EP3169212A1

EP3169212A1 - Method for cleaning a stained fixed floor surface and device for cleaning a stained fixed floor surface

Info

Publication number: EP3169212A1
Application number: EP15742201.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ursula Kalinowski-Krumm; Christiane Schulte
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-07-15
Filing date: 2015-07-14
Publication date: 2017-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 2035-07-14
Also published as: WO2016008882A1; EP3169212B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for cleaning a fixed floor surface (12) which is stained with rubber in particular by mechanically acting on the stain using at least one brush B which is moved under a hood (2) and by supplying hot steam to the stain to be cleaned. The method is characterized by the following steps: − introducing pressurized hot steam as a precursor for a cleaning fluid into a treatment chamber (3) which is laterally sealed on the floor-side and which is open towards the floor surface (12), − providing a hot cleaning fluid bath (14) which is in contact with the floor surface to be cleaned within the treatment chamber (3) for the duration of the cleaning process by condensing the supplied hot steam in the treatment chamber (3) and accumulating the condensate as the cleaning fluid up to a fill state level which does not exceed a maximum fill state level, and − carrying out the mechanical brushing process of the floor surface (12) in the hot cleaning fluid bath (14) while simultaneously suctioning the dirty liquid which is exiting or has exited the treatment chamber (3). The invention additionally relates to a device for cleaning a fixed floor surface (12) which is stained with rubber in particular, wherein at least one brush B is arranged in a treatment chamber (3) provided within a hood (2), said chamber being laterally separated from the hood regions which can be found outside of the treatment chamber (3) by a skirt (4) with a floor-side seal. The floor-side seal of the skirt (4) surrounding the treatment chamber (3) is designed such that a cleaning fluid bath (14) can be accumulated within the treatment chamber (3).

Description

A method for cleaning a contaminated paved floor surface and apparatus for cleaning a contaminated paved floor surface

The invention relates to a method for cleaning a paved bottom surface contaminated in particular with chewing gum by mechanical action on the contaminant by means of at least one brush moving under a hood and by supplying superheated steam to the contaminant to be cleaned. Furthermore, the invention relates to a device for cleaning a, in particular contaminated with chewing gum, fixed bottom surface with at least one driven to perform a brush movement, arranged within a bottom open hood Neten cleaning brush, with a device for supplying superheated steam to the ground surface to be cleaned and with a device for sucking off the soil surface dissolved dirt particles.

Fortified ground surfaces, especially when it comes to traffic areas, always have sticky contaminants again and again. As a fixed floor surfaces are considered in the context of these statements, such areas that are formed by an attachment, for example by plates, tiles, paving stones, concrete, asphalt or the like. Particularly stubborn dirt is formed by chewing gum residues, especially when they are hardened. A removal of such impurities is possible to a satisfactory extent only with an unreasonable effort. Typically, removal of chewing gum takes place at certain points, so that the appearance of the ground surface cleaned in this regard is thereby distinguished from that of adjacent bottom surface areas which have been cleaned less intensively than the area from which the chewing gum residues have been removed.

In the past, various devices have been developed to rid machine-mounted floor surfaces of soils, particularly stubborn soils, such as solidified chewing gum remnants. In order to improve the mechanical brush processing of the floor surface to be cleaned off, it has been proposed, for example in DE 20 2013 005 169 U1, that brushes arranged under a hood not rotational, but oscillating in a horizontal plane back and forth. In this way, the mechanical processing acting on the bottom surface is more intense compared to a purely rotary drive of the same. In order to assist the cleaning process, thermal energy is brought to the area of the brushes on the floor surface, by hot water, steam, hot gases or heat radiation. Hardened chewing gum residues are to be softened with the help of the supplied heat and then better be removed mechanically from the base surface with the brushes. The in the feed direction of the known from this document Abreinigungsvornchtung rearmost portion under the hood is designed as a suction channel. About this are removed from the bottom surface dirt particles together with the resulting liquid residues, if liquid has been supplied, sucked.

