At the end of the first rental. Looking at the dirty inflatable slide, you must be in a daze. Do I need to clean it before stocking it? Or fold it up and use it that way next time. My answer is, wash and disinfect it before putting it in storage after every time use.
So how do you clean an inflatable slide?
Here are seven steps to do it.
You will ask why.
For one thing, it’s good for renting business. For another, it extends the life of the product.
First, clean, tidy, and germ-free water slides bring a steady stream of repeat customers.
Now, many people are willing to pay for high-quality services. They know that you put a lot of time and effort into it. They will respect the value you create through your hard-working. Think that safety, health, and your sense of responsibility are worth paying more for. It would be a healthy business model.
If you want your inflatable to last longer, take good care of it. Take care of her like you would your car and your furniture. For example, a well-cared-for car, with a longer life, can not only accompany you more time. But also you can get a good price even if it is second-hand.
Second, prolong product life.
Debris can easily wear out the product. If there are branches, gravel, and other dirty things somewhere on the slide. They will rub the slide during the folding and transport process. The inflatable is easy to be worn out and the seams are also easy to be torn. In addition, dirt can easily breed bacteria. A water slide is a heaven of mold. Some harmful bacteria can destroy inflatables.
Think of the rainy season, the clothes you accidentally forget to wash. Only to find it covered by mold when you need to wear it.
It will happen on the slide too. Yes, if you don’t wash them well, they’ll grow wild in the inflatable parts and seam of the slide in 24-48hours. You have to take a long time to clean it. Here you have to use bleach for saving your slide. It may let the vinyl fade. Small tip no uses of bleach in your daily cleaning.
Both win customers and extend the lifetime of a slide. If it were me, I would be more than willing to spend more time cleaning and disinfecting it before stock.
Here is how to clean it step by step.
Step 1– Prepare the materials
Checklist
- 1 vacuum cleaner or shop vacuum
- 2-3 clean rags
- 1 soft bristle brush
- 1 sponge (Optional)
- 1 bottle of cleaning solution or homemade soapy water
- 1 bottle of disinfectant
- 1 bottle of bleach(Optional)
- 1 leaf blower (Optional)
- 1 ladder(Optional)
- 1 garden hose spray(Optional)
Step 2- Set up the slide
Every time before you set up the slide, lay a tarp on the ground first. It will keep the bottom of the slide clean and tidy. When cleaning, you can skip the step of cleaning the bottom. Otherwise, you have to clean it every time.
Cleaning the bottom of the slide is a very labor-intensive and physically demanding task, but one that has to be done.
Some people, who never clean the bottom, will have a bad smell coming out of the slide from time to time. He may not be able to find the cause. There may be some bacteria or mold breeding inside of the bottom. Which may multiply and develop to other parts of the slide. It is terrible. He either spends a lot of time cleaning it. He has to throw it away If can’t clean it up.
The tarp does not always keep the bottom clean. A storm drain may ruin it. The bottom of a rain-soaked slide is dirty and needs cleaning. I will tell you in detail later how to clean such slides.
Step 3- Make a cleaning plan
It’s best to have a plan before you start cleaning. Make a plan like you do everything else.
For example, if I clean my flat, I make a to-do list. Start with my clothes, then wipe the windows and mop the floor after that. Then add more details to the list, such as how to organize my clothes. Then I follow that list. In half an hour I can have everything organized.
Without this list, I would have had to clean where I could see and find the dirt. As a result, I have to go back and forth. Maybe I mopped the floor first and found that the windows weren’t cleaned. And then when I’ve done the laundry.
The floor is dirty again and I have to scrub it again. I could have spent an hour and I still hadn’t finished my chores.
I’m glad I have an organizing plan to get my chores done quickly and well.
It is good if you have a cleaning plan. No need to waste time and labor. You will finish all cleaning up in one time.
My cleaning order is like this
Routine use
Overall: from outside to inside, and from top to down
Play area: from inside to outside, left to right, panel by panel
Key locations are the entrance, play areas, ladders, and slides. Children crawl and jump around areas. We focus on cleaning and washing them thoroughly.
Wall: From the backlit side to the sunlight side
First of all, the backlight will dry out a little slower. The sunlight side faster in direct sunshine. So clean this side first to allow both sides to dry together.
The walls on the sides and back of the trampoline are out of reach of children. Who can be cleaned by gently wiping them with a soft brush or rag.
Bottom: If the bottom of the slide needs to be cleaned, be sure to clean and disinfect the rest of the slide first. So you don’t have to do the same thing over and over again.
To clean the bottom, place a trolly under the slide, keep it tilted. Let one corner lower than the others, preferably the pool. You can easily clean it, and get the water out of the bottom quickly.
Rain-soaked slides
The other steps are the same as cleaning a normal slide. The only different but important step is to go inside the slide.
Before cleaning the bottom, enter inside and check its condition. See if there’s any water or mold.
