Hello, Dopers!
We have recently purchased a swingset, what with a clambering 2-year-old and a second kid on the way. We have looked at various options for covering the ground beneath the swingset (it’s on a section of our property with no grass – just dirt, and now some landscape fabric). We are leaning toward rubber playground mulch, for various reasons: cats won’t poop in it; it doesn’t degrade and so doesn’t need to be “topped off” very often; it dries and cools more quickly than wood mulch; if a baby swallows some it passes right through in a non-toxic fashion with no splinters; and you need less depth of it to provide protection against falls.
Other than the expense, are any of you aware of “hidden dangers” regarding rubber mulch, or reasons why it would be a mistake? Will it make our lawnmower explode if we accidentally run over a piece? Does anyone here have experience with it?
Thanks for any insights!
-P
I researched that a while ago myself - the only danger I could find was to our pocketbook. Unfortunately that turned out to be lethal.
I like it- it’s sort of bouncy when you fall on it.
I might wonder about the smell on a hot day- we have artificial turf at our park that is sprinkled with little rubber bits, and in the summer the whole places smells like tires…
I saw some once that was made out of old tires. This particular mulch had steel wire in it, the ends stuck out and it was painful to pick up. (Yes, I had to check it out. :rolleyes: )
Just make sure you don’t get that type for your playground.
Parthol, check your email.
I saw a lot of this over at our HQ building last year, and I really liked it. Once I get my landscaping blocks finally installed, I plan to use it to bed all of the shrubberies.
I used a thick layer of plain mulch when my kids were that age. Both children have survived into their teens. 
The biggest downside I’ve heard of is getting rid of it. It doesn’t degrade, so when the kids get bigger and you take the swingset down, you’re left with a giant pile of rubber shavings to dispose of, whereas you could just leave bark mulch for a couple of years and it would take care of itself.
And kids don’t need that kind of pampering anyway! Why when I was a kid, we played on 12 ft high monkeybars set in concrete! If you fell and landed on your head, you sucked it up like a man and kept on playing! Sure, you’re vision got blurry for a while, and you forgot things like your siblings names, but that’s all part of the fun!
We use pine bark nuggets. They’re bigger, so less chance of the kids picking up a piece and eating it - and since the pieces are bigger, they pile up with air between the pieces so a soft landing is provided.
Very fine mulch can compress a lot, especially if wet. If you pass on rubber, go with the big pine nuggets.
We keep the grass extra thick around and under the swing set. Is this an option?
The rubber mulch at many playgrounds does get moldy and smelly. It is a slightly higher choke hazard than grass or sand.
The grass and rubber mulch both have the advantage of not being a litter box like sand.
Why do you think the rubber mulch is needed? I have never seen any proof it provides extra safety that is significant.
Whenever the grass looked worn, I threw down some more quick growing grass seed, this method has worked well for about 4 years now.
Jim