Another soil cleaning device is known from US 4,107,816 A. This operates as well as the become known from EP 0773327 B1 Abreinigungsvornchtung brushless. In these devices, a high-pressure spray jet is placed in a spray jet chamber on the floor surface to be cleaned. The spray jet chamber is separated by a skirt from a suction chamber. The apron does not stand on the bottom side due to the load of a gap in order to allow cleaning liquid introduced by the spray into the spray chamber to pass with contaminants dissolved by the latter, and then to suck it out of the suction chamber as dirty liquid. The spray jet chamber and the suction chamber are located in the feed direction of Abreinigungsvornchtung one behind the other, so that nachfährt in this case the suction chamber of the floor surface treatment by the spray.

In the case of a machine cleaning of floor surfaces using cleaning fluids and / or thermal energy supply, care must be taken that the dissolved dirt particles are as far as possible extracted together with the cleaning fluid, if present. In order to ensure this, it has been proposed in DE 10 2004 026 389 A1 to seal the hood on the bottom side by means of movable sealing elements in relation to the floor surface to be cleaned off. This is done before the background that paved surfaces to be cleaned off in many cases are not flat, such as in a slab or plaster pavement. When using such a cleaning device is also to be considered that this is moved during the Abreinigungsprozesses. By feeding the cleaning device, the cleaning time is set. The slower the feed of the cleaning machine, the longer the surface to be cleaned off is subjected to mechanical and / or thermal cleaning. In many cases, more difficult soil contaminants can be cleaned only with a very slow feed the cleaning device, which in turn leads to a correspondingly long cleaning time.

Based on this discussed prior art, the object of the invention is therefore to propose a method and a device with which not only stubborn dirt, in particular hardened chewing-gum residues, can be removed on a fixed floor surface, but that this is possible. without having to accept an excessively slow feed of the soil cleaning device.

The method-related object is achieved by an aforementioned generic method, which is characterized by the following steps:

Introducing pressurized superheated steam as precursor for a cleaning fluid into a treatment chamber which is open towards the bottom surface and laterally sealed on the bottom side,

- Providing a hot standing in contact with the ground surface to be cleaned Reinigungsflüssigkeitsbades within the treatment chamber for the duration of Abreinigungsprozesses by condensing supplied superheated steam in the treatment chamber and damming the condensate as cleaning fluid up to a maximum level height not exceeding level height, and

Performing the mechanical brushing of the floor surface in the hot cleaning liquid bath with simultaneous suction of emerging from the treatment chamber or leaked contaminated liquid, wherein cleaning liquid with it removed from the bottom surface impurity particles as dirty liquid through one or more overflow openings and / or at an advance of the cleaning machine by a bottom side sealing of the treatment chamber exits the treatment chamber. The device-related object is achieved by an initially mentioned, generic device in which the at least one brush is disposed in a provided within the hood treatment chamber, which is laterally separated by an apron with a bottom-side seal of the outside of the treatment chamber hood areas, wherein the bottom-side sealing of the treatment chamber enclosing apron is designed so that within the treatment chamber a Reinigungsflüssigkeitsbad can be dammed, in which the hot steam supply opens into the treatment chamber and in which the suction line of the suction empties into an extraction chamber located outside the treatment chamber.

In the concept realized by the claimed method and the claimed device, the focus is on providing a hot cleaning liquid bath in a treatment chamber of a cleaning device for the duration of the cleaning process and maintaining it for the duration of the cleaning process. It is provided that this Reinigungsflüssigkeitsbad is maintained at a temperature at which even hardened chewing gum residues soften greatly. In order to bring the cleaning liquid bath to such a temperature and to maintain it at such a temperature, superheated steam is introduced into the treatment chamber, preferably under pressure. The superheated steam represents a precursor for the actual cleaning liquid, which is formed only by the process of condensing the superheated steam in the treatment chamber. In this way, the temperature of the cleaning liquid bath present in the treatment chamber for the purpose of cleaning can certainly be brought to and maintained at temperatures of more than 90 ° C. Can be supplied to the Superheated steam at a temperature of even more than 150 ° C. In one embodiment, it is provided to supply the superheated steam at a temperature of 150 ° C. A supply of the superheated steam under pressure assists the cleaning process, since insofar as, at the same time as the supply of thermal energy, a mechanical action is also taken by the spray on the pollutant to be cleaned. In order to achieve a uniform effective cleaning effect for the duration of the cleaning process, the method is carried out in such a way that the filling level of the cleaning liquid bath in the treatment chamber does not exceed a maximum fill level. If the filling level exceeds a certain level, the mechanical effect of the superheated steam introduced at high pressure on the surface to be cleaned is less intense. In addition, then the thermal mixing in the cleaning liquid bath is less effective. A fill level height of the cleaning liquid bath is considered to be suitable between 3 mm and 15 mm, preferably somewhat less than 10 mm. For this reason, the cleaning liquid bath in the treatment chamber covers the bottom surface underneath in the desired fill level, like a film.

