Winter is Coming, and Storing Inflatables Correctly is Important
Depending on where in the country you live, bounce houses and other inflatables can be used for most of the year without a problem. But once water starts freezing, it’s a good idea to pack up your bounce house and keep it safely stored until spring starts warming things up again. And safely storing inflatables through the winter lets you enjoy them as much next year as you did this year.
Commercial inflatables and our consumer vinyl crossover inflatables are built tough. They’re durable enough to last a great many years if cared for properly. So making sure you’re storing your inflatables correctly during the upcoming winter months is crucial. And thankfully, it’s really not all that difficult to do.
Here’s the simplified list of steps for storing inflatables during the winter:
- Make sure your inflatables are clean, dry, and undamaged
- Roll them up properly and store them in vinyl storage bags
- Keep them someplace warm, clean, dry, and preferably off the ground
- Don’t expose them to rain or snow
Of course, each of these points is a little more involved. So let’s describe storing inflatables long term in twelve simple steps. And should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to comment below, contact us on social media, or just give us a call at 716-566-5806.
#1 - Don’t Drag Inflatables Around!
Storing your inflatables will involve a lot of moving them around. It’s quite common for some people to get tired during this process, especially if you’re not using a hand truck or dolly. And trying to carry a bounce house weighing hundreds of pounds is a nonstarter. So seriously consider investing in a hand truck or a dolly, and if that isn’t an option, at least avoid dragging your inflatables around, which can cause serious damage.
#2 - Clean Your Inflatables Before Storing Them
Mold and mildew can utterly destroy a bounce house, inflatable slide, or obstacle course. So can caked up grime and debris. It’s very, very important you take the time to do a thorough deep cleaning of your inflatables before rolling them up for storage. Be sure to read our guide on how to clean a bounce house and take your time doing this important step.
#3 - … And Make Sure They’re Dry, Too!
The most important thing you can do to combat and prevent mold and mildew is to ensure your bounce house is fully dry before attempting to store it. Storing inflatables wet practically guarantees you’ll see mold and mildew damage. Allow your bouncer to thoroughly dry in the sun, and go over it with towels as an extra measure. You can also use leaf blowers to dry bouncers and other inflatables.
#4 - Patch Your Inflatables Before You Store Them
Having just cleaned your bounce house, this might be an ideal time to patch up any rips, tears, or other damage you may have found. Inflatable repair kits are cost effective and easy to use. If you own a bounce house or another inflatable, we strongly recommend keeping a few repair kits in your garage or basement just in case. And if you’ve been putting off fixing minor damage, there’s no time better than the present to get it taken care of.
#5 - Roll Up Your Bouncer Correctly
When storing inflatables long term, you’ll want to ensure they’re rolled up tightly, cleanly, and properly. Read our guide on how to deflate a bounce house for details. But the gist of it is that you want to make sure you remove every last drop of air you realistically can and that the bouncer has been rolled up the right way.
#6 - Use High Quality Storage Bags
All of our inflatables ship with storage bags, but they’re not ideal for long term storage. And some bounce house vendors sell inflatables without any form of storage bag at all. For long term storage, this simply will not do!
We recommend investing in high quality, heavy duty, commercial grade storage bags. They’ll do a little more to protect your bouncer from damage, and the bags themselves are more durable and will last longer.
#7 - Choose the Best Spot for Storing Inflatables All Winter
When storing inflatables, the where is just as important as the how. So let’s take a few moments to find a perfect location for storing your bouncers and other inflatables during these colder months.
An ideal storage location should be:
- Warm, but not hot. The area should never dip below 40 degrees fahrenheit
- Clean. Make sure you give the floor a good sweep before setting your inflatable there for storage. Avoid dampness and avoid setting your inflatable down on any type of debris.
- Dry. Again, moisture is your biggest enemy when storing a bounce house or other inflatable. Make sure the ground and walls are dry, and avoid using spaces known to be damp or wet, like musty unfinished basements or leaky sheds.
#8 - Keep Inflatables Off the Ground
Keep your inflatables off the ground using skids, cement blocks, or by some other means, especially in areas that aren’t climate controlled. Exposing your bounce house to a cold cement floor can do damage even if the air in the room is warm enough. And should spills or leaks occur, your inflatable could get soaked and damaged.
#9 - Keep Your Inflatables Covered
Most of you who’ve bought inflatables will have also bought tarps. You can use your tarps to cover up your storage bags containing bounce houses for an extra layer of protection from spills, drops, and leaky roofs.
#10 - Avoid Stacking When Storing Inflatables
That expensive bouncer of yours isn’t a table or a shelf. We recommend putting a note on or near the bouncer to ward off others in your household—and yourself, for that matter—from setting things on top of the bounce house. It’s easy to forget about a bounce house when it’s rolled up and stuffed inside a storage bag. So avoid setting boxes or bags on top of your inflatables while they’re being stored.
#11 - Keep a Hand Truck or Dolly Nearby
Storage spaces shift around. You never know if or when you might need to move your bounce house around, or reorganize your storage space to make room for something new. We recommend keeping your hand truck or dolly close to your bouncer and storing them together, so should the need arise to move that bouncer, you aren’t left running all over the place.
#12 - If You Take The Bouncer Out During Winter, Rinse and Repeat!
Owning a bounce house, there will be those occasions during the winter where you think about taking it out for an afternoon of fun. And as long as it’s at least 40 degrees or more outside and the ground isn’t too wet or mucky, that should be fine. But make sure you repeat all of these steps and store your bouncer correctly when the day is done. Storing inflatables correctly is important whenever doing so for longer than a week or so. And you may not get your bounce house back out again until it’s time for spring cleaning and a new year of inflatable fun.
Hope this helps. Give us a call at (716) 566-5806 for purchase inquiries.