Certain products may require special maintenance, but in general, you can use the following maintenance schedule recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for residential playgrounds:
- Check nuts and bolts twice a month and tighten as needed.
- Oil moving metal parts as directed by the manufacturer.
- Check to make sure protective caps and plugs that cover bolt ends and ends of tubing are in place and tight. Inspect twice a month and replace as needed.
- Check the condition of the equipment, looking for signs of wear and tear such as broken or missing components, bent pipes or tubing, and splintering wooden surfaces. Repair as necessary.
- Check swing seats, ropes, chains, and cables monthly for deterioration and replace as needed.
- Clean, sand, and repaint rusted areas with a non-lead-based paint, as needed.
- Remove plastic swing seats in cold weather, if recommended by the manufacturer.
- Rake surfacing periodically to prevent compaction and maintain appropriate depths.
For commercial playgrounds, we recommend reading through the more thorough maintenance schedule recommended by the CPSC for public playgrounds (found on page 18).