The hot cleaning liquid bath ensures a particularly effective heat transfer to a surface to be cleaned off or dirt adhering to it, for example hardened chewing gum residues. In this method - the same applies to the claimed device - not only the amount of heat available in the Reinigungsflüssigkeitsbad is considerable. Rather, in contrast to previously known methods and devices, the heat also acts on the contaminant to be cleaned during the entire time of the brush machining, the height of which projecting from the bottom surface is less than the filling level of the cleaning liquid bath. Already with a first brush contact, a contamination present in the cleaning liquid bath is roughened, as a result of which the surface thereof is enlarged and thus a transfer of heat from the hot cleaning liquid into the contamination is still favored.

An advantage of this concept is also that additives that support the cleaning process, not on the hot steam supply in the Be have to be introduced. Rather, they can be added directly to the cleaning liquid bath. As a result, evaporation of additives, especially if they are harmful to health, avoided. Nevertheless, they can exert their effect in the cleaning liquid bath, namely by mixing it throughout the entire surface area covered by the cleaning liquid bath.

In order to maintain the cleaning liquid bath temperature and to ensure that the maximum level in the treatment chamber is not exceeded, a leakage of cleaning liquid is provided with dirt particles removed from the bottom surface. This outflow of dirty liquid not only leads to the fact that dirt particles already dissolved or removed from the floor surface are flushed out of the treatment chamber with the aid of the cleaning liquid, but at the same time, without exceeding the intended maximum fill level of cleaning liquid, the possibility is opened up into the Treatment chamber new hot steam and thus supply new thermal energy. The dirt liquid composed of cleaning fluid and dirt particles dissolved from the floor surface is led away from the treatment chamber through leaks already present in the bottom-side seal of an apron enclosing the treatment chamber. Finally, due to the typically uneven nature of a paved floor surface, complete sealing of a moving cleaning device can in any case be difficult to achieve. Used in this context, for example, in the floor surface existing joints, cracks, Bodenbelagrauigkeiten or the like. In another embodiment, it is provided that openings in the height of the maximum desired fill level height of the cleaning liquid bath are introduced as overflow openings into the treatment chamber enclosing a treatment chamber, through which dirty water can escape from the treatment chamber into an adjacent suction chamber. Of course, leakage of dirty liquid from the treatment chamber into the suction chamber is also possible by both measures described above.

In a preferred implementation of the method is provided, the To control fluid level within the treatment chamber through the hot steam supply. Typically, the cleaning liquid bath temperature will also be included in this control, so that it does not fall below a predetermined value. Typically, it is provided in such a configuration that even with maximum superheated steam supply over a certain period of time, the intended maximum fill level of the cleaning liquid in the treatment chamber is not exceeded or can be exceeded. During the entire cleaning process, a suction device is operated in order to suck off immediately emerging from the treatment chamber dirty liquid. Suction is thus carried out simultaneously with the implementation of the mechanical brush processing of the bottom surface. The suction line opens into a suction channel provided adjacent to the treatment chamber, preferably in the feed direction of the cleaning device behind the treatment chamber.

In the concept underlying the claimed invention, various action mechanisms are skillfully combined with one another on a soil adhering to a soil surface to remove soiling from the ground surface in a particularly effective manner. Here, the formation of the hot cleaning liquid bath is in the foreground, in which the mechanical brush processing of the bottom surface takes place. Typically, one will use water or a water-based liquid as the cleaning liquid. The provision of such a hot cleaning liquid bath in a treatment chamber also leads to a particularly intensive preheating of the impurities to be cleaned off, before starting with the mechanical brush processing in the course of the feed of the cleaning device.

