Trampoline Care and Maintenance Guide and Tips
A trampoline can be a big investment, and you want it to last for a long time so proper trampoline care and trampoline maintenance is important. Caring for a trampoline isn’t hard and a lot of the things should be done for safety and other reason, not just for care reasons. If you take proper care of your trampoline, then it will last a long time. This is of course assuming that you purchased a top quality trampoline.
Proper care can go a long way in making sure your trampoline last, but the number one thing is make sure you read trampoline reviews and buy a quality trampoline.
Clean The Trampoline Often
The first thing that comes to mind when caring for your trampoline is maintenance. You may be asking what do I need to do to my trampoline after it is set up and been used for a while to keep it in the best shape. Well the simple answer is clean it every so often. Depending on the weather where you live and amount of use it may need cleaned more or less often than others, but once or twice a month isn’t a bad idea. Cleaning a trampoline is pretty simple. Basically you want to get big debris off and then get the skin oils off of it. For a more detailed guide on cleaning a trampoline you can check out all our advice here.
Avoid Shoes And Jewerly On The Trampoline
So now that we got cleaning out of the way what else goes into caring for a trampoline? Well, proper use is a big one. You don’t want to jump on trampoline with shoes on. This can damage the jumping surfaces because shoes put a lot of pressure and weight on the trampoline. Another thing is don’t bounce with jewelry on or things in your pocket. Not only is this a safety issue for you, it can also lead to rips or tears in the trampoline. You don’t want jewelry getting caught in the knitting of the jump mat or a key cutting it.
Flat And Leveled Area
Another part of caring for your trampoline is preventative things. When you are setting up your trampoline you want it to be in a flat area. Not only is it unsafe to bounce on an unleveled trampoline, but it can also bend the frame and cause permanent damage.
Place The Trampoline In The Shade
Placement of your trampoline in the shade can also help make sure it last longer. Good trampolines have UV protection to try to keep the jump mat and cloth materials from drying out, but the sun will break that protection down over time. If the trampoline dries out, then it will become brittle and get holes easier.
Winterize The Trampoline
Winterizing your trampoline is also important preventative care. If you live with an area with snow you especially want to make sure you take down most of the trampoline for winter. If the steel is galvanized, then you can leave the frame up, but you need to take the enclosure net down, as well as store away the spring cover and jump mat. You don’t want snow building up on the jump mat because snow can get heavy relatively fast. This will weigh the mat down and cause the springs to stretch out. All that moister and snow setting on the mat can also lead to mold forming especially on the days that it warms up and the snow melts. Mold is bad for your health and will cause the mat to break down and get holes.
Use A Stake And A Weather Cover
An accessory that can be a part of preventative care for your trampoline is a stake kit. A stake kit is like for a tent, but you hook a string onto the leg of the trampoline and then put the metal stake into the ground to hold it down. Not only does this keep the trampoline from tipping while bouncing, but it also keeps the trampoline from blowing away if a gust of wind comes along. This prevents damage to your trampoline and other property. One other accessory is a weather cover. This keeps the sun off the trampoline, so if you can’t place it in a shady area, it still keeps some of the light off while not in use. Also, it keeps water from getting to the trampoline directly which prevents some of the other mentioned damages.
Check If It Is Still Asembled Correctly
Lastly to care for your trampoline you should perform checks to make sure everything is still assembled correctly. Bolts can come loose during bouncing or springs might start to slip out of there holes. Maintenance checks keep you safe and keeps any damage from happening to the trampoline frame. Also, proper use and following weight limit requirements will keep your trampoline lasting longer. If you go over the weight limit, then springs could snap or the jump mat could rip.
Conclusion
Caring for a trampoline is not that hard. A lot of the things have other benefits such as safety. Periodically checking it to make sure it is together correctly, and keeping it on a flat surface both keep you safe while bouncing. Using a staking kit also keeps you and your other property safe. Not wearing shoes, and following weight requirements are a couple other simple things that doesn’t really require any extra effort out of you. Cleaning the trampoline can take a little time, but isn’t really that hard of a process, and while cleaning it is a great time to inspect it. Also, taking it down during the winter can be annoying, but it is better than having to buy a new trampoline every year.
If you buy a quality trampoline and do basic things to maintain it, then it will last for a long time. Just remember taking preventative measures can save you a lot of money and hassle in the long runs, so you can enjoy the same trampoline for years and years.
