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How to Polish a Plastic Playground Slide

For kids, few things are more fun than rocketing down a slide, whether it’s at a park or in their backyards. However, over the years and over thousands of rides down, plastic slides become less slippery, and thus, less fun. There is good news though — you can do something about it! Read our blog to learn how to polish a plastic playground slide.

Making a slide slippery again is a fairly simple matter of cleaning it and applying a safe coating to polish it. Get the scoop on the safe and effective way to polish a plastic playground slide from the outdoor play experts at Adventure World Play Sets.

make a slide slippery

How to Make a Slide Slippery the Safe Way

Adventure World Play Sets are designed to have a very long lifespan, and while the sets are 95% maintenance-free, occasionally you’ll need to add a boost of speed to the slide. One of the main reasons that a slide loses its slickness is that it becomes dirty over time — that’s why you’ll want to start by cleaning the slide.

Here’s how we recommend cleaning and polishing your slide:

  1. Make a Cleaning Solution

    Make a cleaning solution using warm water and a mild dish detergent. This will help scrub free any dirt caked on to the slide.

  2. Scrub Down the Slide

    You’ll want to use an abrasive rag or hand towel to scrub the slide from top to bottom. Once the slide is free of the years of outside dirt, rinse off the soapy solution with the garden hose.

  3. Let it Dry

    Before you start to wax or polish your playground slide, you’ll want to let it dry. This makes the wax apply easier.

  4. Wax the Slide Itself

    This is one of the best ways to make a slide slippery again. While removing dirt from your slide on its own helps, waxing the slide really brings back the slick ride that the slide boasted when it was new. To do this safely, we recommend rubbing wax paper over the entire slide surface. Rubbing the wax paper transfers the food-safe wax onto the surface of your slide.

    While wax paper is our preference when polishing a playground slide, some parents like to use spray-on wax to achieve the same effect. Since the waxy surface of the slide will come into direct contact with your children’s skin and clothes, make sure that whatever you use is non-toxic, non-irritating, and won’t stain their clothes.

    Learn more about what makes our swing sets the safest.

  5. Sand the Slide Surface (If Needed)

    If you run your hand down your slide and feel countless shallow grooves on the surface, they’ll slow down anyone’s ride on the slide. To take care of this, you’ll want to sand the slide surface with sandpaper.

All the Slide Options from Adventure World Play Sets

polished green plastic playground slide

Since we know how much outdoor fun a slide packs, we include at least one slide on practically every single Adventure World play set. We build tons of different slides with different heights, different lengths, and different twists and spirals.

See all of our playset slide options.

Since Adventure World Play Sets can change as your kids get older, many parents like to upgrade to bigger and more interesting types of slides as their kids grow up — and demand faster outdoor thrills.

Find Your Nearest Adventure World Play Sets Dealer

Adventure World Play Sets is a nationwide brand of premium swing sets and playsets sold exclusively through our dealer network. When the time comes to upgrade to an Adventure World Play Set, the first step is finding your nearest dealer.

Our knowledgeable dealers can help you find the perfect set for your kids and your backyard. Whether it’s one of our popular swing set options or something totally custom, our dealers will make your kids’ dream set a reality. Enter your zip code to be connected to the Adventure World Play Sets dealer near your area.

Plus, learn more about how to design your custom playset using our 3D design center.

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Our Google Reviews

The best swingset company, in my opinion! We are an independent contractor that works for a lot of companies. Adventure world swingsets are built very well. They will last more than one generation.
Jay Flaud
Jay Flaud
2023-01-14
Reasonable price, great warranty, well installed. Kids will love it1
John Lippert
John Lippert
2022-12-29
Amazing quality! Definitely worth the purchase since kids play all day on it!
Isabella Laris Logan
Isabella Laris Logan
2022-11-07
Just got a wonderful playset for our preschool. It is fantastic!! It has been an easy experience.
Bethany Brown
Bethany Brown
2022-07-28
Great quality playset. Arrived quickly. Installation and communication through J&R Mulch Waynesboro PA was excellent
Allison Hickman
Allison Hickman
2022-06-23
If you ever need a swingset installed in your backyard or anywhere, you MUST get it from here.
Steven Rice
Steven Rice
2022-01-25
We have been trying to purchase one of these play sets for months and none of the dealers in our area will call us back about purchasing one. I wish the purchasing process was easier than "find a vendor in your local area". No one here wants to build them! The Happy Hideout looks like an amazing product for my toddler to grow into. I'm sad no one will build them or call us back. Edit: The company contacted me personally and found a vendor in my area!
Charlotte Doty
Charlotte Doty
2022-01-19
Great people to work with and high quality! Highly recommend, my kids love their new play house!
Ashley McGinnis
Ashley McGinnis
2021-12-24