With this method and also with such a cleaning device even particularly stubborn impurities, such as hardened chewing gum residues in particular due to the intensive action on the contamination and the special heat transfer can be removed from a floor surface to be cleaned, without the feed rate of the cleaning device for this particularly slow must be provided. Rather, it is possible with this concept to significantly increase the cleaning speed compared to conventional machines. According to a preferred embodiment it is provided that in a treatment chamber a plurality of brushes supported by a common brush are arranged, which are driven to perform an oscillating reciprocating motion. In such a concept, it is possible to design in the feed direction of the cleaning device, a first group with front brushes and a trailing with respect to the feed direction second group with rear brushes. The oscillatory motion typically has its apex in such a configuration in a position of the two brush groups, if they are arranged one behind the other in the feed direction. Utilizing the advancing movement of the cleaning device, a mechanical brush machining of the floor surface to be cleaned takes place in two steps, namely in a first step when the first brush group is moved over the floor surface to be cleaned and in a second step when the second brush group is moved over the floor surface to be cleaned. surface is moved. The special feature of this concept is that the two brush groups are spaced from each other in the feed direction of the device and thus is a period of heat and spray exposure without brush processing between the first brush processing and the second brush processing. During this temperature-influencing phase, adhering contaminants are heated to their softening temperature by heat transfer from the cleaning liquid, so that they can be brushed off the bottom surface by the subsequent brushing of the second brush group.

The hot steam is preferably supplied at high pressure, with a pressure of more than 30 bar is preferred. In one embodiment, a hot steam supply at 50 bar is provided. The kinetic energy thus introduced into the treatment chamber is correspondingly high. Since the superheated steam outlet nozzles are preferably directed toward the floor surface to be cleaned, the superheated steam jet, with appropriate kinetic energy, impinges on the floor surface or the adhesive adhering to it. pollution on. At any rate, with such pressure, the hot steam jet penetrates the hot cleaning liquid bath with considerable kinetic energy in order to be able to exert its intended purpose of pressure-spraying onto the floor surface to be cleaned.

To provide a suction channel for sucking out of the treatment chamber leaked dirty liquid serve the remaining components of the hood, which preferably surround the skirt of the treatment chamber circumferentially. In this way, a circumferential suction channel is formed. The hood is sealed on the bottom side by a suitable seal. In addition to a suction of dirty liquid, this circumferential suction channel also serves as a thermal insulation. Under the sealing of the hood incoming ambient air is then sucked together with the dirty liquid and does not reach or at most only in a not significant extent in the treatment chamber. Since the cleaning device is designed and the method is carried out so that contaminated liquid escapes from the treatment chamber, there is also no danger in the extraction that heat is extracted from the cleaning liquid bath by the suction.

In a further development, it is provided to additionally introduce into the exhaust duct the exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine with which the cleaning device is operated. The introduction of the warm exhaust gases into the suction channel supports the insulating effect of the suction channel with respect to the relative to the temperature of the cleaning liquid bath relatively cool or even cold ambient air. The invention is described below with reference to an embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

Fig. 1: a schematic view from below in a hood one in the

Remaining cleaning device, not shown,

2 shows a section through the cleaning device of Figure 1 along the line AB, and 3 shows an enlarged partial view of the section of the cleaning device of FIG. 2 during the cleaning operation of a fixed floor surface.

A device for cleaning contaminated fixed floor surfaces - a cleaning device 1 - comprises a hood 2, which is supported at the bottom by rollers. The roles are not shown in the figures. The hood 2 has circumferential side surfaces, which is sealed on the bottom side with a sealing skirt.

Within the hood 2 of the cleaning device 1 is a treatment chamber 3. The treatment chamber 3 is spaced from the inner wall of the hood 2 by a circumferential skirt 4. The skirt 4 extends to the upper end plate 5 of the hood 2. The skirt 4 is also equipped at its lower, facing the ground surface to be cleaned side, equipped with a seal to seal the treatment chamber 3 in the lateral direction, at least as far as this in a rough or uneven paved ground surface is possible.

