Pool inflatables

[guest 4]

Does anyone else, who only visit their properties a couple of times a year find loads of lilos, rubber rings, bats and balls and all manner of pool toys left by thoughtfull guests?

It's obvious that the next guests don't use them and go and buy their own to add to the collection.

I don't know what to do with them all, unless I blow up every one I can't tell if they are burst or not. and anyway there are always far too many. I end up chucking them all in the bins. seems such a waste.

Ruth

[Moliere]

Does anyone else, who only visit their properties a couple of times a year find loads of lilos, rubber rings, bats and balls and all manner of pool toys left by thoughtfull guests?
It's obvious that the next guests don't use them and go and buy their own to add to the collection.
Ruth

Cor, Kips - you're lucky! Apart from one lovely family who left three really brilliant inflatable sharks (including functioning water-canon!) I have to keep replacing the damn things regularly, as they go phut. Trouble is I can't seem to find good quality ones in our area, so we end up with cheapies, which only last a couple of months at best.

Send me some of your spares over!

Moliere

[guest 4]

I would gladly send them to you mols, but I can't be bothered with testing them all first, so you may end up with a package full of burst inflatables (or uninflatables).

Ruth

[Nightowl]

Yes, people leave them at our place too, but i think they do get used. We were lucky that several families have left those body surfing boards, which are pretty popular in our area, I love them too. So I will defintely be keeping those going and replace when necessary.

[J&J]

Ruth, we usually throw them in the bin because, as you say, we can't be sure they don't have punctures. Would hate the next visitors to use the armbands/rubber rings only to find their child sinking because there were holes in them. (I guess it's more difficult if you aren't there to sort the pile). By the way, Mol, have you tried the Sevylor range? They do lots of jeux gonflables.
Judith

[Moliere]

By the way, Mol, have you tried the Sevylor range? They do lots of jeux gonflables.
Judith

Not that I'm aware of Judith, can you point me to some retailers where I might find them? Are they particularly robust or something?

Mols

[Overboard]

I hate inflatables. Do you know how long it takes to inflate some of these things.. and my husband always buys the biggest inflatables and looses the little piece that is supposed to go into the inflatable so you have to hold the air nozzle against the hole We have a slide and some new boats to inflate this weekend, oh darn, and the floats, times that by 2 because we buy the same toys for our pool. Then they blow away in the thunder storms. What was the question again? Oh yes, nope, we rarely have pool toys left by guests.

[J&J]

Most swimming pool shops here stock the Sevylor range, as do some sports shops. We have found them very robust, they make canoes too and our son's survived quite a bashing. For the pool, the floating chairs are good fun! Try akoah website and look under "inflatable seating".
Judith

[Guest3]

If people leave ordinary pool inflatables (and they are inflated with no signs of a puncture) then we leave it for the following guests. Otherwise, any that are deflated get chucked in the bin.

Babies/childrens arms bands or swimming 'aids' that are left behind get thrown in the bin too....keeping those sort of 'inflatables' for the next lot of young guests is a definite no no for us. We'd rather guests bring or buy their own.

[Moliere]

Well see my post in "Managing your guests" - we have a rechargeable air pump, which inflates the average whatever in a couple of minutes or less - I think it's brill!

Mind you, I have no evidence whatsoever that our various guests have ever used it, but I hope they have.

Mols

[LaLuz]

We provide inflatables for the pool and get some lovely comments (and pictures) from children in our guest book about them!

We do have a regular turn over as I think the heat damages them but some people do replace them too.

Actually I buy them in the UK as I find them to be much cheaper, Superdrug and ASDA are great places.

I do ask guests to throw any away that are past their best but I can't say I ever find too many there when I visit!

[Giddy Goat]

Hmmm - how does this discussion apply to the thread about what to leave babies who come? The solution, a nice one, was an inflatable paddling pool....

I have only found one inflatable left at the house. It's a fun idea but if it had occcurred to me to leave some, I'd have been put off by the maintenance issues you've mentioned. And where to store them.

[Jimbo]

I hate inflatables.

Our guests have great fun from our pool inflatables. Last year, one set of guests devised a game with our huge octopus which involved swimmers grabbing on or other of the tentacles and trying to swim to one of the four corners whilst others tried to swim in opposite direction. Biggies and smallies all got involved, it kept them amused for hours and they said it was the best game ever!

Unfortunately, it is big inflatables that usually go bang and medium/smaller ones that get left behind in their dozens. But we don't really mind replacing the big ones occasionally because they give the guests so much enjoyment. Except they can be hard to find late in the season.

Jim

[Alan Knighting]

And where to store them.

Your swimming pool supply shop will sell you a two-way pump. It's like a stirrup pump except that it has two connections, one for blow and the other for suck. It only takes a couple of minutes to completely empty a normal sized inflatable which can then be rolled up and put on a shelf.

Fluffy

[Overboard]

And where to store them.

It only takes a couple of minutes to completely empty a normal sized inflatable which can then be rolled up and put on a shelf.

Fluffy

I think I've been using a naff air pump then. And I didnt realise there were bits that suck so I must find that. We have a few of the large inflatables and they honestly do take ages to blow up.. and I'm always the one that seems to be left doing it. I'm visiting Home Depot (B&Q) today.