Artificial Turf Maintenance: How To Clean Artificial Grass Guide
Emily Greenfield
October 12, 2021
Artificial Turf Maintenance: How To Clean Artificial Grass Guide
Artificial turf maintenance is simple compared to natural grass, but it’s not zero maintenance. A consistent cleaning routine keeps your synthetic turf looking fresh, draining properly, and lasting the full 20 to 25 years it’s designed for. This guide covers everything you need to know about cleaning artificial grass, from quick weekly tasks to seasonal deep cleans, pet waste management, stain removal, and common mistakes to avoid. Whether you’re a homeowner, pet owner, or commercial property manager, these care tips apply to any artificial grass product in any climate.
How to Maintain Artificial Grass: Schedule
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. Here’s a practical schedule that covers most situations:
Daily (pet owners only): Pick up solid waste immediately. Rinse the spot where your dog urinates with a garden hose. This takes under two minutes and prevents odor from setting into the infill.
Weekly: 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: 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.
Quarterly. Check infill levels across the entire surface. High-traffic zones lose infill faster and may need topping up. Apply an enzyme-based turf cleaner to pet areas for deeper odor control.
Annually. Do a full deep clean. Use a turf-safe cleaning solution across the entire surface, power-brush all sections, and top up infill where needed. Inspect the turf for any seam separation, drainage issues, or areas of excessive wear. For large properties, consider hiring a professional turf maintenance service.
How to Fix Flattened Artificial Grass Blades
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
Dogs are one of the most common reasons homeowners choose synthetic turf, and the right maintenance routine makes pet ownership and artificial grass fully compatible.
Daily cleanup
Pick up solid waste with a bag or scooper as soon as possible. Rinse the area with a garden hose to flush urine through the backing. Festival Turf products feature perforated backing that drains at 40+ inches per hour per square yard, so liquid passes through quickly instead of sitting on the surface.
Odor prevention
If you notice a lingering smell, apply an enzyme-based turf cleaner rather than masking sprays. Enzyme cleaners break down the organic compounds in urine that cause odor, rather than just covering them up. A 1:1 vinegar and water solution also works for light odor issues between deeper cleans.
Why backing material matters
Not all artificial grass handles pet use equally. Turf with polyurethane backing resists odor absorption far better than latex-backed products. Latex traps urine at the molecular level, which creates a smell that gets worse over time and becomes nearly impossible to eliminate. All Festival Turf pet products use polyurethane backing specifically for this reason.
Recommended pile height for pets
For dog runs and pet areas, a pile height between 1.25 and 1.65 inches offers the best balance of comfort, drainage, and easy cleanup. Shorter blades allow waste to sit on top of the surface where you can see and remove it, rather than getting buried in longer fibers.
If you’re planning a new installation for a household with dogs, our pet turf buyer’s guide covers product selection, drainage setup, and installation tips in detail. Not sure which product is right? Order free samples and compare textures and backing types before you buy.
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.
What to Avoid When Cleaning Artificial Turf
Knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing the right maintenance steps. These common mistakes can shorten the lifespan of your synthetic grass or void your warranty.
No Metal Tools
Metal rakes, wire-bristle brooms, and metal shovels can tear turf fibers and damage the backing. Always use plastic or synthetic-bristle tools.
No Pressure Washers on High Settings
A garden hose with a spray attachment is enough for routine cleaning. If you use a pressure washer for a deep clean, keep the PSI under 1,500 and maintain at least 12 inches of distance from the surface. High-pressure water can dislodge infill and damage seams.
No Bleach or Harsh Chemicals
Chlorine bleach, acetone, paint thinner, and industrial solvents can discolor turf fibers and break down the backing material. Stick to mild dish soap, enzyme-based cleaners, or a vinegar-water mix.
No De-icing Salts or Chemicals
If you live in a market that gets winter weather, let snow and ice melt naturally when possible. Chemical de-icers can corrode turf fibers and contaminate the infill. If you need to clear snow, use a plastic shovel and leave an inch of snow on top to melt on its own.
No heavy vehicles or sharp objects. Parking cars, trailers, or dumpsters on artificial turf compresses the infill and can permanently flatten the fibers. Sharp-edged equipment and furniture feet without protective pads can puncture the backing.
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.