Within the treatment chamber 3, two brush plates 6, 6.1 are arranged in the illustrated embodiment. Hereinafter, the brush plate 6 will be described in more detail. The same statements apply to the brush plate 6.1.

The brush plate 6 is, as indicated by the double block arrow, oscillating back and forth. For this purpose, the cleaning device has a drive not shown in the figures. The pivot axis of the brush plate 6 with respect to its oscillating reciprocation is indicated by the reference numeral 7. The pivot axis 7 extends in the vertical direction, so that the brush plate 6 oscillates in a horizontal plane. In Figure 1, the brush plate 6 is shown in its apex position, ie in its position in which the pivoting amount is equal in both directions. The total amount of oscillation of the brush plate 6 is about 70 ° and oscillates at a frequency of about 100 to 130 oscillatory movements per minute. The brush plate 6 is H-shaped. At each end of the two to the Side member 8 integrally formed cross members 9, 9.1 a cleaning brush B is arranged. By connecting the brushes B to the brush plate 6, these pivot in the oscillatory movement of the brush plate 6. In addition, the brush plate 6 carries a plurality of spray arms S, which have at its free end directed towards the lower hood opening toward nozzle D. Via the spray arms S, which are connected in a manner not shown to a device for providing superheated steam, hot steam is introduced into the treatment chamber 3. The spray arms S are attached to the brush plate 6 and thus oscillate oscillating together with its pivoting movement.

A channel between the inner wall of the hood 2 and the outer wall of the skirt 4 forms a suction channel 10. The suction channel 10 extends circumferentially around the skirt 4. In the suction channel 10 opens a suction 1 1, which provides for providing the desired negative pressure to a non-illustrated Extraction of the Abreinigungsvorrich- device 1 is connected. By means of the suction device, a negative pressure is generated in the suction channel 10 in order to suck off dirty water which enters the suction channel 10 from the treatment chamber 3. At the same time, ambient air, which virtually invariably enters the extraction duct 10, in particular through the lower seal of the hood 2, is extracted via the suction which is operated during the entire cleaning process. The feed direction of the cleaning device 1 is indicated in Figure 1 by the two block arrows.

The further structure and operation of the cleaning device 1, as far as for the explanation of the invention of importance, can be seen from the longitudinal section of Figures 2 and 3. The roll-supported hood 2 is located on a fixed floor surface 12. The hood 2 is sealed with respect to the bottom surface 12 with its peripheral wall 13 with a sealing skirt. Also, the skirt 4 is on the underside with the interposition of a seal on the bottom surface 12.

For operating the cleaning device 1, the treatment chamber 3 is supplied in a first step by supplying superheated steam via the spray chamber. me S flooded. The hot steam introduced into the treatment chamber 3 at a temperature of about 150 ° C. condenses therein and collects at the bottom of the treatment chamber 3, which is formed by the floor surface 12 to be cleaned off. The underside seal of the skirt 4, by which the treatment chamber 3 is delimited, is sufficiently dense to permit the accumulation of the cleaning liquid thus formed. Operates the cleaning device 1 in the illustrated embodiment with a level height of the cleaning liquid in the treatment chamber of about 8 mm. In the enlarged section of the sectional view in FIG. 3, the cleaning liquid bath condensed from the hot steam introduced into the treatment chamber 3 is identified by the reference numeral 14. The supply temperature of the superheated steam into the treatment chamber 3 is sufficient to maintain a temperature in the cleaning liquid bath 14 of about 90 ° C. In the course of forming the cleaning liquid bath 14, the entire treatment chamber 3, including all the internals therein, heats up, such as the brush plates 6, 6.1 with the brushes B and spray arms S carried by them. This causes the brushes B contacting the bottom surface to also work during a work session have assumed the temperature of the cleaning liquid bath 14. So that the cleaning liquid bath 14 does not exceed a maximum fill level, a plurality of overflow openings 15 are introduced at intervals around the skirt 4, through which excess cleaning liquid can flow out into the suction channel 10 arranged on the outside with respect to the skirt 4. In a further embodiment, not shown in the figures, the overflow openings 15 are closable within the apron, for example by a slide.

