Divestitures (Details) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Tennant CEE GmbH and OOO Tennant USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Tennant CEE GmbH and OOO Tennant EUR (€)	Jul. 31, 2012 Tennant CEE GmbH and OOO Tennant USD ($)
Divestitures
Date of divestiture				Jul. 31, 2012	Jul. 31, 2012
Cash received as part of selling price				$ 1,014	€ 815
Total selling price					6,166
Total amount of installment payments to be received quarterly in 2013				2,806	2,126
Total amount of installment payments to be received on first, second and third anniversary dates				4,257	3,225
Gain on Sale of Business	784	0	0	784
Assets and Liabilities Divested
Accounts Receivable						4,398
Inventories						4,271
Other Current Assets						87
Current Assets						8,756
Property, Plant and Equipment						170
Total Assets Divested						8,926
Current Liabilities						1,121
Total Liabilities Divested						1,121
Net Assets Divested						$ 7,805