The Ultimate Guide to 3M Floor Pads – Which Pad Should You Use?
Maintaining clean, professional floors starts with choosing the right floor pad. Whether you’re stripping old finishes, deep cleaning, scrubbing, or buffing, 3M offers a range of high-quality pads designed to fit a variety of commercial scrubber dryers and floor machines.
In this guide, we’ll explain what each floor pad colour does, when to use it, and link you directly to the products in our store below.
How Floor Pads Work
Floor pads are designed to match different cleaning tasks based on their texture and aggressiveness:
| Colour | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Black | Most aggressive – heavy stripping |
| Brown | Stripping and deep cleaning |
| Green | Heavy scrubbing |
| Blue | Everyday scrubbing |
| Red | Light cleaning and buffing |
Explore 3M Floor Pads by Size & Colour
17″ (432mm) Pads – Perfect for Smaller Machines & Tight Spaces
- Eco Brown 17" – Heavy-duty stripping for old wax, finishes & buildup
- Eco Blue 17" – Everyday scrubbing & light cleaning
- Eco Green 17" – Deep scrubbing & soil removal
- Eco Red 17" – Spray cleaning, buffing & finish enhancement
Tip: 17″ pads are ideal for compact scrubber dryers, tight corridors, and smaller commercial spaces.
20″ (505mm) Pads – For Larger Machines & Bigger Areas
- Eco Brown 20" – Stripping & heavy cleaning
- Eco Black 20" – Most aggressive stripping
- Eco Green 20" – Advanced scrubbing
- Eco Blue 20" – Everyday cleaning & maintenance
- Eco Red 20" – Buffing & finishing
Tip: 20″ pads are great for wide hallways, warehouses, and commercial floors that need frequent upkeep.
Which Pad Should You Use?
Stripping (Removing Old Finish & Wax)
Use brown or black pads:
- Black = heaviest stripping (best for tough jobs)
- Brown = effective stripping with less aggressiveness
Best choices: 17″/20″ Eco Brown, 20″ Eco Black
Heavy Scrubbing (Dirt, Grease & Buildup)
Use green pads:
Best choices: 17″ Eco Green, 20″ Eco Green
Daily Cleaning & Light Scuff Removal
Use blue pads:
Best choices: 17″ Eco Blue, 20″ Eco Blue
Buffing & Floor Shine
Use red pads:
Best choices: 17″ Eco Red, 20″ Eco Red
Pro Tips for Professional Floor Care
- Match pad size to your machine (17″ pads for smaller scrubbers)
- Rotate between scrubbing and buffing for best results
- Store pads flat and dry to maintain shape
- Replace pads when fibres wear down for optimal performance
Compatible Machines & Floor Cleaning Equipment
These pads fit a wide range of rotary floor machines and scrubber dryers, including popular models from Viper, Nilfisk, SCRUBTEC, CS7000, FM400, BR & AS series.
Explore our full range of Floor Cleaning Machines to find the perfect machine for your pad size.
Ready to Choose the Right Pad?
Start improving your floor maintenance results today by selecting the pads above. Whether you’re stripping, scrubbing, daily cleaning, or buffing, we’ve got the right pad for the job.
Don’t forget to check our Floor Cleaning Machines collection for compatible equipment and machines.
