Sandboxes are a lot of fun for little kids. However, they also present numerous health risks, including germ and microbe contact, scrapes from foreign objects, exposure to chemicals, and splinters. Luckily, you can keep your sandbox neat and healthy by regularly cleaning it, so your children may safely play in it. But, what if the sand becomes wet? How do you dry it quickly?
There are three possible and efficient ways to dry the sand in your kid’s sandbox. You can do so by exposing it to the sun by placing the sand in a tarp, using an oven just like beach sands, or being patient and letting it dry naturally.
In this article, we will tackle how to dry your backyard sandbox quickly. We will also be giving some helpful tips to keep it clean and safe every time your children play in it.
Steps to Quickly Dry Your Backyard Sandbox
Children are sure to enjoy playing in the sandbox in your garden. Sandboxes have long been a kids’ favorite and are a great place to develop some skills.
You may notice that the sand has grown moist if your children fail to close the sandbox cover. When it has recently rained, the sandbox area might become a soggy mess that is unsafe for your children to play in.
Although sand will dry over time, that doesn’t mean your kids will want to wait that long to play again. Here are three ways to dry up the sand in the sandbox quickly.
1. Be patient
The simplest approach to dry wet sand is to be patient. Simply put, you’ll need a heat source to help dry the sand, and the sun will do the trick beautifully. If you know the weather predictions call for sunshine, you don’t have to do anything. Just make sure the sandbox is left open so the sun can shine directly down on the sand.
The sand should eventually dry to the point that it may be played in again. If it becomes sopping wet after a major rain, it may take many days of sunlight to thoroughly dry it off.
The only drawback is that if the sand has been sufficiently moistened, it may not dry uniformly. To ensure that everything dries out, scrape the sand a little and turn it over. When the youngsters are through playing, try your best to remember to cover the sandbox. This should prevent the sand in the sandbox from becoming too wet.
2. Place the sand on a tarp
Spreading the sand out on a tarp is an excellent method to ensure that it dries evenly. You may put a tarp down in your yard and secure it with rocks. Place a somewhat hefty rock on each of the tarp’s four corners. You’ll be able to shovel the sand onto the tarp once completed.
Make every effort to uniformly distribute the sand on the tarp so that everything may dry in the sun. Don’t just squish it all together in the middle. If the sand is put out thinly across the tarp, it will dry faster. This may be a headache as it requires additional labor, but it will be the handiest option when you need the sand to dry quickly.
You can scoop the sand back into the sandbox once it has dried fully. To avoid clumping, try to spread the sand as evenly as possible in the sandbox.
While you’re at it, you might as well take things out a little. It will take some time, but it is a normal aspect of the procedure. A little more effort may make your children happy by allowing them to return to the sandbox sooner. Hopefully, the sun will shine brightly and warmly enough to dry the sand quickly.
3. Dry the sand using an oven
The following suggestion is unlikely to be useful for drying sand in a sandbox. It is, however, something that people do while drying sand that they have collected from beaches.
You could apply this to your sandbox, but it would be a long process owing to the oven’s limited capacity. The fundamental concept is to put sand on a baking sheet and bake it for around 30 minutes.
To ensure that the sand dries uniformly, stir it after 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, check to see if the sand is dry. If it isn’t, leave it in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Although this step could sound troublesome and involve too much effort, it is worth mentioning because it is a reliable way of drying sand.
If these steps seem too much for you, then the best thing you can do is attempt to avoid getting the sand wet again in the future. If you keep the sand in the sandbox dry, it will not become soggy again.
We advise that you get a sandbox with a waterproof lid since it will keep the sand nice and dry. If you created your sandbox, you may try to make a lid to block the rain from getting into the sand. A tarp or even a handmade sandbox cover can do a wonderful job at keeping things neat. You should be able to spread a tarp across the sandbox and fasten it with ties that are staked into the ground.
Sandboxes make one of the most enjoyable activities for children. Playing in a sandbox helps develop kids’ sensory, motor, cognitive, social, and emotional skills, which are fundamental to their growth. If you are building one in your backyard for your kids to enjoy, you need to know about the best sands for sandboxes.
