bounce houses, inflatable obstacle courses and slides for sale.
Check out our start up and business builder packages. They are a popular money-saving options for starting or growing your amusement business. Today’s inflatables offer the latest in innovative, interactive recreation. From the time-honored castle bounce house to multi-featured obstacle courses, combos and 25 foot water slides!
All of our prices include blower(s), entrance ramp(s) or cushion(s)*, stakes, straps, repair kit and storage bag, game accessories* and built-on business card holder!
*If applicable and included by manufacturer.
Winterizing Your Commercial Inflatables
By Lisa Gerr
It’s fall! I love fall! My mom theorizes that it’s because I am an autumn baby, born in October. I enjoy the changing colors of the trees, fall foods like squash and the “crisping up” of the air. As a veteran member of the commercial inflatable industry, after the thoughts of spiced pumpkin pie dance through my head, my thoughts turn to all the rental companies winterizing their fleets of commercial inflatables in preparation for the winter and storage. The smell of simple green and cut hay mix in the same ole factory memory for me!
It also reminded me to call my friend in L.A. (who has a well-established 300-unit rental company) and get any new tips on what to do to store your rental fleet for the winter. Even in warmer climates like California where the rentals can go nearly year round, rental companies’ use the slower months of fall and winter to take care of their units and plan and prepare for the following busy season. Making sure rental rules are followed, keeping your unit clean and keeping them in good repair are the only steps that can be taken to protect your investment. I can’t urge you strongly enough to get it done. Don’t wait until the following spring to inspect and repair. You will lose revenue. You’re in Chicago. You rent a water slide for $400/day. You roll out your water slide the first day of the summer season and realize it needs to be repaired. At best, this repair will take 3 to 4 weeks, including transit time. At $400 per rental, you will be losing $2400 of a possible $7200 that this unit could be contributing to your seasonal revenue stream – 1/3 of your rental revenue for that unit. Do yourself a favor. Inspect and schedule repairs now.
Due to the colder, wetter climate, East Coast companies have an even bigger urgency to inspect their units and get them as clean and as ‘aired out’ as possible for long term storage. The West Coast’s rental business owner has a longer season and also has more sunny days to get the units out of storage and air them out but don’t misunderstand; it is time for all rental companies to begin the process of winterizing.
Cleaning After a Rental
Every time a unit is rented out the unit should be cleaned within 2 to 3 days. Inflate the unit to clean it; wipe down the wall surfaces with a half & half mix of Simple Green and water using a chamois. Spray the solution onto the cloth, not the vinyl surface. Vacuum the floor paying close attention to the seams and corners of the floor where dirt and debris collect. I learned a trick to release the dirt from the seam. Use the wand of the shop vac and bang it along the seam. This will loosen the dirt and you can then vacuum it up. If it is a unit that is used with water or a unit that has gotten wet for any reason, you must leave it inflated in the sun for a suggested 5 hours. If you aren’t able to leave it inflated that long, that’s ok but write it on your schedule to get that unit back out of inventory a week later to inflate it again. If it is a water slide or other water unit, you should plan to inflate it and air it out every week until you hit slow season. Shuffle your units. Just like the grocer pulls older stock forward, you need to rotate your inflatables. Restock your clean bounce house at the back of the line so you are spreading out the bounce hours among the units. My friend assigns a stock number to each of his units. He cuts the numbers (6” tall) out of vinyl and glues it to the bottom of the unit being sure to roll it so the number is visible when it is sitting on the shelf. This practice gives you the system you need to track and organize your rental units. Even if you are just starting out and only have 3 units in inventory, follow best practices now and develop good habits now. Oh, and as crazy as it may sound, keep an eye for rats, snakes and other varmints. Often it is dark when you are rolling up these units in the customer’s back yard. You never know what you could be bringing back to your warehouse. That is another to reason to clean it after every rental! At the first sign of a rodent call the exterminator and have it handled immediately. Colder, wetter weather also attracts rodents to your warehouse. Rodents will chew through vinyl and window mesh.
Winterizing
When slow season approaches, schedule a cleaning for each unit. Plan and budget now for the man hours you will need to get these units cleaned and stored. They need a detailed scrubbing; being sure to get the dirt and grime in corners and edges. Give the unit 5 hours of air time. Open up and check for smells of mildew, dank or mold once a week. If you smell mold or mildew, inflate it and air it out for 5 hours. Once there is no odor, then you can schedule an airing out every 3 to 4 weeks throughout the slow season. The deeper the cleaning the longer you can let it go between airings. Again, if you are on the east coast it is especially important that you scrub your unit thoroughly, top to bottom, and air it thoroughly since the climate is more humid and finding a warm dry place to set the units up may be a challenge. See if you can rent a gym for mid-season airing. Remove slide blankets and step blankets and roll them up separately to store. DO NOT USE THE STORAGE BAG. This will hold any moisture inside, and cause the vinyl to mold. Mold is permanent. Business owners want their units to last, but you must be willing to spend the money and time necessary to maintain them or be prepared to replace them sooner.
Finally, check the blowers. Inspect the cords for any broken or live wires and broken fan covers. Both of these situations are dangerous and a liability.
