Seasonal Maintenance Tips for Playground Equipment

It is important to maintain your playground all year round to make sure that it continues to serve the community and its patrons, as well as to prolong the enjoyment. It is important to maintain your playground seasonally in order to ensure that it meets safety standards. This will also save you money by avoiding costly repairs and replacements. You can keep your playground in top condition by following a few seasonal care tips.

Summer Playground Maintenance Tips

Summer is a busy time for play areas. Follow these summer playground maintenance and cleaning tips to prepare your facility for the busy season.

• Check for Storm Hazards: Stormy weather is common in many parts of America during the summer. It’s important to inspect your playground following rainstorms. Check for loose stones, low-hanging branches or any fallen ones. Check your equipment to see if it has been damaged by rain.
• Check Drainage: Pools of water can also be a problem in your play area after heavy rain. Both deep and shallow pools of water can be dangerous, particularly if you slip. Standing water can damage playground equipment or surfaces by causing rust, corrosion, and damp patches.
• Look for Pests that can be a Problem: The summer is a busy season for wasps, ants, bees, and other pests. These insects can nest in your playground and cause damage to the equipment, as well as creating an unpleasant or dangerous situation for children. To keep your playground free of pests, inspect it regularly and clean and maintain the surrounding area. You should seek professional assistance if you see a problem.

Fall Maintenance Tips

It’s the best time to prepare your winter playground and perform general maintenance. Basic fall maintenance practices include:

• Remove Leaves: Clear the play area to avoid areas that become slippery and damp with leaves.
• Follow Rust Treatment Steps: Apply appropriate, manufacturer-approved treatments to playground equipment to avoid rust.
• Landscape: Cut nearby trees according to your local regulations in order to reduce the amount of leaves on the play area.
• Increase Visibility: Maintain lighting features, or add new lighting options that will provide plenty of light when the days get shorter.

Winter Maintenance Tips

• Check the Surfacing: Winter can be harsh. Check the playground surface regularly for cracks and other damage that can worsen in heavy snow or ice.
• Protect the Surfacing: Follow best practices to protect your playground’s surface during winter. Avoid adding corrosive substances like salt, and use a plastic snow shovel to remove the snow.
• Store loose Components: If you have loose components on your playground, store them before heavy snowfall.
• Protect wooden Parts: Prolonged exposure to snow or ice can cause wooden components to warp, crack, and become damp. Winter is the perfect time to pay extra attention to your playground. This will help you avoid costly repairs.
• Install Anti-slip Mats: Surfaces can become extremely slippery when frozen. Add non-slip mats in appropriate areas, such as the playground entrances.
• Maintain Playground Drainage: It is important to inspect and maintain playground drainage in order to prevent water accumulation from melting snow or freezing rain.

Spring Cleaning Tips

Your facility’s play area will become more crowded in the spring. You can make spring playground maintenance and cleaning a breeze by implementing the following tasks and routine inspections:

• Perform an Inspection: Start with checking for wear and damage that could have occurred during the winter cold months. This will involve inspecting the playground components for rust, corrosion, splinters and dampness. Check all anchors and chains to ensure that no parts have been damaged or come loose as a result of thawing ice. After the snow and ice has cleared, check to see if your surfacing is still intact. You may have to lay down new mulch and replace the playground surfacing.
• Repairs as Needed: If damage is visible during the inspection, do not open the playground. Instead, have a professional make the necessary repairs. If you don’t see any damage, be sure to clear the area of all snow and debris.
• Clean Playground Equipment: After a few months, the playground equipment may have accumulated dirt and grime. Sanitize the area and clean it to prepare for the busy spring months.

The Best Playground Maintenance Tips for the Year

Repairs and maintenance are necessary to keep your playground safe, compliant and fun. Create a checklist of safety checks for your playground to be completed year-round. This will help you take routine maintenance checks one step further.

You can add these general playground inspection tasks and tips to your regular inspections.

• Maintain play area and Surrounding Areas: Year round play area maintenance includes mowing surrounding grass, trimming the surrounding hedges and sweeping. Cleaning and disinfecting equipment.
• Regularly Inspect your Playground’s Surfacing: Inspecting the surfacing of your facility helps you ensure that your play area is compliant with federal regulations and standards.
• Perform regular equipment inspections: Check that all screws, bolts and chains are securely fastened.
• Maintenance of Playground Components: Lubricate moving parts, chains and hinges, as well as any other metal components, regularly to prevent corrosion.
• Maintain Accessibility: Clear the entry points and playground of obstructions and debris, such as leaf piles and pools of standing liquid. The play area should be accessible to children and their guardians regardless of their abilities.

Discover Expert Playground Products, Services and Solutions.

Playground Equipment in Australia maintenance, such as weatherproofing and surfacing inspections, and pest control, will help your playground stay functional, compliant, and ready to use all year round.

We will create the perfect play area for your establishment, whether you are looking to expand or upgrade your existing outdoor play equipment or to add indoor play components. Our expert teams work together with you to create stunning indoor play spaces as well as durable outdoors play spaces, using high-quality equipment and innovative solutions. You can customize your indoor space to meet your industry.