With the announcement of Re-Opening Indoor & Outdoor Recreation and Entertainment Facilities in Phase 4:
- All recreational and entertainment facilities, including casinos, bingo halls, arenas, curling rinks, swimming pools, municipal parks and playgrounds, galleries, theatres, museums and similar facilities.
- All seasonal programming, camps, recreational and athletic activities.
- All businesses and customers are expected to practice physical distancing.
It is time to start conducting your playground cleaning.
People often assume that because outdoor playground equipment is exposed to sunshine and rain, as well as other elements, it is clean. This is a misconception. Northland Recreation Supply recommends thoroughly cleaning your playground equipment no less than once a month. Germs and bacteria can live on surfaces for long periods of time. Little hands, feet or other parts that contact contaminated surfaces can spread illness. About 80% of infections are spread through hand contact. We encourage playground owners and operators to use cleaning products approved for use by your playground manufacturer that are non-toxic, and will clean and kill germs, bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms. The playground equipment manufacturer should be contacted prior to selection of cleaning agents. The goal is to locate products that are safe for people (guests and staff), animals, and the environment. Selecting the right types of products to use will reduce the risk to everyone and prevent damage to playground equipment and surfacing. Using the wrong type of cleaning product can remove paint, destroy surfaces, and cause other damage. Harsh chemicals like bleach or chlorine should not be used on plastics, to avoid damage to the equipment and to limit exposure to people. Degreaser should not be used to clean plastics, domes or windows as it can cloud and permanently alter these materials. Some paper towels can scratch the surface of a dome or window and should not be used.
Power washing is one method used to clean public playgrounds, which is more practical on large outdoor playgrounds than hand-wiping equipment. Sand sifting and sanitizing is a method that can be used to remove hazards and clean sand, to reduce the risk of illness and injury. Trash receptacles should be near the playground and emptied on a regular basis. Trash, weeds, debris, and animal waste need to be removed from a playground area regularly to assure health and safety of the users. Keeping playgrounds clean is an important part of a comprehensive maintenance plan.
Some playground owners and operators may have the resources necessary to clean, sanitize and disinfect playgrounds on a regular basis on their own. Others may contract with third-party providers for cleaning of playground equipment and surfacing. We are pleased to offer this service at Northland Recreation Supply. We contract with many schools and communities to conduct their monthly cleaning and sanitization process. Whether cleaning is done in-house or contracted out, it must be consistently completed and documented for the safety and health of users.
Parents and caregivers can help with the effort to improve the cleanliness of playgrounds by enforcing handwashing, or use of hand sanitizers, before and after use of playground equipment. Forming a regular hand washing habit will do wonders in the long run to prevent the spread of illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, handwashing can reduce the spread of respiratory and diarrheal illnesses and help you and others stay healthy.
We strongly encourage schools and communities to post signage to encourage hand-washing before and after playground use, providing easy access to bathrooms and hand-washing facilities, as well providing hand-sanitizer stations at the entrance to a playground.
Do your part on containing the spread of viruses and keeping your children safe.
Contact us today to receive a quotation for our cleaning & sanitizing program.