Is there anything that you can put on a slide to reflect the sun from it?

Question

We just bought a swing set with a green slide and the slide gets WAY too hot for the kids to slide down. We have tried to cool it down with water but it quickly heats back up. I know this is a longshot but is there anything that you can spray or coat on a slide to reflect the sun off of it so it stays cooler?

Answer 1

You could simply cover the slide portion of the set with a pop-up shelter. A 10' x 10' would probably work...a 12' x 12' canopy would be ideal. Here are links to two that might meet your needs  (I own both of these):

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/...

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/...

I would definitely go with a straight-leg canopy, though. Each of the above can extend high above the ground, and the 12' x 12' shelter might accommodate your entire swing set.

Incidentally, I suppose you could spread copious amounts of Zinc Oxide powder on the slide...but the effect would probably also be temporary unless you could get the powder to stay on the slide. One such place you can get Zinc Oxide powder is Alpha-Environmental, though I'm sure you can find other distributors if you do a web search.

http://www.alpha-environmental.com/about...