown in FIG. 7 with outlet nozzles (41). The illustration further shows the motor housing (25) with the internal motor, the rotor (1) with the drive plate (2) and the mat (50) that is operatively connected to the floor or floor covering (49). The fixed machine housing (24) shown in section receives on its upper side the hot air generator (20) with a connected hot air line (29), which opens into the blow-out element (21) with hot air outlet nozzle (30).

Because the setting of the working temperature in the device in relation to the floors or floor coverings (49) to be processed plays a very important role, it is provided that the hot air generator (20) has several temperature levels and a temperature selector switch (31). In order to monitor the working temperature in the area of the floor (49), a temperature sensor (not shown) extending up to the floor (49) to be worked or the floor covering is advantageously arranged in the axis of rotation (xx) FIG. 1. This is designed to interact with a temperature control device (31) of the hot air generator (20) in such a way that a preset working temperature is maintained under all working conditions.

4 shows the machine housing (24) in a view from below. It is a bell-shaped body which forms a cavity divided by ribs (10) and which is closed at the bottom in a plane (yy) FIG. 3 stretched over the ends of the ribs (10) with a preferably heat-insulating cover (11) is. As can further be seen from FIGS. 4 and 7, the outlet pipe (40) equipped with outlet nozzles (41) for additional medium is formed at its outlet end to form a tube coil (42) forming a heat exchanger, and this below the one consisting of the outlet nozzle (30) Blow-out device (21) Fig. 3 arranged in the hot air stream (23) Fig. 1. As a result, additional medium passed through the outlet pipe (40) is heated intensively in the air flow (23) which is between 250 ° and 400 ° Celsius hot. Fig. 4 shows the rest of the arrangement of the outlet pipe (40) in connection to the metering device (38) until it is designed as a coil (42) in the area of the hot air flow (23) below the hot air outlet nozzle (30). The wheels of the chassis (44) are arranged on a continuation (26) of the machine housing (24).

The drive plate (2) is shown in section and in plan view in FIGS. 5 and 6. This has on its upper side in a plurality of concentric ribs (15), which intensify the heat transfer from the hot air stream (23) FIG. These are penetrated by radial ribs (17) with the formation of partially circular cells (16) which are open towards the top, each cell (16) having openings (4) for added medium having. As seen in the direction of the rotary movement of the drive plate (2), these are arranged adjacent to the front of each radial rib (17).

A somewhat different embodiment of the device is shown in FIG. In this version, the additional medium is only heated by heating stages provided with electric heaters (6). As the first heating stage, a heatable collecting tray (7) is arranged above the drive plate (2). Additional medium is applied to this with the outlet nozzle (36). The collecting tray (7) has approximately evenly distributed outlet bores through which the additional medium flows in a uniform distribution onto the likewise electrically heated drive plate (2), which forms the second heating stage. The heated additional medium penetrates through this n into the mat (50) and reaches the surface of the floor or floor covering (49) to be cleaned in an intended temperature state.

In this embodiment, electric heating devices (6) are embedded in the drive plate (2), as is indicated purely schematically in FIG. 9. The drive plate (2) has water passage holes (3) which - seen in the direction of the rotary movement of the drive plate (2) - are arranged adjacent to the front of each radial rib (17). A driving flange (8), indicated as a black circle, with an integrated power supply (not shown) is arranged in the area of the drive plate rotation center.

• Erzeugung einer im wesentlichen konstanten Temperatur am Arbeitsfeld unter sparsamem Einsatz von Wärmeenergie,
• die separate Erwärmung von Reinigungs- und/oder Pflegemitteln, beispielsweise Wachs oder Wachsemulsion, kann entfallen,
• infolge erhöhter, sehr effektiver Reinigungswirkung kann der Einsatz von Warmwasser, fallweise mit Reinigungsmittellösung, entfallen, ebenso wird der Personaleinsatz bei Aufgabe, Verteilung und Verarbeitung der Pflegemittel wesentlich reduziert, wodurch eine deutliche Kosteneinsparung erzielt wird,
• der Einsatz von ökologisch bedenklichen Grundreinigern mit stark alkalischer oder saurer Konzentration kann erheblich reduziert werden, wenn nicht gar vollständig entfallen, da wegen erhöhter Arbeitstemperatur im Arbeitsfeld "sanfte" Reiniger zur Anwendung gelangen.

