These days, outdoor swings for children are made from durable materials. However, owners should still perform regular maintenance on their playground equipment to maintain its excellent condition for a long time.
A well-maintained swing can offer hours of fun to your little ones while also ensuring their safety.
Most people think that this is a daunting chore, considering that playground equipment has a large frame. Well, it is true that it needs work to keep the swing in working condition. However, it is actually easy to do.
In this short post, you will learn more about how to take care of your playground equipment.
- Maintaining the play set in cold weather
Plastic swings are specially made for outdoor use. However, even the most expensive and reliable brands are not intended to survive sub-zero temperatures for so long. During the winter, remove the plastic components of the swing and store them in someplace warm. However, if you can’t do it, just avoid using the playground set for the meantime to avoid any mishaps.
- Oil the metallic parts
This will prevent rust from corroding the metallic parts and ensuring that the playground set will not collapse while your kid is playing with it. Playground equipment made of regular steel should be coated with anti-corrosion liquid. Just make sure to read the manufacturer instructions so you can use the right coating for your playground set.
- Replace the play area base when necessary
Play area bases such as mulch and sand can cushion your kids when they accidentally fall off the swing. These bases can diminish or get damaged during the winter, so you need to replace them every year. In addition, they also need to be raked to make sure that the depth of the base stays even and avoid compaction.
- Check for Sharp Edges
Of course, playground sets should not have any sharp edges that may snag your kid’s clothing. Regularly check for sharp edges whenever the new season starts.
- Inspect seats and chains
Seat and chain deterioration can easily be identified when you spot rust build up. Always check for damages on the upper part of the chain – the area where the seats are hanging. Plastics seats can also crack, so be wary of those, too. Since they cannot be repaired, it is best to replace them to avoid accidents.
With these tips, you can definitely keep your kids safe without taking the fun out of their playtime.
I’ve been thinking about getting a swing set for my kids, and thought some research could probably be beneficial. You wrote that if there are plastic components, you should bring those inside for the winter so that they don’t get damaged. Since it snows where I live, I’ll have to choose a swing set that is very sturdy and remember to bring in those components inside so that we can keep the set working for many years.