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Cleaning Artificial Grass

Artificial Grass Cleaning Guide

The benefit of installing artificial turf is that it looks attractive all year long without even half the maintenance needed by natural lawns and yards. Unlike natural turf, you will not be required to worry about diseases, drought, pruning, fertilizers, or irrigating for the artificial grass to look good and healthy. 

But, it will be wrong to say that artificial turf entirely needs no care and maintenance for its upkeep. Be it a polypropylene artificial turf or a nylon artificial turf; the synthetic grass does need periodic cleaning to prolong its life and maintain an optimal aesthetic condition. 

How to Clean Artificial Grass

Let’s look into some simple steps to discuss how to clean artificial grass. 

Step 1: Brush the grass.

Brush your artificial turf grass with a plastic rake or broom. However, you must avoid using a metal rake since it can damage synthetic grass fibers. Brushing your artificial grass is essential to maintain its longevity. You redistribute the blades by raking your turf fibers, and keep them from flattening. This way, you achieve a yard that looks more like natural grass.

To attain a lush artificial lawn, you may as well consider the cross-brushing technique, where you are supposed to brush the fibers in the opposite direction they’re leaning to. This method will restore the upright appearance of the springy synthetic blades, rendering a fresh grass effect.

Step 2: Get rid of the leaves.

Removing leaves is important since debris or small substances such as leaves and twigs can block the holes in the artificial turf’s backing, allowing for positive drainage. 

The material or tool required to eliminate large debris and leaves is a leaf blower. You can decide on one corner of your yard as a spot where all the debris is accumulated. You can also get rid of this waste and other debris using a broom and dustpan. 

Step 3: Hose down.

By using a broom or rake, you won’t be able to get rid of all the dust or spills entirely. But you can easily resolve this issue through a garden hose. If you have used a solution or detergent to clean the synthetic fibers or an accidental spill, you can rinse the entire turf using a water hose to keep your lawn clean and odor-free. 

Watering artificial turf also has other benefits, such as the moist surface keeping the synthetic fibers from becoming brittle. It also lubricates the surface to reduce injuries in case your kids like to spend time on the lawn and adds to the landscape’s longevity by stabilizing the surface. 

At the same time, it is also important to use the hose and spray down the yard area lightly to prevent any damage to the grass due to too much water pressure. 

Step 4: Remove weeds.

When it comes to weeds, it’s unlikely for artificial grass to be overgrown with it. You must know that artificial turf is designed in a way that does not support weed growth. 

The closest possibility is that the weeds grew from the seeds carried by winds, pets, or leaves. In case of a weed invasion in your yard, some of the things you can do are gently pulling out the weeds along with their roots and throwing them away, using a weed killer, sprinkling salt on the weeds, or using a vinegar solution spray. 

Step 5: Fill in turf with sand.

This step of scattering sand across the turf is crucial to attain that plush look, prevent bacteria and absorb shock, making it a safe and comfortable area for your pets and kids. Silica sand is the best choice for the artificial grass infill since it gives your lawn a more natural look. This particular sand is also used since it provides extra weight to the turf, stopping it from moving around, which reduces the risk of extra repairs in the future. The sand infills also help prevent weeds. 

Artificial Grass

How Often Should You Clean Artificial Grass?

Weekly and monthly artificial lawn maintenance are critical for the longevity of your lawn and grass. The weekly maintenance list involves you brooming and raking the synthetic fibers to maintain the upright position of the grass. Similarly, a routine washing down of the turfgrass is essential to eliminate stubborn stains or odors. 

It is essential to understand the frequency of weekly, monthly, and regular schedules for cleaning artificial grass since they play an essential role in its durability. You can consider cleaning the grass only twice weekly if there is not too much foot traffic. But, with pets, like dogs who love to do their business on your artificial grass, you might have to consider washing it down regularly. 

The professionals of Eden recommend that you include brooming and raking at least once a week to eliminate debris and junk like twigs and leaves. And they also suggest using child and pet-friendly grass cleaners monthly to kill bacteria.

How to Remove Pet Waste from Artificial Grass

Even though artificial turf is the best option for being pet-friendly, it still needs some assistance from the pet owners to maintain its natural persona and durability and enhance its longevity. 

