CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

DO’s

As with most areas of our lives, routine maintenance of your artificial turf is important to ensure the longevity and beauty of your yard.

Creating routines for cleaning and maintenance will help make upkeep a part of your already established habits around your home.

While artificial turf does not require the same daily rigors that some other household spaces need for maintenance and cleaning, investing a few minutes each week will help to keep your artificial grass looking lush, green, and natural for years to come.

For general upkeep, a leaf blower is ideal to remove organic materials from surfaces while a soft-tipped rake can be used to remove heavier objects.

The environment in which your turf is installed and its overall traffic/use will influence your cleaning and maintenance routine.

Pets, kids, trees, and climate are a few of the factors that should be taken into account when determining how often or how little you should practice these routines.

DON’T

1. Use a rake or brush with metal teeth or bristles. Such tools can damage the synthetic turf, so be selective of your artificial grass upkeep equipment.
2. Place a heat source or open flame near the artificial grass turf. If you want to add a barbecue grill to your backyard, situate it far away from your pet-friendly artificial grass in Manteca. While synthetic turf is resistant to high heat, burning coals and embers can cause severe damage to your landscape.
3. Let weeds take over your lawn. Birds, insects and other animals can drop weed seeds on your synthetic artificial turf in Manteca, giving the plants the chance to invade your lawn. Keep an eye out for them whenever you carry out your upkeep chores. Remove them as soon as you see them.
4. Don’t park a vehicle over artificial grass. Cars driving back and forth on synthetic grass will imprint tire marks on the turf due to their weight and traction. Changing tire directions on the lawn can rip the grass blades off the turf causing permanent damage. Oil and fuel can also leak from these vehicles, which can leave a permanent stain on the artificial turf.

1. For Mild Stains

Life happens, and it often happens on grass. Sooner or later, a plate will go tumbling to the ground at a backyard barbeque, an alcoholic beverage will be knocked over, or a pet will leave his mark somewhere in the yard. For stains including cola, alcohol, urine, blood, coffee, tea, and other simple everyday substances, cleaning and care are relatively simple. You will need to:

1. Be prompt. Cleaning up a spill quickly is the best way to ensure it won’t leave a long-lasting, stubborn stain.
2. Blot up the spilled liquid with a towel or with a dry absorbent like kitty litter.
3. Rinse the area with a mixture of water and a mild household detergent. This will not harm the fibers.
4. If you need a stronger stain removal aid, use a 3% solution of ammonia in water instead of the household detergent.
5. Thoroughly rinse the cleaner out using clean, cool water.

2. For Stubborn Stains

Substances like motor oil, grease, pen ink, cooking oil, suntan oil, and crayon can end up on your turf, and they often prove to be a bit more stubborn than the everyday substances mentioned above. If a stain doesn’t respond to mild household detergents or an ammonia mixture, try using mineral spirits to draw out the stain. The cleaning process is similar with mineral spirits: gently rinse the area, and blot up the excess liquid.

3. For the Really Sticky Stuff

Tree sap and chewing gum can also end up stuck in artificial turf, but luckily they’re relatively easy to remove. Dry ice or aerosol refrigerants can be used to freeze the sap or gum off, and it can then be scraped off the grass.

4. Removing Pet Waste

Having pets doesn’t mean you must constantly clean and rinse your artificial grass — clean up of pet waste is quite simple. Simply:

1. Allow solid waste to dry before you remove it.
2. Artificial grass will drain most liquid. So, if desired, to avoid a stench, douse the turf in cool water from a hose on urine spots.

Most stains that fall upon artificial grass are removable — still, it’s better to avoid stains and damage to artificial turf in the first place. For example, in addition to keeping liquids that could potentially stain the grass far away or secured, keep cigarettes and fireworks off artificial turf, and do not use strong chemicals near the grass, either.

5. Maintaining Your Lawn for the Future

In addition to the everyday wear, tear, and accidents, artificial turf owners should follow a few routine steps to maintain the quality and longevity of the artificial turf. Artificial turf generally lasts anywhere between 15 to 25 years, depending on its use. Following a routine of clearing the grass of debris, rinsing regularly, and cross brushing will help artificial turf achieve a long, useful lifespan.

Artificial turf generally lasts anywhere between 15 to 25 years, depending on its use. Following a routine of clearing the grass of debris, rinsing regularly, and cross brushing will help artificial turf achieve a long, useful lifespan.

6. Equipment You’ll Need

To routinely maintain and care for your artificial grass, you’ll want to be sure you have a few essential tools. You’ll need, first and foremost, a hose — if the area in which you live receives rain frequently, this is less of a necessity, but still helpful for rinsing the grass at will. A leaf blower is also helpful, or a lawn vacuum, for eliminating fallen leaves before they become ground into the artificial turf. A rake will also help to keep the fibers of the grass fresh and unmatted — but avoid damaging metal bristles, and use synthetic or plastic bristles instead, which You’ll need, first and foremost, a hose — if the area in which you live receives rain frequently, this is less of a necessity, but still helpful for rinsing the grass at will. A leaf blower is also helpful, or a lawn vacuum, for eliminating fallen leaves before they become ground into the artificial turf. A rake will also help to keep the fibers of the grass fresh and unmatted — but avoid damaging metal bristles, and use synthetic or plastic bristles instead, which A rake will also help to keep the fibers of the grass fresh and unmatted — but avoid damaging metal bristles, and use synthetic or plastic bristles instead, which is much gentler on artificial turf fibers.

7. Clean, Rinse, Brush, Repeat

There are essentially four main steps to taking care of your artificial grass on a regular basis. These steps should be carried out monthly, if not weekly. They are: These steps should be carried out monthly, if not weekly. They are: They are:

1. Remove debris from the grass. This is especially important after high winds or thunderstorms. Removing leaves, branches, and other debris will protect your grass from damage.
2. Rinse the turf regularly. Use a hose with cool, clean water to remove dust and pollen. If you live in an area that receives rain often, you won’t have to rinse the grass with a hose nearly as much.
3. . Brush the grass against the grain in high-traffic areas. Cross brushing against the grain will help the grass to avoid becoming matted and keep it looking strong and fresh.