How to Maintain Yard Signs

Yard signs are extremely durable and last for years, but a little TLC goes a long way in prolonging their useful life. Since they are displayed outdoors, these signs are constantly exposed to dust, rain, snow, and extreme temperature changes, which can contribute to their rapid deterioration. To ensure that your signs always look pristine and new, follow our tips below.

How Long Do Yard Signs Last?

To begin, let’s first discuss how long usually yard signs last. In general, the expected lifespan of a corrugated plastic yard sign is up to two years outdoors and five years indoors. However, there are external factors that affect the lifespan of a sign.

• Weather – The elements, whether it’s rain, snow, UV exposure, or even strong winds, are an important factor to keep in mind in safeguarding your signs. Even if the material is weatherproof, you can prolong the display by stowing it away rather than displaying it under harsh weather conditions.
• Dirt and Debris – Over time, your signs will accumulate dirt and debris, especially when used outdoors. This will damage the sign in the long run unless you clean it periodically.
• Old Age – Plastic signs will naturally degrade, even if you perform routine maintenance on it. If the yard sign is visibly unattractive already, it’s time to retire it. Make sure to recycle!

Tips for Maintaining Your Yard Signs

Keep sprinklers at a distance – You might not notice it until it’s too late, but hard water from sprinklers can damage your yard signs. The different minerals from the water will leave unsightly stains at first then build up over time. To avoid this, place your yard signs away from the range of the sprinklers.

Trim nearby trees – Having trees overhead your signs can spell disaster, especially when combined with rain. Falling branches, sap, and dirty rain drops are some of the problems you may encounter with overhanging trees. Trim trees to make your signs more visible and preserve their quality.

Add mulch beds – Over-aggressive landscapers and mowers have a tendency to bump, chip, scratch, and damage your signs. By adding a mulch bed, you’re giving them visual reminders to stop and stay away.

Plant landscaping strategically – If you plan on using yard signs for long periods of time, take this into consideration right from the landscaping stage. You can situate your displays in such a way that unruly children, wayward pets, and garden shears will always be far from your signs.

Use rust-proof screws – Regular screws will rust and corrode over time, which will lead to unattractive signs. You can future-proof your displays by using rust-proof screws right from the get-go. With outdoor signs, an ounce of prevention is always better.

Use screw caps for added safety – Yard sign vandals are getting more common nowadays. Caps hide the screws and make it more difficult to remove, which helps dissuade vandals from messing with your signs.

Touch-up paint – If your yard signs get vandalized or damaged, having a small can of touch-up paint can work wonders. You can use this to quickly fix the damaged portions so that your display still looks clean and professional – at least from a distance.

Wash and tidy up – Signs get dirty over time. That’s a fact. Don’t let dust, dirt, and grime accumulate as it will make your signs unattractive. Thoroughly clean the signs periodically to ensure that it’s always in tip-top shape.

DIY protection from theft – Sadly, yard sign theft is also getting more common nowadays, especially during election season. To help combat this growing problem, read our stand-alone guide on how to secure yard signs.

Store them properly – Yard signs are easy to remove, are lightweight, and can be stacked. If not in use or if the weather is harsh, we recommend storing them away so you can reuse them at a later date.

It’s easy to prolong the lifespan of your yard signs. Preventive maintenance goes a long way. With the proper care and attention, these signs will be with you for the years to come. However, if you need a new yard sign, you can always print with eSigns.