Activity Table Care & Maintenance

Troubles wipe away easily with the right care

Why aren't activity tables filthy? Sometimes it seems that children are nothing but nose-picking, bum-scratching blobs of protoplasm, yet those classroom tables keep on shining. The trick is to pick the right play table, made for the age of children who will be using it, and a little bit of tender, loving soap.

Material benefits Classroom tables and play tables for children are designed to get dirty. Smaller ones are made of molded plastic, which is hard, stain-proof and easily washable. Hose it down if you want to. Just avoid bleach, which fades the beautiful bright colors available on plastic tables. Plastic also may hold onto the smell of bleach, which can irritate sensitive little noses and skin. If you must use bleach, keep it light: just a tablespoon per gallon is enough to kill germs. Better yet, use a disinfectant spray, soap or pre-moistened wipes. Replace the sand in sand tables every month or two if it is used by a lot of children; every year if it's a one-kid table. Sand is naturally resistant to germs, but heavy use and added water can make it stale-smelling. Although sand can be rinsed to remove food spills, don't add any bleach to the water. Sand is porous, and will hold onto whatever you put into it. Keep an eye on the water in water tables, as it gets murky quick. A few drops of disinfectant dish soap keeps germs down, provides a lot of bubble fun, and washes little hands in the process. Replace the water after each heavy use.

Wipe your cares away

All of our activity tables are easy to clean. Classroom tables are usually coated with a hard laminate which resists water and is easily washable. Some are made entirely of ABS plastic, and others have a hard melamine coating, recognizable by its pearly-white, hard appearance. All can be wiped with a damp rag and light cleaning spray. Although plastic and laminates may absorb bleach, melamine is impervious to pretty much anything you or your kids can throw at it.

A wooden table top is quaint and comfortable, but kids will eventually wear through the finish, and the porous wood underneath is harder to wash and may splinter. Stick with activity tables made for children.

Get a leg up

If your table has folding legs, inspect them once a month or so for loose hinges or worn locking hardware. Although normally very stable, these legs may wobble over the years. A little attention, along with a drip of oil from time to time, will keep your activity table legs strong, flexible and safe.