Friday, July 24, 2015

The Best Pool Noodle Trampoline Safety Hack

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Have an old trampoline? Then you're going to love this pool noodle trampoline safety hack! Find out how many pool noodles you need to cover the springs and how to cut them.

My husband has been wanting to get a trampoline for the kids for awhile. I, on the other hand, have been a bit hesitant, simply because the kids are still so young. However, my brother-in-law was moving and needed a place to store his trampoline. He said we could borrow it until he had the space for it.

So my husband spent hours setting up the trampoline. And I mean hours. You'll see why in a bit.

Remember that my kids are quite little so I wanted to make this new-to-us trampoline safer. So I tried this pool noodle trampoline safety hack and it worked great. And I think you're going to love it too!

You're not going to believe how easy and inexpensive this little hack is. Of course, it also makes the trampoline a wee bit safer, which is the point. I remember many childhood injuries on the trampoline as a kid. Hello, black eye in grade four! So needless to say, improving the safety of this trampoline was priority for me. Especially given that these older trampolines don't come with safety nets like the new ones do.

Cover trampoline springs with pool noodles to make your trampoline safer

Why We Used Pool Noodles to Cover the Trampoline Springs

While setting up the trampoline, I opened what was supposed to be a sealed plastic container holding all of the springs. Instead, I found about two inches of water in the bottom of the container. That means a majority of the springs were rusty. 

We cleaned off the rust as best we could with some, but we definitely needed to add some extra protection to this old trampoline. I certainly didn't want the kids to possibly scrape their limbs on any rusty springs.

So to cover the springs, I stocked up on some pool noodles at the dollar store and began operation: pool noodle protection.

Using pool noodles on trampoline springs for safety

How Many Pool Noodles Do You Need To Cover Trampoline Springs?

For our particular trampoline, I used 10 pool noodles. I ended up spending $20 on the 10 pool noodles at the dollar store. If they have the larger, thicker pool noodles, then definitely go for those. I find they are even better than the regular pool noodles.

However, how many pool noodles you need to cover your trampoline springs is going to depend on how big your trampoline is and how many springs your trampoline has. However, our trampoline is a pretty standard size so you'll likely need about 10 pool noodles as well.

How to Cut Pool Noodles for a Trampoline

A utility knife is all you need to use to cut the pool noodles to the appropriate length.

First I measured the length of the spring and then cut a pool noodle to the correct length. Then I simply used this one cut pool noodle as a template to cut the rest of the pool noodles.

There are two ways to put the pool noodles on the trampoline springs. One, you can slide the pool noodles onto each spring while setting up the trampoline. Two, you can cut a slit the length of the pool noodle. Then you slide the cut pool noodle over top of the spring and let it wrap around.

Since we leave our trampoline up year round, we went with the second method. This method also makes it easier to replace any pool noodles as needed. 

Just a heads up...the sun does fade and weaken the pool noodles over time so they might need replacing in a couple of years. We do however remove the pool noodles in the winter and store them indoors until the spring to make them last longer.

Covering Trampoline Springs with Pool Noodles is Super Easy - And Colorful!

My kids helped out by putting all the colorful foam pool noodles on the springs. They even arranged the pool noodles into a pattern. Talk about sneaking in some learning...

Colorful pool noodles for trampoline safety

Once all the springs were covered, we pulled the mats back over top and secured the mats to the frame of the trampoline. Double protection and no exposed springs. Although we could definitely use some new trampoline mats in the future as the one we have is falling apart and not really cushiony any more.

As you can see, this pool noodle trampoline safety hack was super easy to do and very inexpensive! And now you'll be ready to try one of these fun trampoline games.

**And as always, please supervise your children on the trampoline at all times, even if you have taken steps to make the trampoline safer.**

Easy DIY pool noodle trampoline safety hack: how to use pool noodles on trampoline springs