With the method and the device according to the invention the following advantages are achieved:

• Generation of an essentially constant temperature at the work field with economical use of thermal energy,
• the separate heating of cleaning and / or care products, for example wax or wax emulsion, can be omitted,
• As a result of an increased, very effective cleaning effect, the use of hot water, occasionally with a cleaning agent solution, can be dispensed with, and the amount of personnel involved in the task, distribution and processing of the care products is significantly reduced, thereby achieving significant cost savings.
• the use of ecologically questionable basic cleaners with a strongly alkaline or acidic concentration can be significantly reduced, if not completely dispensed with, since "gentle" cleaners are used in the working area due to the increased working temperature.

• Kaufhausbereiche, insbesondere Fleischtheken, Käsetheken etc., die bisher in konventioneller Manier mit Schrubber und Aufnehmer gereinigt wurden, weil diese für Fahrautomaten aus Platzgründen nicht zugänglich waren. Vorteilhaft ist die kürzere, leichtere und kostensparende Arbeitsweise.
• Noppenböden wurden bisher mit Einscheibenmaschine und Schrubberbürste gereinigt. Durch Wasserspritzer wurden dabei Einrichtungsgegenstände beschmutzt und erforderten zur Nachreinigung weitere Arbeit. Hier schafft das Verfahren und die Vorrichtung nach der Erfindung Abhilfe. Weitere Anwendungsfälle sind u. a.:
• Warme Shamponierung bei textilen Belägen, die bei erhöhter Temperatur nicht einlaufen. Vorteilhaft ist eine erhöhte Schmutzanlösung und ein geringerer Chemieanteil durch Wärmebehandlung.
• Cleaner- Verfahren: Wärme unterstützt die Schmutzanlösung und Schmutzaufnahme.
• Gründiche Unterhaltsreinigung (Zwischenreinigung) großer Flächen ist mit geringen Kosten möglich.
• Streifen, Schleier und Schlieren nach der Reinigung glänzender Flächen werden reduziert, da bei bisher kalter konventioneller Arbeitsweise meistens zu viel, oder zu wenig Reinigungsmittel benutzt worden ist.
• Nicht neutrale Reiniger können den zu reinigenden Bodenbelag auf Grund von zu hoher Dosierung nicht mehr schädigen, da durch den Faktor Wärme schwächere Reiniger und/oder geringere Konzentrationen des Reinigungsmittels benötigt werden.
• Optimale Polierqualitäten sind ohne Hochgeschwindigkeitsbereich möglich, ebenso Reparaturen von beschädigten Glanzflächen durch Wärmeeinwirkung, da die am Boden erzeugte Reibungswärme durch kontinuierliche Heißluftzufuhr von oben nicht mehr entweichen kann.

For the application of the method and the cleaning machine, there is a very wide field of application due to the high performance with reduced personnel, such as. B .:

• Department store areas, in particular meat counters, cheese counters, etc., which were previously cleaned in a conventional manner with a scrubber and pick-up because they were not accessible to automatic machines due to space constraints. The shorter, lighter and less expensive is advantageous Way of working.
• So far, knobbed floors have been cleaned with a single-disc machine and a scrubbing brush. Furnishings were soiled by water splashes and required further work for subsequent cleaning. This is remedied by the method and the device according to the invention. Other use cases include:
• Warm shampooing for textile coverings that do not shrink at elevated temperatures. Increased dirt dissolution and a lower chemical content through heat treatment are advantageous.
• Cleaner process: Heat supports dirt dissolving and dirt absorption.
• Green maintenance cleaning (intermediate cleaning) of large areas is possible at low cost.
• Stripes, veils and streaks after cleaning shiny surfaces are reduced, because with conventional methods that were previously cold, too much or too little detergent was used.
• Non-neutral cleaners can no longer damage the floor covering to be cleaned due to the too high dosage, since weaker cleaners and / or lower concentrations of the cleaning agent are required due to the heat factor.
• Optimal polishing qualities are without High-speed range possible, as well as repairs to damaged glossy surfaces due to the effect of heat, since the frictional heat generated on the floor can no longer escape through the continuous supply of hot air from above.

Overall, the application possibilities are significantly expanded with the invention and the cleaning process is rationalized, as a result of which surprisingly favorable cost savings can be achieved and the service companies burdened by rising personnel costs can work more economically and more efficiently.

The measures according to the invention are not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing figures but only by the claims. A possible modification of the device according to the invention may consist in that another type of temperature generation or guidance of the hot air flow or heated additional medium is carried out. The drive plate or plates can also be designed in any manner and have different hole or opening patterns for the passage of air and / or cleaning agents or care products as well as different brush profiles. The particular structural design is free to the person skilled in the art in adaptation to special uses of the device.

