Divestitures (Details) (Tennant CEE GmbH and OOO Tennant) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2013 EUR (€)	Jul. 31, 2012 USD ($)
Divestitures
Date of divestiture	Jul. 31, 2012	Jul. 31, 2012
Total selling price		€ 6,166
Cash received as part of selling price	1,014	815
Total amount of installment payments to be received quarterly in 2013		2,126
Total amount remaining to be received quarterly during 2013	2,073	1,594
Total amount of installment payments to be received on first, second and third anniversary dates	4,194	3,225
Gain on Sale of Business	784
Assets and Liabilities Divested [Abstract]
Accounts Receivable			4,398
Inventory			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