Remember to always have your hire agreement signed and check your unit over when you collect it. Should your bouncy castle be particularly dirty (this should be rare) then you may have to discuss a cleaning charge with the customer as per your signed agreement.
Castles need minimal cleaning so long as the operating instructions are followed by the customer. Use a groundsheet to protect the underside of the castle, which also stops dirt etc. accumulating. When collecting the inflatable give any grubby part a quick wipe over with a damp cloth and then dry with a clean towel. This should minimize the cleaning of the unit as a whole. (Little and often to keep it clean).
However, when you wish to give the castle a thorough clean here are the steps which you need to undertake.
1) Try to pick a sunny, dry day to inflate and clean your castle.
2) Ordinary washing up liquid in a bucket of warm water along with a couple of sponges and some old towels is all you need.
3) If the roof is particularly dirty, have the castle deflated and take off your shoes and then clean the roof first.
4) Wash over with the sponge and water one section at a time, drying off each section so that you don’t get runs.
5) Change your water regularly.
6) Clean the outside area next.
7) Finally vacuum clean inside the castle (this removes grass and sand and other loose debris). Just before you do this remove larger debris items e.g. sweet wrappers, small toys etc. that you don’t want to clog up the vacuum cleaner.
8) Allow the castle to be inflated for a while to allow it to fully dry out before you deflate it and pack it away.
9) If your castle gets soaked on a rainy day, store away on a pallet (if possible) so that the water drains down as much as possible. Get the unit out for a clean over and allow to thoroughly dry as quickly as possible. Storing wet castles is NOT recommended as mildew can build up and also staining can occur (which can be permanent if left too long in a wet state).
10) To remove mildew from your castle, use a solution of 50% bleach and 50% water directly on the mildew stains.
11) Rinse thoroughly once you have wiped over the effected area and air dry before rolling up and packing away. Make sure the bleach is NOT in contact with the vinyl material for any length of time as it could cause fading.)
12) Other good cleaning products to use which have proven to be effective for the more stubborn stains are Traffic film remover (Diluted), G101 cleaner, and also Johnson and John baby wipes or similar brands.
Posted by Mark Jerram
BIHA
23rd January 2009.