Claims (15)

1. A method for the cleaning and/or care of floors and/or floor coverings of all types by means of a machine, wherein the floor or floor covering (49) to be treated is, as the case may be, treated with an additive such as water, with heat being supplied, and wherein a hot airstream (23) passing through the machine onto the floor surface (49) is used as the heat transfer medium, characterised in that the machine is a single or multiple-disc rotor machine with at least one drive plate (2), and that the additive and/or a cleaning or care substrate in fluid or paste form is heated, being pre-heated in the hot airstream at a first stage then further heated in passing through the drive plate (2).
2. The method of claim 1, characterised in that the additive is pre-heated using a heatable receiving bowl (7) as the first heating stage.
3. The method of claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the additive is fed in through the centre of rotation of the rotor (1).
4. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the hot airstream (23) emerges towards the drive plate (2) at comparatively high speed, forming a high-energy flow, and additive such as water or cleaning or care substrate in fluid or paste form is fed through the drive plate (2) and distributed evenly by the pressure of the flow.
5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the temperature of the surface (49) to be treated is checked, using a temperature sensor preferably located at the centre of rotation of the rotor (1).
6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the temperature of the hot airstream (23) or an additive and/or of the surface (49) treated is set in accordance with a predetermined cleaning or care program and/or according to the type of floor covering (49).
7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that heating of an additive and/or the floor surface (49) to be treated is effected by means of wireless energy transmission by microwaves or infrared radiation.
8. Apparatus for the cleaning and/or care of floors and floor coverings (49) of all types, comprising a drive unit (5) located in a motor housing (25) above a machine housing (24), a rotor (1) driven thereby via a shaft, and a drive plate (2) arranged at the underside of the rotor (1), for carrying out the method of any of the preceding claims, characterised in that

   - it has a generator (20) to produce a high-energy hot airstream (23), with a hot air pipe (29) and a hot air outlet nozzle (30) directed downwards inside the machine housing (24), the hot air generator (20) being equipped with a temperature selection switch (31) for a plurality of temperature stages,

   - that the drive plate (2) contains holes (3) and/or apertures (4), and

   - that the blow-out member (21) or (30) of the generator (20) is located on an axis approximately parallel with the axis of the rotor (1), and its mouth (22) is located preferably close above the drive plate (2), approximately midway between the centre of rotation and the periphery thereof.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, characterised in that it comprises a metering device (38) for cleaning or care agent, the outlet of which is arranged above the drive plate (2), with a tank (39) for the cleaning or care agent upstream of the metering device (38) and with an outlet (40) with outlet nozzles (41) downstream of the metering device, the outlet end of the pipe (40) being shaped as a bent pipe (42) forming a heat exchanger, and the bent pipe being located in the hot airstream (23) below the blow-out member (21) comprising an outlet nozzle (30).
10. The apparatus of claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the machine housing (24) is a bell-shaped member, shaped downwards into a cavity sub-divided by ribs (10) and closed at the bottom by a preferably heat-insulating cover (11) in a plane (y-y) (Fig. 3) stretched over the ends of the ribs (10).
11. The apparatus of any of claims 8 to 10, characterised in that the top of the drive plate (2) has concentric ribs (15) intensifying the heat transfer from the hot airstream (23), the ribs being arranged at a plurality of radial intervals increasing from the centre of rotation towards the periphery, the ribs (15) having radial ribs (17) passing through them to form part-circular, open-topped cells (16), each cell (16) having holes (3) or openings (4) for additive fed in, the holes or openings being located adjacent the front of each radial rib (17), as seen in the rotary direction of the drive plate (2).
12. The apparatus of any of claims 8 to 11, characterised in that electric heaters (6) are sunk into the drive plate (2), and that a heatable receiving bowl (7) for additive is arranged above the plate (2) and has outlet holes distributed over its surface.
13. The apparatus of any of claims 8 to 12, characterised in that the rotor (1) has an outlet passage arranged on the axis of rotation (x-x), in which passage there is arranged a temperature sensor extending to against the floor (49) or floor covering to be treated, and that the hot air generator (20) is equipped with a temperature selection switch (31) for a plurality of temperature stages.
14. The apparatus of any of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that the underside of the drive plate (2) is in the form of a brush.
15. The apparatus of any of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that an infrared radiator or microwave generator is arranged inside the machine housing (24).

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