If the cleaning liquid bath 14 is provided, wherein water is used as the cleaning liquid in the illustrated embodiment, the brush plates 6, 6.1 are brought into their oscillating cleaning movement, so that they brush in an oscillating manner over the bottom surface 12. At the same time the cleaning device 1 is moved in the feed direction, so that in the cleaning direction, the entire bottom surface 12 undergoes a brush processing, at the temperature of the cleaning liquid 14. By providing the cleaning liquid bath 14 at a temperature above the softening temperature of Gum is chewing gum, soften these adhering to the bottom surface 12 chewing gum residues and are then removed as a result of the feed of the cleaning machine 1 with the oscillating brush B. During the entire time of the cleaning hot steam is introduced into the treatment chamber 3, in the illustrated embodiment with a pressure of about 30 to 50 bar. As a result of the nozzle D being executed to the bottom surface 12, the superheated steam supply due to the high kinetic energy supports the cleaning process. As a result of the high pressure, the superheated steam sprays penetrate the cleaning liquid bath 14. This not only causes impurities adhering to the bottom surface 12 to be additionally exposed to direct superheated steam spraying, for the period in which a spray arm S with its nozzle D over the At the same time, the thermal energy supplied by the superheated steam is brought exactly where it is needed, namely on the floor surface 12 to be cleaned. The condensation of the superheated steam maintains the liquid level of the cleaning liquid bath 14. In order to make the best possible use of the additional kinetic energy provided by the superheated steam introduction into the treatment chamber 3, the ends of the spray arms S with their nozzles D are adjacent to the brushes B. The superheated steam spraying jets are not directed towards the brushes B.

The underside sealing of the skirt 4 is designed in such a way that during a movement of the cleaning device 1 under this dirty liquid, ie: cleaning liquid with befindlicher befindlicher, already detached pollution exits the treatment chamber 3 and can enter the suction channel 10. About the hot steam supply into the treatment chamber 3, the liquid level of the Reinigungsflüssigkeitsba- 14 is maintained and compensated for the above-described intended leakage.

During the Abreinigungsprozesses the suction device is turned on, so that leaked from the treatment chamber 3 dirty liquid, which can well escape via the overflow openings 15, is sucked immediately through the suction line 1 1. This is a Neuanbackung the already detached dirt particles on the Floor surface 12 effectively prevented. At the same time, the suction channel 10 forms a thermal insulator with respect to the prevailing in the treatment chamber 3 cleaning temperature. Due to the above-described design of the brush plates 6, 6.1 takes place during a movement of Abreinigungsvornchtung 1, a treatment of the abzureinierendes bottom surface 12 with two temporally successive brush processing steps. A dirt entering into the treatment chamber 3 in the feed direction due to the feed is heated intensively before the first brush contact. Only then do the front brushes or one of these brushes in the feed direction take up that part of the dirt which has sufficiently softened due to the heating. As a result of the further feed of the cleaning device 1, the area of the brush plate 6 is then moved with the longitudinal member 8 on the pollution. During this time, the pollution is solely exposed to the thermal effect of the cleaning liquid bath. Depending on the arrangement of the pollution can still act on this a spray. Only after a further exposure time, the back brushes B in the feed direction are moved over the dirt, with which any remaining contaminants are then removed from the bottom surface 12.

In the embodiment shown in the figures 3 two brush plates 6, 6.1 are arranged in the treatment chamber. In another embodiment, a plurality of treatment chambers are provided under the hood of the cleaning device, in each of which at least one brush is reciprocated in an oscillating manner. In such a concept, it is provided that the plurality of treatment chambers are arranged so that a uniform cleaning result is achieved over the cleaning width of the cleaning device.

