Installing play equipment in your garden can be good for children’s health as well as helping them to have fun.
With a growing trend for them spending time online, as shown in this recent BBC article, it’s important to encourage more physical outdoor play.
So how do you maintain your equipment once you have it installed at home?
Wooden frames
If your play equipment is wood you will need to consider the fact that this is a natural product that will be affected by exposure to the weather, particularly during winter and so it’s a good idea to check the equipment in early spring just before your kids start to use it a lot.
Why not check out a complete range of play equipment options, including children’s wooden climbing frames, to suit your needs and budget?
For children’s wooden climbing frames, you should check them over for splinters, and structural defects. You may need to sand down or repair any damage and the whole frame may require a fresh coat of preservative to help protect against damp and moisture damage.
Metal frames and accessories
Check over swing connectors, slide supports, swing chains or ropes between the accessory and the mainframe to ensure everything is solid and secure. Then check any slides or swing seats themselves to ensure there are no possible breakages or damage that could cause injury. You can find metal bonding adhesive from companies such as www.ct1.com that could help with any metal bonding that you want to secure. It is important that you always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when using any kind of adhesive.
Check any seat belts to ensure they work and consider washing over plastic areas with mild soap and water to prepare them for use.
Fixtures and fittings
Check all screws and bolts to ensure they are tight and well fitting, but be careful not to overtighten, especially into a wooden frame as you may actual cause damage by being too enthusiastic. Check all the metal fixtures and clips as well, especially for excessive rust which can weaken metal. If required replace any metal parts showing excessive fatigue. Again, ensure no metal parts have damage or are sticking out and could possibly cause injury to a child.
Check your anchors
Finally, ensure the whole unit is safely fixed to the ground. Check and replace any metal or concrete anchorings that have become damaged over time making the frame less stable.
