Commercial Playground Equipment Cleaning: How to Clean Playground Equipment
Each tiny scuff, crack, or stain on your playground can scare off parents and pose a legitimate danger to children. Learning how to clean playground equipment is vital to their safety and well-being.
To create a safe, inviting environment, you must understand the ins and outs of playground equipment cleaning. It isn’t just wiping down your swings. There are guidelines, including specific CDC recommendations for cleaning playground equipment.
This guide covers everything you need to know. You’ll learn about the best cleaning tools, how to adapt your approach to different types of play equipment, and how to maximize child safety.
We’ve assisted several local organizations in Texas, including McDonald’s and the City of San Antonio. Please reach out if you have any questions during or after this guide!
Why Park Playground Equipment Cleaning Cannot Be Overlooked
Learning how to clean playground equipment ensures the safety of the children and families using your facilities, helping them create positive memories of your organization.
As such, don’t think you can ignore local or CDC recommendations for cleaning playground equipment. Regular playground equipment cleaning can go a long way toward your success.
Playground Cleanliness and Public Health
Microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and parasites are the bane of public health organizations. Without thoroughly cleaning playground equipment on your property, you could unknowingly create a breeding ground.
Airborne microorganisms fly around playgrounds daily between sneezing, coughing, spitting, and drooling. They make their home on swings, slides, and railings.
Consistent playground equipment cleaning standards will help protect the children visiting your property.
Protecting Equipment for Long-Term Use
CDC recommendations for cleaning playground equipment are no laughing matter, but there’s another essential reason to keep your play area tidy–structural integrity.
Playground equipment certainly isn’t cheap. Protecting your investment from dirt, grime, bird droppings, rust, and decay is essential.
Proper playground equipment cleaning techniques will stave off the worst effects, whether your equipment is metal, plastic, or wood. This also lowers the risk of injuries to children on your property from splinters, rust, slipping, and falling.
Creating Positive Play Experiences for Kids and Families
Children and their families are looking at that swing set as the launching pad for their next adventures, whether playing as pirates, knights, or princesses.
One of the first things that will break their immersion is a dirty and grimy playset. It’ll leave children with a sour impression of your facility and cause their parents and guardians to find a different play area.
Instead, if you present them with a shiny, good-as-new playset, they’re far more likely to have a wonderful experience. That means more time creating lifelong memories and bringing their friends and family members to play–which means more traffic for your organization.
The Advantages of Using a Pressure Washer for Playground Equipment Cleaning
From CDC recommendations for cleaning playground equipment to the aesthetic and immersive value, you don’t want to ignore tidying up.
The next question is–how should you do it?
There are plenty of cleaning methods, but only one is the go-to for playground equipment cleaning–using a high-quality pressure washer.
Businesses and organizations have been pressure washing commercial buildings for decades thanks to the inherent speed and efficiency. Using these machines in outdoor play areas is no exception.
Efficiency in Large Outdoor Spaces
One of the main objections regarding cleaning playground equipment is the surface area they must cover.
Those concerns are genuine if you use a mop or broom. Covering the play areas alone can take hours, not including walkways or parking lots nearby.
But with a pressure washer, you turn hours of cleaning into minutes. You can blast away the dirt and germs on metal and wooden playsets quickly and even shift to pressure washing parking lots, all within the same hour.
Effective Removal of Dirt, Grime, and Germs
Whether there’s a spot of spilled juice or the residue from a sneeze, playgrounds accumulate plenty of unsightly and dangerous stains.
Unlike other cleaning methods, pressure washers rapidly remove stains and harmful microorganisms. Rather than spending hours wiping down every nook and cranny of a playset, you can spray the nozzle and watch the gunk melt away.
Environmentally Friendly Option with Lower Water Usage
Did you know that hoses use up to 10 times more water than pressure washers?
The key is the metric “gallons per minute,” or GPM. Hoses require 10 to 20 GPM, while even the strongest power washers top out at 8 GPM.
And because pressure washers are much faster, you’ll use a fraction of the water than a hose.
Accessibility for Hard-to-Reach Areas
With a sponge and bucket or a hose, you have a tall task ahead of you. You must reach all the little spots with twists, turns, and cubby holes. If you leave them unclean, children will find them and encounter dirt and stains.
Power washers give you complete coverage with proper accessories.
Tips on Choosing the Ideal Power Washer, Detergents, and Accessories for Playgrounds
Power washers are your best tool for cleaning playground equipment.
But with so many different types of pressure washers available, you’ll need to do your research for the best results.
Let’s discuss how to shop for the best machines, accessories, and pressure washer detergent for your playground. It all begins with the best commercial pressure washer brand in the industry, Hotsy, which has over five decades of experience serving businesses and organizations worldwide.
Pressure Washer PSI and GPM Guidelines
PSI (pounds per square inch) and GPM determine the size of your machine. They define the force and volume of your water stream.
The settings you choose will depend on the material found on your playset.
Wood-based playsets are more delicate. You’ll want a PSI of 1500-2000 and a GPM of 2 to 4. You’ll want to bump it to 2500-3000 PSI and 4 to 8 GPM for metal equipment and the concrete sidewalks on your property.
Heated Pressure Washers for Advanced Cleaning
Water temperature is similarly essential to your success. When deciding between hot water vs cold water pressure washers, lean toward the heated models.
The higher temperatures make breaking down stains, grease, mildew, and even chewing gum stains a breeze.
