Playground Maintenance Checklist

Whether you’re responsible for a public playground or have a playset in your backyard, maintenance is very important. Properly maintaining playground equipment keeps kids safe by preventing or minimizing injuries. It also extends the lifetime of your equipment so it can be enjoyed for years to come.

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to playground maintenance, you’re at the right place. We’ve put together a playground maintenance checklist to help you keep your playground in top-notch shape no matter the season. Let’s get to work!

Maintain Your Playground Equipment All Year Round

Playground maintenance isn’t just for the warmer months. It’s crucial to perform monthly maintenance checks on all of your playground equipment and surfacing each and every month. Maintenance is especially important at the change of each season, particularly before and after winter.

While children spend less time outside during the winter months, they should still be getting fresh air every day. This Swing Kingdom blog has more information about the benefits of outdoor play during winter.

Make Sure You’re Covering the Basics

You already know you should perform monthly playground inspections to keep kids safe as they play. But what should you be looking for? Before we get to our specific maintenance checklists, here are a few general considerations to keep in mind:

Thoroughly inspect your equipment from top to bottom. Look at roofing, ropes, chains, and cables. If anything is fraying or rusting, replace it. This is also the time to tighten loose bolts and screws.
Clean your playground equipment. If you have low-maintenance Swing Kingdom equipment, you know cleaning is a breeze. Because our products are vinyl, all you have to do is wipe them down with mild soap and water.
Store any accessories over the winter. All of our high-quality accessories and add-ons are designed to withstand the elements and can technically stay outside year-round. However, we recommend storing belt and tire swings, gliders, and canvas canopies to extend their lifespans.

Playground Maintenance Checklists

The best way to ensure your playground gets the maintenance it needs is to create a schedule. If you have staff, make sure they know their responsibilities and deadlines for completing their maintenance tasks. If you’re just taking care of a playset in your back yard, set repeating reminders for yourself so nothing gets forgotten.

For more specific directions, check out the playground maintenance checklists below!

Ladders & Climbers

There are no missing rungs.
There are no signs of cracking, slipping, or loose rungs.
There’s no rust or corrosion.
There’s no peeling or cracking paint.

Slides

The supports and anchors are intact and secure.
There are no missing bolts, screws, or nuts.
The enclosures are intact.
There’s no rust or corrosion on slide connection points.

Spinners & Bouncers

There are no exposed moving part mechanisms.
The moving parts are well-lubricated and aren’t excessively worn.
The speed regulators are intact.
There are no missing bolts, screws, or nuts.

Structure

The towers, decks, bridges, and walkways are intact.
There are no visible cracks, warping, or breaks.
There are no pinch or crush points due to exposed components.
There are no broken, missing, corroded, or rusted parts.

Surfacing

There’s no standing water in low spots that could harbor insects.
The loose fill (mulch, sand, rubber, etc.) surfacing material is adequately deep.
The unitary (hard) surfacing isn’t excessively worn.
The border around the playground is in good condition.

Swings