Tennis Court Cleaning
Tennis Court Cleaning.
The expected lifetime of a well-used hard outdoor tennis court is around 10 years but to achieve this, regular maintenance is required. A significant part of that maintenance is cleaning but if you employ the wrong methods or equipment, you could damage the surface, reducing its life expectancy. With the cost of resurfacing at £7,000 or more, you need to do the job properly. But how exactly should a tennis court be cleaned?
What problems does a dirty tennis court pose?
You may be tempted just to periodically brush over the tennis courts in your care, however, you really need to do more than that. Dirt on the surface acts as a grinding paste and slowly but surely, under the feet of the players, it wears away the surface creating depressions and uneven areas. These can cause unexpected bounce of the ball and also allows water to puddle on the court. In winter, this freezes and thaws so when you open up the courts in the spring, these areas are often found to be damaged.
Both loose dirt and also organic soiling such as moss and algae on a tennis court can cause players to slip. On a private court, the resulting injury could put you or your friends and colleagues out of the game for a period of time. If you manage a municipal or club court, you could find yourself calling your public liability insurer. If it is proved that you neglected the state of the court, your insurance could be invalidated.
The best ways to clean a tennis court.
A soft brush should be your first line of attack, used at least weekly during the season you can easily remove the worst of the loose dirt, leaves, twigs and other debris. Using a hard bristled brush can abrade the surface and, although damage is not apparent at the time, it can lead to a slow deterioration over time.
Annually, prior to the first opening of the court, your court will benefit from treatment using APT's Moss Killer. For severe growth of moss and algae, apply our Moss Killer using a dilution rate of 10% (1 part chemical to 10 parts water). Use a soft brush to work the Moss Killer into the moss and algal growth and leave for up to 20 minutes. Rinse off with clean water, using the soft brush to dislodge the soiling. In areas where growth has been particularly bad, a second application may be needed. For light deposits, you can use Moss Killer at a dilution of 1 to 20 but leave it in contact for around 25 minutes. This chemical leaves an inhibitor in the surface pores that kills any remaining spores and slows down the inevitable re-growth.
Alternatively, for stress-free court cleaning, call us in! We have over 25 years of experience in cleaning all types of sporting surface and you can be sure that your tennis court will be cleaned quickly and above all efficiently, without the worry of damage.
Restoring an old tennis court.
If you have tennis court that hasn't been used for several years, it will be heavily covered with algae, moss and fungi. Cleaning this without damaging the surface underneath is really a specialist job. You could go ahead, hire a pressure washer and wade in yourself of course, but you would probably end up degrading the surface.
At APT, we have sophisticated pressure washers which can be set to deliver a pressure that will dislodge the moss, algae and fungi but is low enough not to damage the surface below. In addition, different areas of the old court will require a different treatment, depending on how heavily the surface is contaminated. APT staff are trained in the expert use of pressure washers and can determine exactly how each part of your court should be cleaned for the best effect.
Indoor tennis courts
It isn't just exterior tennis courts that require cleaning and maintenance, indoor courts become contaminated too. Sweat from the players can render the court sticky or slippery and needs to be removed, without damaging the flooring beneath. We can help with this too, our indoor floor cleaning equipment and gentle but effective degreasers are a winning combination in the hands of APT staff.
So why delay? Talk to us on 01495 308 048 to find out how your tennis courts can benefit from the APT treatment!
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