Tips to Keep Your Backyard Sandbox Clean
Sandboxes can be a lot of fun for kids of all ages since they allow them to get dirty, construct sand buildings, and let their imaginations run wild. Because sandbox care is so vital, we’ve compiled a list of essential sandbox care guidelines to assist you in keeping your children’s play area safe and clean.
Here are a few tips to keep your sandbox clean and safe to use.
Tip 1: Cover the sandbox when not in use
When you don’t have to clean your sandbox as regularly, it gets a lot simpler. When it isn’t in use, cover it up to keep animals, pebbles, and other rubbish, making sandbox maintenance a snap. Another good reason to keep your sandbox covered is to keep water out. Mold can grow on the sand if there is too much water.
If your sandbox lacks a cover, use a tarp. Some sandboxes manufacturers offer a matching lid that fits the sandbox, making it easier for parents to cover it. However, it isn’t ideal since tarps aren’t sealed. To keep it clean, you’ll probably have to replenish the sand every year.
Tip 2: Always keep the sandbox dry
Water in a covered sandbox will get moldy and smelly, and although making sandcastles with damp sand is wonderful, it will make your sandbox smell. We let the sand dry in the blazing sun if the sandbox becomes wet (breaking our first rule, but it’s better than developing mold in the sandbox).
Tip 3: Avoid eating and drinking in the sandbox
To keep your children’s sandbox clean, you mustn’t allow them to eat inside the sandbox. Drinks leak or spill, food is strewn with crumbs, and ice pops melt, and this food could attract vermin or develop molds in the sand. Also, you don’t want your kid to ingest sands mixed in their food. Some of the sand used in sandboxes is not healthy and toxic for children if swallowed.
Tip 4: Watch out for leaky diapers
Human excrements may contaminate sand, so make sure your kids are wearing clean diapers when they play in the sandbox. E. coli is especially hazardous for children under the age of 5. So, never let your children play in the sandbox without wearing diapers if they aren’t toilet trained.
Tip 5: Rake the sand in your sandbox regularly
Although it’s unpleasant to consider and may not be the only item in your children’s sandbox, sandboxes are occasionally mistaken for improvised litter boxes by wild animals and home pets. Sharp rocks or sticks can also be hidden beneath the sand, resulting in scratches and injuries. Thus, raking the sandbox regularly is necessary for proper sandbox care since it allows you to uncover and remove anything that could pose a danger.
Tip 6: Change the sand
Even if you’re meticulous about sandbox upkeep, the sand will ultimately get too filthy to allow for safe and hygienic play. Changing the sand keeps your children’s play area clean and useful for years, and your kids will enjoy having new sand to play in and construct with. At least twice a year, change the sand in your children’s sandbox.
Tip 7: Don’t let your pets play in the sandbox
Since pets can easily confuse a sandbox for a litter box, it’s essential to keep them out of it at all times, even if you’re monitoring. A single sandbox accident can infect it with a wide range of hazardous germs and parasites.
Cats’ feces, for example, frequently carry the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. For anyone with a weakened immune system, such as small children and pregnant women, toxoplasmosis (the parasite’s illness) can create major complications. If your pet gets into the sandbox, keeping them up to date on their vaccines can keep them from transmitting diseases
Tip 6: Look out for splinters
Splinters are an unwelcome possibility if you bought a wooden sandbox for your kids. Those can be caused by wooden sandboxes in the same way that they can be caused by wooden playsets.
When it comes to building your own sandbox, the one of the main materials that you will need is wood. To build the frame of your sandbox, you need to choose between treated and untreated wood. Since treated woods are processed with chemicals, can you use treated lumber for a sandbox? Read our article to find out.
Conclusion
It is not tough to keep your sandbox dry, but you must pay attention to what’s happening. If you’re not cautious, the sand in the sandbox may quickly turn into a muddy mess that the kids can’t play in. When this occurs, the best approach is to let the sand dry naturally.
Although it will dry if you just leave it in the sandbox for a while, you can speed up the process. While your kids aren’t playing in the sandbox, it’s a good idea to keep it covered. This means you’ll make fewer mistakes, and your kids will be happier since they’ll be able to play in the sandbox more frequently.