  • Dog/Pet Urine: Since dogs have the instinct of digging or marking their secure area, your pup might as well prefer doing its business at a certain spot or area of your turfgrass. You can use paper towels to clean the urine off the artificial grass. Use plenty of paper towels to avoid any urine on your hand while using water to rinse off that area; the turf takes minimal time to dry, allowing you to invest just a few minutes you have to spare. You can also use warm water or a vinegar solution to deodorize the area. You can also consider spraying down that area once weekly for a clean and odor-free yard. 
  • Dog/Pet Feces: Whether it is the urine or feces of your pet, it is not that difficult to deal with. If you don’t want to handle the situation using your hands, you can always use a garden hose to wash off the area properly. Afterward, you can use a soapy water or vinegar solution to clean the area and eliminate any bacteria. Some artificial grass comes with deodorizers. However, you can consider getting one (artificial turf cleaner) for your turf to remove any unwanted smell.
    In case of hardened pet poop that you might have forgotten to clean, you can spray it with water from your garden hose. It will loosen up the stool and make it easier to manage. After disposing of the feces, you can rinse the area again and use a vinegar solution to remove the odor.

Artificial Grass Tools

What Tools Should You Use to Clean Artificial Grass?

Before adding the weekly and monthly turf cleaning chores to your schedule, you should get familiar with the commonly used artificial turf maintenance tools for seamless cleaning and maintenance.

  • Water hose for rinsing and washing your turf.
  • Brush with synthetic bristles for dusting off any debris.
  • Rake to restore the upright position through the cross-brushing technique.
  • Household detergent for cleaning pet waste or spills.
  • Microfiber cloths or paper towels for removing pet stools or soaking up any standing liquid on the surface of your turf
  • Sponge mop to mop urine or spilled drinks (any liquid).

Can You Vacuum Your Artificial Grass?

People often ask whether they can vacuum their artificial turf since it is simple to use and the manpower is reduced by 90%. 

According to the artificial turf experts of Eden, you shouldn’t work with a vacuum cleaner in case of artificial grass that comes with infill. Infill weighs down the turf, keeps the grass blades upright and provides stability while providing UV protection to the backing material. And vacuuming the synthetic turf will suck up the infill from between the blades.

Now for those who own a non-infill artificial turf (generally in a balcony), you can vacuum the grass quite easily. But note that continuous or regular use of a vacuum cleaner can loosen the synthetic turf due to the powerful suction. 

How to Keep Artificial Grass Clean

Apart from understanding the methods and tools for cleaning an artificial turf, it would help if you also familiarize yourself with some of the precautions you must follow to keep your artificial grass clean. 

Let’s take a look at some of the situations the Eden professionals encounter in their line of work and the tips they have for you. 

  • Avoid dragging your furniture on the turf surface. If necessary, consider picking them with the help of a friend since the dragging can ruin the blades of your turf. 
  • Setting up a barbeque in the lawn area is unsafe since it increases the risk of embers from charcoal burning your grass. 
  • Smoking should also be avoided when walking or sitting on the lawn. However, if you are smoking there anyway, you should be at least careful about throwing the cigarette bud away from your artificial grass. 
  • Keep your chewing gum away from the turf since sticky substances are hard to remove from artificial turf. 
  • If you have a pet, consider opting for a pet-friendly lawn or artificial turf with quick surface drainage and anti-microbial protection.
  • Follow a weekly and monthly cleaning schedule for your artificial turf since leaving leaves on the turf for too long can result in the development of mold outbreaks, even if your lawn comes with anti-microbial infill.

How to Avoid Stains and Burns on Artificial Grass

Most spills are easy to clean, given that you are quick about it. To avoid any unfortunate occurrence, consider smoking or carrying out fireworks away from your lawn area; though, you should know that you can always repair artificial grass. And the experts of Eden will be more than content to cater to all your turf-related issues, artificial or non-artificial.

To conclude, to clean your artificial grass, follow these simple steps ‒ brush the grass, remove the leaves, water using a garden hose, remove weeds, and fill in the turf with stand. 

Our team of professionals is expert in installing artificial turf and related services according to your needs while meeting your expectations. To allure your home or your commercial property, contact Eden to help you make an informed decision with ease.

From selecting the right seasonal plants to installing an outdoor kitchen, our landscaping services can do it all for you. Contact us today for a stunning landscape!

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