A floor cleaning machine has one or more barriers immediately behind one or more scrubbing brushes, wherein the barriers capture and control flow of a cleaning solution (and/or other substances) that exits from beneath the scrubbing brush(es) so that such a solution is retained adjacent the scrub brush(es) and recycled underneath the scrub brush(es) for enhancing the floor cleaning effectiveness of the floor cleaning machine. The captured solution is urged back into contact with the scrubbing brush(es) by the same rotating action that urged the solution to be ejected from the scrubbing brush(es). The machine also includes at least one splash guard and a squeegee mounted at the rear of the machine, with each of these latter components serving distinctly different functions from that of the barriers. The machine may also include an exterior top storage area for retaining various items that are useful in cleaning the floor.