That isn’t to say cold water machines are ineffective. Our store sells plenty of commercial cold water pressure washers in Houston, and they are cost-effective.
Why Gas Options are Your Best Bet for Outdoor Use
The gas vs electric pressure washer debate is simple regarding cleaning playground equipment. Gas models don’t need to be plugged into an outlet, are far more powerful, and are safe outdoors.
They’re also typically more powerful than their electric counterparts. The lone exception is if your park playground is partially indoors, to the point where gas fumes could be a concern while cleaning.
Choosing Safe, Child-Friendly Detergents
The best soap for pressure washers on a playground must be effective and non-toxic.
Children often disregard caution when playing on playsets, and the last thing you want is for them to ingest soap residue and end up in the hospital accidentally.
Hotsy’s soaps are all biodegradable. For general cleaning, we recommend Hotsy Citrus Clean, Enviro Clean, and Verde All-Purpose. They contain natural ingredients that keep your surfaces safe.
You should add Hotsy Vital Oxide for disinfecting, as it eliminates common germs, including COVID-19.
Accessories to Streamline the Playground Equipment Cleaning Process
The best pressure washer accessories will enhance your cleaning results.
Be sure to choose your nozzles correctly. Wide-angle nozzles are best for large areas, while narrow tips are ideal for embedded, tough stains.
We also recommend Hotsy’s Surface Cleaner attachment. This will help you quickly clean walkways and parking lots on your property.
Once your shopping list is complete, the only thing left is to find the right retailer to start shopping. If you’re in Southeast Texas or nearby, there’s one provider that goes above and beyond.
What Makes Hotsy of Houston the #1 Provider of All Your Pressure Washing Needs?
Hotsy of Houston is your one-stop shop for all things power washing. We are the only authorized location to find a premium Hotsy-brand commercial pressure washer in Houston.
Our team of Houston natives has helped local businesses and organizations across the region. We’ll provide all of the insights you need to clean effectively.
We provide sales and commercial pressure washer rental in Houston, including personalized recommendations and hassle-free pick-up. Our team will show you how to rent a power washer, what to look for in a pressure washer, and what kind of soap to use in a pressure washer. You can rest easily and let us do the hard work for you.
We also sell and rent pressure washer trailers in Houston, so you won’t have to worry about setting up a homemade pressure washer trailer yourself.
Our team has also mastered the art of how to maintain a pressure washer. We are the #1 home for commercial pressure washer repair in Houston, with affordable pressure washer repair costs and comprehensive, friendly service to ensure you avoid any downtime.
How to Clean Playground Equipment With a Pressure Washer
After acquiring your fantastic power washing equipment, you’ll need to learn how to use a pressure washer. Thankfully, the process is simple. You just need to learn industry recommendations and set aside time to get the job done correctly.
What Are the CDC Recommendations for Cleaning Playground Equipment?
Germs and microorganisms are one of the biggest threats to your play area.
That’s why the CDC set guidelines for cleaning play structures.
They recommend cleaning all high-touch surfaces, whether metal, plastic, or wood. You can do so with soap and water, then follow up with a registered disinfectant, like Hotsy Vital Oxide.
Choosing the Right Time to Clean Park Playgrounds
For pressure washing, select a time when the playground is closed entirely. The high-powered water streams can be unsafe if children are nearby.
Additionally, avoid poor weather conditions, like excessive rain, heat, or cold.
Try to perform a deep cleaning every 2 months at the minimum. You’ll also want to perform light cleaning or wipe-downs weekly or biweekly, depending on the traffic you receive.
Step 1: Clear the Area and Remove Debris
Grab some PPE to wear while pressure washing, and it’s time to begin! First, clear the area of large obstacles, including trash or left-behind toys. You don’t want them flying around and becoming dangerous projectiles.
Step 2: Pre-Treat Stains and High-Traffic Areas
From here, add your soap to the pressure washer. Spray it onto every surface, allowing it to soak in for 10 to 15 minutes. Just don’t let it dry to avoid soap residue.
Step 3: Set the Right Pressure and Nozzle Angle
As the soap dries, set up your machine. Start with a lower PSI than your max, so 1000 for wood or 2000 for metal. Begin with a wider nozzle, but keep your narrow-angle tip nearby as the problem areas pop up.
Step 4: Begin Cleaning from Top to Bottom
Now, you can start blasting away. Use sweeping motions from the top of the play area, working your way downwards. This will allow gravity to help you during the cleaning process. Don’t stay on one area for too long, and keep your tip at least 12 inches away from the surface to avoid damage.
Step 5: Rinse Thoroughly and Check for Missed Spots
Give the play area a thorough rinse. Check for missed spots and stubborn stains. Repeating the process from the top, you can go back over these areas with your narrow nozzle.
When finished, just put your machine in a cool, dry place for pressure washer storage, or have your retailer pick up your rental!
Final Thoughts on How to Clean Playground Equipment at Parks
Playground equipment must be safe and hygienic to create positive playtime for children and families.
A quality pressure washer offers the best cleaning efficiency, with unmatched power and speed. But the only way to ensure those fantastic results is to get the right equipment.
That’s where we’re here to help. At Hotsy of Houston, we have all the tools you need. Our experienced team has you covered with advice like how to quote pressure washing jobs and pressure washing business start-up costs.
We also provide equipment for a wide variety of use cases, including:
If you’re ready for a high-quality commercial hot water pressure washer in Houston, talk to our team! We’ll provide everything you need to make your play area the neighborhood favorite.
