Artificial Turf Maintenance: How To Clean Artificial Grass Guide
One of the best advantages of switching to artificial grass in Las Vegas is how easy it is to keep your yard looking great. Although it takes a lot less work, you will still need to do a little bit of artificial turf maintenance to keep your yard looking at its best.
How to Maintain Artificial Grass?
Artificial grass requires only minimal maintenance on a weekly basis, and a few more artificial grass care tasks that should be done on a monthly basis to keep your artificial turf in Las Vegas in its best condition.
Weekly Artificial Grass Maintenance
A light rinsing with water is all the weekly maintenance that is needed when cleaning artificial turf. Spraying the turf down with a hose will be enough to remove the dust and debris that can accumulate there over the week.
Monthly Artificial Turf Maintenance
Over the course of a month, some of the dust, dirt and dried leaves that end up on your synthetic grass will not wash away with water. You can usually sweep this away using a stiff brush.
When you lie down on your artificial turf or put heavy lawn furniture on top of it, the blades of grass can get pressed flat and fail to return to their upright position. Brushing the grass against the grain using a broom will also help return it to an upright position if it has been flattened during use. This also helps prevent longer synthetic grass blades from becoming matted together and also helps prevent the artificial grass infill from becoming too compacted.
If you are not able to maintain your lawn with regular grooming for a few months, or you have moved into a previously vacant home with artificial turf, returning it to its former glory can be a larger task that can be handled by a professional artificial turf maintenance service.
What Tools Are Required for Artificial Turf Maintenance?
You don’t need any special tools for cleaning artificial turf, and you probably already own the few tools that you do need.
Lawn Rake
Having a lawn rake around to sweep away any excess dirt or leaves makes the monthly maintenance easier and faster. Use a wooden or plastic rake instead of a metal one, as a metal rake could damage the artificial turf.
Broom
A broom is the best way to breathe some life back into flattened and tired-looking synthetic grass. Usually you won’t need to do this more than once a month, but if you have a lot of foot traffic in your yard or use heavy lawn furniture, it might be a good idea to do it more often.
Moving lawn furniture around every once in a while also helps prevent them from permanently flattening the artificial turf. Just as with the rake, avoid using a broom with metal bristles that could damage the artificial turf.
Hose
You only need to briefly spray the artificial grass with a hose to clean away the dust and debris, so it doesn’t use much water. Any old hose will do, although a spray attachment will make the job easier.
How to Remove Pet Waste from Artificial Grass?
Pet waste is easy to remove and clean from artificial grass. After removing any solid waste with a baggie or scooper, simply hose down the area and apply an odor remover if needed.
It is not the end of the world if you forget to hose off the synthetic grass after your pet urinates, but if you don’t spray the area down at least once a week then the smell could be harder to get rid of as it gets into the grass infill.
If you have pets that will ‘go’ in the yard let your artificial turf installers know, as we can recommend artificial grass products that will not be damaged or become smelly as your pets use artificial grass. Dog owners sometimes prefer to leave a dirt area in their yard and train their dog to do its business there, but not all animals can be taught to keep off the grass in this way.
How to Remove Bacteria from Synthetic Grass?
Bacteria build-up is rarely a problem with artificial grass, especially when it is regularly groomed. If you suspect bacterial growth, however, it is very easy to tackle.
Mixing a mild soap with water or a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water will kill any bacteria living on your synthetic grass. Stick to using natural soap, especially if there are also living plants in your yard, as some soap can be harmful to plant and animal life.
How to Avoid Stains and Burns?
The best way to avoid stains is to clean up any liquid spills as soon as they happen. Avoid using corrosive materials and caustic liquids over your synthetic grass. For example, don’t work on your vehicle near the turf if there is a risk of substances like lubricant oil and battery acid getting on the grass.
Artificial grass can be burnt by charcoal from grills and fire pits, fireworks, and cigarette butts. While these can also cause minor burns on real grass, we tend not to worry about it because real grass heals, whereas the minor damage caused by things like cigarettes will be permanent. Get into the habit of keeping anything that burns off the turf.
How to Remove Snow and Ice from Synthetic Grass?
Snow and ice can be allowed to melt naturally, and this is usually the best option if you don’t need to clear your lawn. If you do need to get rid of the snow and ice on your artificial grass, however, light precipitation can simply be brushed away.
When there is more heavy snowfall, sweeping all the way down to the synthetic grass risks causing damage to the turf. Aim to remove the top layers while still leaving an inch or so to melt naturally, just to be on the safe side.
How to Prevent Burnt Turf from Window Magnification?
Direct sunlight alone, even the intense Nevada climate, is not enough to cause damage to artificial grass. Combined with the reflected sun rays bouncing off of nearby windows, however, this could be enough to burn or melt patches of synthetic grass over time.
If the windows in question are part of your property, consider installing external shutters, awnings or shades to reduce the reflections. If the windows responsible for the problem are on someone else’s property, consider putting up something to block the reflections like a fence or hedge.
How to Clean Mild Stains, Stubborn Stains?
You don’t need to worry about every little spill, as artificial grass is made to be durable. Most spills can be washed away with water. If anything remains after you hose the area down, the same soap or vinegar and water mix for treating bacteria will also get rid of most stains, especially when applied quickly after a spill.
Do not use harsh chemicals or solvents to remove spills or sticky substances from your lawn. These might damage or discolor your synthetic turf, creating a worse (and more expensive) problem than the original stain.
If there is anything else you need to know about taking care of your synthetic grass, or you need professional artificial grass grooming, get in contact with us and we’ll be happy to help.
