Maintaining Your Vinyl Swing Set or Playhouse

Imagine this: it's summer, the sun is roasting, and the humidity is trying to sap every bit of moisture out of your body. Your eyes keep glancing towards your comfy chair and your thoughts towards a cold drink, but, no, you have committed to refinishing and re-staining your wood swing set this evening. The project doesn’t go great and takes longer than expected. Plus, in one incident, you accidentally teach your children some new words that they will store away, waiting to use them at the most inopportune moment. 

And you will have to do this job on repeat for the years you own this wood swing set. 

With a vinyl swing set, you skip all that noise. A vinyl swing set or playhouse is virtually maintenance-free; you can set it in your yard and forget about it. No maintenance is needed to extend the set's life like a wood swing set. 

However, you are one of those people who like to keep things nice and tidy. You want to protect your investments. Thus, here is a guide on properly maintaining and caring for your vinyl swing set or playhouse. The following is optional, and the playset will be fine without it. However, fine isn’t good enough for you. You want it to look its best year after year.

Let’s dive into it!

Cleaning Your Vinyl Swing Set

One of the simplest and most effective ways to keep your vinyl swing set looking sharp is to clean it every year or do a spot cleaning if a particularly muddy day produces a series of footprints across the set. 

A pressure washer is your best option for general cleaning of the set. Before blasting it, spray extra dirty areas with a simple cleaner like Simple Green, then wash away. Do not use the most high-pressure nozzle; medium pressure is all needed. Once finished pressure washing, wrap up by scrubbing with a soft bristle brush on any stubborn dirt.

If algae or moss builds up on your set, use a product like Wet & Forget. It does wonders for the appearance of your vinyl swing set. Be sure to follow all the label instructions. You will be amazed how effectively moss and algae are removed with that cleaner and a bit of scrubbing and washing. 

While cleaning is not required to keep the set structurally sound, thorough cleaning keeps the swing set looking nice year after year. Plus, you need to prove that your purchase of a pressure washer was justified and pressure washing the swing set exemplifies your wise decision. 

Lawn Care Around Your Swing Set

Cleaning the set is an obvious way to keep it looking great, but lawn maintenance is also important. A clean set with big, nasty weeds and grass overtaking it isn’t nearly as impressive as a well-maintained play area. You want the neighbors nodding their heads in stunned approval when they gaze upon your backyard. A beautiful vinyl swing set in the middle of a pristine play area showcases your prowess.

Now, of course, the easiest way to do that is to spring for a mulch bed around the set, as it removes any need for mowing, weed eating, and the like while adding in additional safety (for more about mulch beds, click here). 

Let’s start with mowing. When mowing around your swing set, blow the grass away from it. You don’t want organic material piling up on it, as it needs to be cleaned off later. This also prevents the mower blades from throwing a stone from the yard into the backyard swing set and damaging the vinyl. 

Watch out for the swing beam’s A-frame support beams when mowing around the set. You would be surprised how many people run over them with a lawnmower. 

The best practice is to weed whack around the set before mowing. Your vinyl swing set is impervious to a string weed whacker, so go for it. However, the end caps at the end of the swing beam’s A-frame are vulnerable, so don’t hit them. If you do, contact us, and we can send you replacements. 

Once a year, you should glance around at the trees (if you have any) around your playset, noting any that are rotten or could grow into the set. Removing rotting branches in a controlled manner keeps them from falling on the set during a storm. Early pruning of branches that could interfere with the set is much easier than waiting till they are an actual problem. 

Mulch Bed Care

Mulch beds do not require much maintenance, but there are a few tips for keeping them clean and maximizing their safety. These tips apply to both wood and rubber mulch. 

The tree that provides such glorious shade during the summer can become a villain during the fall, dropping copious amounts of leaves into your mulch bed. Waiting for a dry day and then using an air blower to blast them out is a great way to keep your mulch bed debris-free. 

At the start of every spring, level the mulch around your playset. This helps protect your children from falls, as mulch can only do its job if it is spread over the entire playground. High-traffic areas tend to kick mulch out (think under the swings or the end of slides). To combat this, you can either consistently spread the mulch back into position or purchase mats in high-use areas to keep it in place. 

Replenishing lost mulch is also an important part of maintaining your mulch bed. Wood mulch will organically break down and should be replaced as needed. Rubber mulch doesn’t decay, but your kids may lob it out, or running feet may spray it over the border. While the replenishment rate for rubber mulch is significantly lower than that of wood mulch, it is something to keep an eye on for maximum safety. 

Seasonal Care for Your Swing Set

While your vinyl swing set is virtually maintenance-free, the following tips help keep your set safe and ensure that all the pieces look good. 

Spring: With the dawn of good weather, looking over the set before releasing the kids on it for another year of play is always a good idea. Wiggle the slides, swing on the swings, and give it the once over. Think of it as checking the oil on your car routinely; if a problem develops on your swing set, the sooner you reach out to our CS team, the easier it will be for us to take care of it (click here to learn more about our warranty). 

Once you look set over, Spring is a great time to clean it and re-level the mulch. Once done, release the kids to burn off that pent-up energy.

Summer: Depending on where you live, taking care of your lawn around the set is the only thing you must do during the summer to keep it looking great. It is advisable to check the mulch in the high-use areas. 

Fall: While sipping down your pumpkin spice latte, blowing out debris from your mulch and off your set helps keep it clean and pristine. 

Winter: While optional, you can take your hammock swing inside to keep it looking nice. Be sure to detach any hoses from your misting systems. Otherwise, your swing set is built tough and can withstand the cold without issue. 

The Vinyl Swing Set Difference

When you purchase a vinyl swing set from King Swings, you get a maintenance-free playset that will last for years. Each swing set is built strong so that even adults can enjoy the fun. 

We’re King Swings. A family-owned company with a 35+ year history of building premium swing sets that inspire enriching play and discovery. Handcrafted and customized so they are as unique as your family. Made with quality materials that stand the test of time. Our modern designs and imaginative accessories will inspire backyard play for the whole family. 

So what are you waiting for? Grab your phone (which you conveniently are already holding since you are reading this on your phone) and click the call now button! Let us help you bring the playground home!