The invention has been described with reference to an embodiment. Without departing from the scope of the present claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 cleaning device

2 hood

3 treatment chamber

4 apron

5 end plate

, 6.1 Brush plate

7 pivot axis

8 side members

, 9.1 Cross member

10 suction channel

1 1 suction line

12 floor space

13 wall

14 cleaning liquid bath

15 overflow opening

B brush

D nozzle

S spray arm

Claims

claims

A method of cleaning a paved bottom surface (12), in particular contaminated with chewing gum, by mechanically acting on the contaminant by means of at least one brush (B) moved under a hood (2) and by supplying superheated steam to the contaminant to be purged, characterized by the following steps:

- Introducing pressurized superheated steam as a precursor for a cleaning liquid in a bottom surface (12) open towards the side bottom sealed treatment chamber

(3)

Providing a hot cleaning liquid bath (14) standing in contact with the floor surface to be cleaned within the treatment chamber (3) for the duration of the cleaning process by condensing superheated steam in the treatment chamber (3) and accumulating the condensate as cleaning liquid up to one maximum level not exceeding level, and

- Carrying out the mechanical brush processing of the bottom surface (12) in the hot cleaning liquid bath (14) with simultaneous suction of the out of the treatment chamber (3) leaking or leaked dirty liquid, wherein cleaning liquid with therein from the bottom surface (12) removed contaminant particles as a dirty liquid by one or a plurality of overflow openings and / or at a feed of the cleaning machine by a bottom-side lateral sealing of the treatment chamber (3) from the treatment chamber (3) emerges.

A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the filling level of the hot cleaning liquid is controlled within the treatment chamber (3) via the superheated steam supply.

A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the superheated steam directed to the bottom surface (12) nozzles is introduced at a pressure of 30 bar or more in the treatment chamber (3).

Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the method is carried out so that the filling level of the hot cleaning liquid bath (14) in the treatment chamber (3) is between 3 mm and 10 mm.

Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a suction channel (10) enclosing the treatment chamber (3) is provided for suction, from which the dirty liquid entering is sucked out together with ambient air entering from the environment.

Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the at least one brush (B) for exerting a horizontal reciprocating motion is driven to oscillate.

Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the superheated steam supply is carried out in a pulsed manner.

Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that adjoining a first mechanical treatment step of a floor surface to be cleaned (12) a contact time without mechanical brush processing and then a second mechanical brush processing step is performed on the same floor surface, without the advance of the cleaning device (1) to interrupt or reverse the cleaning direction.

Device for cleaning a fixed bottom surface (12), in particular with chewing gum, having at least one cleaning brush (B) driven within a cover (2) open at the bottom to drive a brush movement, with a device for supplying superheated steam to the surface to be cleaned (12) and with a device for sucking the soil surface (12) dissolved dirt particles, characterized in that the at least one brush (B) is arranged in a treatment chamber (3) provided inside the hood (2), which laterally extends through an apron (4) with a bottom-side seal from the hood areas located outside the treatment chamber (3) is separated, wherein the bottom-side sealing of the treatment chamber (3) bordering skirt (4) is designed so that within the treatment chamber (3) a Reinigungsflüssigkeitsbad (14) can be dammed, that the superheated steam supply into the treatment chamber (3) opens and that the Suction line (1 1) of the suction device (1) in a outside of the treatment chamber (3) located suction channel (10) opens.

Apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the at least one brush (B) is driven to exert an oscillating horizontal reciprocating motion.

Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that in the treatment chamber (3) a plurality of, to a common brush plate (6, 6.1) connected brushes (B) are arranged.

Apparatus according to claim 1 1, characterized in that the brush plate (6, 6.1) seen in the feed direction of Abreinigungsvor- direction (1) carries a first group of front brushes (B) and a second group of rear brushes (B), wherein the pivoting amount of oscillating brush movement of the brushes (B) of the first and the second group is selected such that when not moved in the advancing direction device (1) of the brushes (B) of both brush groups different bottom surface areas are processed.

Device according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that in the apron (4) in height of the intended maximum filling level height of the cleaning liquid bath (14) openings as overflow openings (15) are introduced to the suction channel (10).

14. Device according to one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that under the hood a plurality of treatment chambers (3) are arranged.

15. Device according to one of claims 1 1 to 14, characterized in that in a treatment chamber a plurality of brushes (B) carrying brush plates (6, 6.1) are arranged.