How to Maintain Your Indoor Playground Equipment?

Read on to find out how you can maintain your indoor playground equipment:

• Regular Checking

• Annual Inspection by Expert

• Different Parts Maintained Differently

• Immediate Repairs

• Strictly Prohibit Children from Bringing Food or Dangerous Items

• Regular Cleaning

• Sanitize and Disinfect

You can inspect the indoor playground equipment by yourself, but it might not be effective since you don’t understand the equipment as much as the manufacturer does. You might overlook some issues and may not be in a position to repair some damage like an expert would. 

It is safer to have an expert do a thorough inspection once in a while.

Inspection by an expert is also cheaper than having to deal with the consequences of an accident.

Besides, it’s a requirement in many countries that you have the equipment checked by an expert at some point. This will also help you get the necessary certifications to go on with operations. An annual inspection is different from a daily inspection. The annual inspection identifies long-term faults, looks at equipment safety, provides quality control checks for your operations, and identifies changes in compliance with regulations.

From the daily, weekly and annual inspection reports, you get to know the parts that need repairs. For instance, shredded net or webbing, loose platforms, broken windows, and missing bolts and screws need repair or replacement instantly.

Immediate repairs of the necessary parts will save you money and time. If you neglect a tiny damaged part like a crack or a missing bolt, the damage continues, and in the process, more parts get damaged because of that one part.

Before you realize it, you will soon need major repairs, which are costly and time-consuming. The best way to avoid replacing entire playground equipment is to do immediate repairs.

Cleaning is a crucial part of maintenance because dust and other dirt can reduce the efficiency of moving parts of indoor playground equipment.

Regular cleaning like once a day will help you keep your equipment in great shape.

For the best outcome, it’s wise to check the manual for cleaning instructions. Some surfaces may need to be cleaned with warm water and soap, while others just a dump cloth with no soap. Hence, cleaning will depend on the part that you’re cleaning.

For plastic surfaces, nets, and ropes, you can clean with water and soap. You can also use a soft brush and a piece of cloth to clean. 

Metal coated material will do fine when you wipe with a damp cloth. You need to clean windows cautiously because they can easily scratch.

Using harsh chemicals to clean might corrode the material of the playground equipment. Also, it’s best to avoid using scraping objects that might cause damage to the play equipment.

Spot cleaning your indoor playground equipment is also an excellent way of maintaining the equipment. Some stains can be stubborn to remove if you don’t clean immediately, forcing you to use abrasive cleaning products.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, disinfection and maintenance of indoor playground equipment have become a top priority.

To ensure the health and safety of children during play, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that you need to sanitize and disinfect surfaces frequently.

Sanitizing reduces the number of germs to a safe level, while disinfecting kills the germs that remain on surfaces of the playground equipment after cleaning.

To sanitize your indoor playground equipment, you can use the cleaning products recommended in your manufacturer’s manual.

According to the CDC, cleaning with water and soap weakens or damages the virus particles. This lowers the risk of infection from surfaces of indoor playground equipment.

While cleaning, you should pay attention to the high-touch surfaces of the play equipment.

a)   Have a Checklist for Inspection

Using a checklist to carry out the inspections can simplify your maintenance work. You can use the checklist provided by the manufacturer or create your own depending on the play equipment you have.

You can have a daily checklist, weekly checklist, or monthly checklist to guide you on what to check and when.

b)   Document the Maintenance Routine

How do you ensure consistency of maintenance? Documenting your preservation routine is a great practice to ensure that it is an ongoing practice and that no room is left for negligence.

Indoor playground equipment can be a potential source of hazards. If not well maintained, it can lead to injuries and loss of revenue.

In the United States, more than 200,000 children between the ages of 14 and below are treated in the emergency departments for playground-related injuries every year.

Indoor playground equipment that is well preserved has fewer risks to children.

Documenting your maintenance process can save you from lawsuits in situations where an accident was not your fault. If it’s a business, have your staff record what they have checked, their name, and details.

Intentional and frequent preservation of your indoor playground equipment over a long time can effectively extend the service life of the equipment.

You will also not lose prime business time because of temporary closures and you’ll reduce your expenses significantly. If you make it a routine, it simplifies work giving you peace of mind.