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Maintaining Your Swing Set

Your Creative Playthings Wooden Swing Set will stay looking great and retain more of the swing set's resale value if it is properly maintained. How often you clean your wooden swing set will depend a lot on the climate where you live. In general, you clean your swing set, slides, and swings just like you'd clean any other piece of outdoor furniture. You may hose the set down, but we recommend against pressure washing the wood components. In addition to cleaning your swing set, you should also maintain your wooden swing set on an annual basis as well.

    Stain-Brush2

    Perform Do-It-Yourself Maintenance

    If you prefer to maintain the swing set and accessories yourself, your Creative Playthings retailer offers our specially formulated water-repellent stain and sealer in colors to match the original factory finish

    Enroll in our Maintenance Program

    Your local Creative Playthings retailer can provide you with an annual maintenance program that will include re-tightening the hardware, touching up scuffed areas, and applying our own water repellent sealer to all wood part.

    Regardless of which method you choose, your swing set will stay looking great for years of healthy, outdoor family fun.This service may not be available in all markets.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    If you've got questions, this is the place! Click on your product line of choice to expand.

    Q. When should my set be maintained?
    A. We recommend having this service performed in the spring and fall months, weather permitting.

    Q. How often should I clear seal my swing set?
    A. Creative Playthings recommends that you perform the maintenance once a year to ensure that your set is protected from the elements.

    Q. How often should I stain/seal my swing set?
    A. Creative Playthings applies a specially formulated deep penetrating stain sealer at the factory that will last for some time. Once the stain appears to have faded considerably then the stain maintenance should be performed.

    Q. Should my set be clean prior to the clear or stain maintenance?
    A. Yes, you should wipe down the set with either a broom or rag to get the excess dirt off the set.

    Q. Should I power wash my set prior to the clear or stain maintenance?
    A. Although it is not necessary to power wash the set for the sealer or stain to be applied if you choose to do so it must be on a very low pressure/velocity setting and completed 72 hours before the scheduled service.

    Q. What services are performed during a tune-up?
    A. After lightly sanding any worn spots, we'll apply a fresh coat of clear or stain sealer on all wooden components and replace any missing safety caps. Then, to make sure the set is as rock solid as when first installed, we'll tighten any loose hardware and (if deemed necessary) re-stake the leg assembly.

    Q. Why was my service re-scheduled if it is not raining?
    A. We generally would like a minimum of 48 hours of no rainfall to make sure the wood is completely dry so it will best accept the clear or stain sealer.

    Q. Why has my stain/seal maintenance been re-scheduled more than once?
    A. Applying a stain/sealer requires the wood to be completely dry for the stain to adhere properly. To ensure the maintenance is done correctly, we require that the set is ready and the weather conditions are ideal before proceeding.

    Q. Will I be able to tell if a clear sealer was applied?
    A. Sometimes it is not immediately obvious if a clear sealer has been applied. If you see that the water is beading off the wood then your set is properly sealed.