It’s not rocket science, it’s discipline and effort that is well worth it.
Once you have it handled, take a well-deserved long weekend with friends or family. It’s the perfect way to thank you for pulling off another fantastic season and thank your family and friends for their support. It’s a family business after all.
Happy Winter!
It’s fall! I love fall! My mom theorizes that it’s because I am an autumn baby, born in October. I enjoy the changing colors of the trees, fall foods like squash and the “crisping up” of the air. As a veteran member of the commercial inflatable industry, after the thoughts of spiced pumpkin pie dance through my head, my thoughts turn to all the rental companies winterizing their fleets of commercial inflatables in preparation for the winter and storage. The smell of simple green and cut hay mix in the same ole factory memory for me!
It also reminded me to call my friend in L.A. (who has a well-established 300-unit rental company) and get any new tips on what to do to store your rental fleet for the winter. Even in warmer climates like California where the rentals can go nearly year round, rental companies’ use the slower months of fall and winter to take care of their units and plan and prepare for the following busy season. Making sure rental rules are followed, keeping your unit clean and keeping them in good repair are the only steps that can be taken to protect your investment. I can’t urge you strongly enough to get it done. Don’t wait until the following spring to inspect and repair. You will lose revenue. You’re in Chicago. You rent a water slide for $400/day. You roll out your water slide the first day of the summer season and realize it needs to be repaired. At best, this repair will take 3 to 4 weeks, including transit time. At $400 per rental, you will be losing $2400 of a possible $7200 that this unit could be contributing to your seasonal revenue stream – 1/3 of your rental revenue for that unit. Do yourself a favor. Inspect and schedule repairs now.
Due to the colder, wetter climate, East Coast companies have an even bigger urgency to inspect their units and get them as clean and as ‘aired out’ as possible for long term storage. The West Coast’s rental business owner has a longer season and also has more sunny days to get the units out of storage and air them out but don’t misunderstand; it is time for all rental companies to begin the process of winterizing.
Cleaning After a Rental
Every time a unit is rented out the unit should be cleaned within 2 to 3 days. Inflate the unit to clean it; wipe down the wall surfaces with a half & half mix of Simple Green and water using a chamois. Spray the solution onto the cloth, not the vinyl surface. Vacuum the floor paying close attention to the seams and corners of the floor where dirt and debris collect. I learned a trick to release the dirt from the seam. Use the wand of the shop vac and bang it along the seam. This will loosen the dirt and you can then vacuum it up. If it is a unit that is used with water or a unit that has gotten wet for any reason, you must leave it inflated in the sun for a suggested 5 hours. If you aren’t able to leave it inflated that long, that’s ok but write it on your schedule to get that unit back out of inventory a week later to inflate it again. If it is a water slide or other water unit, you should plan to inflate it and air it out every week until you hit slow season. Shuffle your units. Just like the grocer pulls older stock forward, you need to rotate your inflatables. Restock your clean bounce house at the back of the line so you are spreading out the bounce hours among the units. My friend assigns a stock number to each of his units. He cuts the numbers (6” tall) out of vinyl and glues it to the bottom of the unit being sure to roll it so the number is visible when it is sitting on the shelf. This practice gives you the system you need to track and organize your rental units. Even if you are just starting out and only have 3 units in inventory, follow best practices now and develop good habits now. Oh, and as crazy as it may sound, keep an eye for rats, snakes and other varmints. Often it is dark when you are rolling up these units in the customer’s back yard. You never know what you could be bringing back to your warehouse. That is another to reason to clean it after every rental! At the first sign of a rodent call the exterminator and have it handled immediately. Colder, wetter weather also attracts rodents to your warehouse. Rodents will chew through vinyl and window mesh.
Winterizing
When slow season approaches, schedule a cleaning for each unit. Plan and budget now for the man hours you will need to get these units cleaned and stored. They need a detailed scrubbing; being sure to get the dirt and grime in corners and edges. Give the unit 5 hours of air time. Open up and check for smells of mildew, dank or mold once a week. If you smell mold or mildew, inflate it and air it out for 5 hours. Once there is no odor, then you can schedule an airing out every 3 to 4 weeks throughout the slow season. The deeper the cleaning the longer you can let it go between airings. Again, if you are on the east coast it is especially important that you scrub your unit thoroughly, top to bottom, and air it thoroughly since the climate is more humid and finding a warm dry place to set the units up may be a challenge. See if you can rent a gym for mid-season airing. Remove slide blankets and step blankets and roll them up separately to store. DO NOT USE THE STORAGE BAG. This will hold any moisture inside, and cause the vinyl to mold. Mold is permanent. Business owners want their units to last, but you must be willing to spend the money and time necessary to maintain them or be prepared to replace them sooner.
Finally, check the blowers. Inspect the cords for any broken or live wires and broken fan covers. Both of these situations are dangerous and a liability.
It’s not rocket science, it’s discipline and effort that is well worth it.
Once you have it handled, take a well-deserved long weekend with friends or family. It’s the perfect way to thank you for pulling off another fantastic season and thank your family and friends for their support. It’s a family business after all.
Happy Winter!
* added March 17, 2011
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