You must take a knife with you in case the slide suddenly deflates. So you could cut through the inflatable and save yourself under special circumstances. It may be a little dark and airtight, so carry a flashlight if you’re afraid of the dark. If you are afraid, let your worker work outside with you. It gives you a sense of security and prevents accidents.
If there is only standing water inside. Lift the three corners and let the water drain out from one corner, just as you were cleaning the bottom.
If there is mold or other dirt, you need to drain the water, then use bleach to clean and disinfect.
Step 4- Cleaning
First, move the debris and dirt away from the surface.
For a routinely used slide. Blow away debris with a leaf blower. It is hard to blower away all debris from the top of your water slide is very tall. You may need a ladder to help.
While to rain-soaked slides. Spray away dirt and debris from the surface.
Use the garden hose nozzle to flush the outside of the slide. That will save a lot of time. Don’t wipe it with a towel bit by bit.
Use a store vacuum to remove water and debris from the play area.
If you have an extension tube, this will be fine. You can stand in the same spot and draw the whole area. This will help you clean up as much of the area as possible. You Don’t have to bend or stand on your toes or walk around and around.
Using tools well can save you a lot of time and manpower.
Second, covered with a cleaning solution.
After removing water and debris. Clean the dirt or pigmentation with a cleaning solution. Some people use Simple Green to clean. It is a powerful cleaner. Some people use homemade soapy water. It is easy to get. Both of them are harmless to fabrics.
I like to use them together. This is how I usually clean my slides thoroughly. First, scrub the whole slide with soapy water and then clean the stains with Simple Green. The whole cleaning process is done vigorously and repeatedly. With a soft brush to clean particularly dirty areas. Use a rag or sponge to gently scrub the less dirty areas.
Here are some tips, the sliding and the climbing cloth can be removed. After cleaning them, clean the cloth underneath as well. If you don’t clean it there will be a lot of bacteria after some time.
Nets and shade nets are one of the children’s favorites. They love to say hello to their parents and friends from behind. To kids, it is too much fun. They will squeal with delight. When it takes their parents and friends a long time to find them hiding behind the net. So please make sure you clean it well.
The net has lots of holes, so it’s best to scrub it with a towel or sponge, not a brush, to avoid tearing it.
Have no idea about the cleaning solution?
My favorite cleaning solution is simple green.
My most common method of making cleaning fluid. Prepare a spray bottle, vinegar and, dish soap. Put the water-dish soap -vinegar ratio of 3:3:1 into your spray bottle. Shaking evenly and set aside.
Third rinse it out thoroughly
Rinse the soapy foam or cleaning solution.
Dry the surface, stitching, and corners with a towel.
It is not necessary to rinse the whole thing with water. Or to cover the water slide completely with a cleaning solution. This will take a long time to dry completely. Soaking may cause the color to fade.
Forth Removal of mold and mildew
Once you found there is mold and mildew. Use bleach to remove it. Remember only to use bleach on the moldy area. As the bleach will fade the vinyl color. But compared to the damage from mold. You have to use it. That is what we talked about all the time. Why we hate mold.
Here are tips on how to use it. Put 50% water and 50% bleach into a spray bottle. Shake it well. Remove any debris from the moldy area. Spray the bleach on the surface. Let it stay on for 10-15 minutes. Wipe off the bleach with a towel. You can repeat spraying and wiping 2-3 times until the mold is gone. Finally, you must rinse the bleach several times with plain water to wash it off thoroughly.
Take care to protect your eyes, hands, and skin from the bleach. Wear a mask, glasses, and gloves when working.
Step 5-Disinfecting
Disinfection is very important. After all, it is a place for children to play. They climb with hands and feet, sliding with butt, and some lying and rolling on top of the slide. Whatever the situation is. It is important to disinfect it to isolate epidemic viruses. Such as influenza, mildew, and HFMD.
With the increasing number of epidemics, keeping the slides disinfected in all directions is the best guarantee of children’s health. More and more parents have realized this. They prefer to rent a slightly more expensive one. But disinfected clean, and healthy inflatable water slide.
Disinfect your slides with Odoban. No need to spray all over the slide. Concentrate on those high-touch points. The pool, the bouncing area, climbing and sliding, net, entrance, and the things kids touch all the time. Disinfected properly from top to down.
Little tip never mixes Odoban with any other disinfectant chemicals. It is not safe and may make it ineffective at all.
Step 6-Drying
You can use a rag and a leaf blower to quickly blow-dry the inflatables.
Or dry it naturally. If the weather is sunny, dry them in direct sunlight for 2-3 hours to kill the bacteria with the sun’s UV rays.
Step 7-Packing and storing
Once the inflatable slide is completely dry, it’s time to pack it up. Rolled and tied up it. Put it in your warehouse and wait for the next rental.
Now you’ve done all the cleaning. It’s tiring, but it’s fun. You will find it is so easy. And you have completed the most important step in the rental business.
Last but not least, if there is something you would like to know about inflatables, please write to me.
