LESS WORK, MORE PLAY

Synthetic turf will change the way you maintain your property. Its effortless maintenance will allow you to forget the hassle of fertilizing, mowing, and watering. Instead, you’ll be able to focus on alternative projects rather than maintaining the grass.

While you save valuable hours working on your grass, that doesn’t mean artificial grass is completely maintenance-free. To keep your synthetic turf looking great, follow this guide.

SMALL CONSISTENT EFFORTS

How often you maintain your synthetic turf will depend on its use. Is it a putting green kept away from trees? Do you have children playing in your backyard? Do you have plants or trees on the property that will shed leaves and other debris onto it?

If your synthetic turf is in an isolated space, away from trees, plants, pets and children, you might require your work cut out when it comes to frequent maintenance. Obviously, this also changes from season to season and depends on your geographical location. So, the short answer is that it really depends, but will always require some maintenance.

Here are some general guidelines we suggest.

HOW TO DEAL WITH LOOSE DEBRIS

Loose debris like leaves or sticks can start to fall down on the grass surface and cause early wear and tear. Bigger limbs can even pierce the turf. Start by taking care of things like children’s or pet toys and other bigger objects that are simple to remove with hand. Then you can make use of a leaf blower to remove any leaves and twigs. We recommend you blow all small debris utilizing a leaf blower to one edge of your grass so you can collect for simple removal.

HOW TO DEAL WITH STICKY STUFF?

If you have paint, crayons, chewing gum, lipstick, or tree sap on your turf, you can begin by trying to gently graze the material off the grass with a wire brush. Just be extra cautious that you don’t by mistake cut off the grass blades you are scraping because it can produce bald spots. Start from the bottom of the turf blade and brush the fibers in every directions. If the sticky object don’t come off, try lowering the temperature of them with ice to solidify them before scraping them off again. You can also use mineral spirits and scrap the fiber with a rag by soaking the rag with the Mineral Spirits.

DISPOSING OF PET WASTE

If you have dogs, you understand that your turf is their restroom. A huge number of pet owners worry that artificial turf won’t work with their dogs, but that’s not true! If you have dogs, we recommend you acquire pet-specific systems by SWG. Despite that, cleanup is still manageable even if you get normal synthetic grass. For example, when Fido uses the yard as his bathroom, you simply permit the solid waste to dry before removing it, then wash the surface with water using the garden hose and spray nozzle (never using the jet setting). Urine will flow through like any other liquid, you can also spray these areas with water. Furthermore, you won’t see any visible dead spots from their favorite bathroom spot. Read this article to see some of the most frequent questions about artificial grass for pets.

WHAT TO DO REGARDING MILD SPOTS

Let’s face it — life can get a bit messy at times. Occasionally that mess may happen on your artificial turf. Barbecue sauce might find its way to your grass, or your child might drop a soda can… you know things like these happen. But washing simple stains like soda, alcohol, coffee, tea, urine, blood and other ordinary liquids are easy.

1. Clean spills as fast as possible making sure they don't leave a long-lasting stain. Blot the spilled liquid with a cloth, paper, or shop towels to begin with.
2. Up next, clean the area with a combination of water and mild household detergent for example dish soap.
3. Clean thoroughly with your hose to eliminate the detergent.
4. If the spot is still visible, you can recur the procedure once or twice more.

GET RID OF STUBBORN STAINS

If you’ve spilled something similar to motor oil, grease, ink, cooking oil, or even melted crayons, you know how hard it can be to eliminate it. You should be cautious using any of these near your artificial turf, but if a spill happens, here’s what to do.

1. Wear safety clothing and gear like heavy overshirts, pants, and gloves to avoid skin irritation. You should consider a respirator to prevent toxic fumes, too.
2. After you have protective gear on, start by dipping a soft rag in mineral spirits.
3. Gently clean off the dirty blades of artificial grass with the rag. You must make sure the solution doesn’t get past the grass blades because it can cause serious damage to your turf’s backing system.
4. Softly rinse the surface with a hose and blot up any excess liquid with cloth towels, paper towels, or shop towels.
5. If the stain is still there, let it dry for a day before trying again with mineral spirits.

PREVENTING DAMAGE

Many stains can be removed from your grass, but some objects will permanently damage the turf that you should take great care to avoid. Here are the most common ones that can cause the most damage.

NO OPEN FIRES

Open fires and synthetic grass do not go hand in hand. While you don’t have to worry about your lawn going up in flames, the smallest spark or fire can cause your turf to melt. If you want a fire feature on your property, you should consider adding a gravel area or stone patio to build a fire break for a fit pit. Do not use fireworks or anything else that may cause fire damage on your artificial turf.

BE CAREFUL WITH CHEMICALS

Pesticides and herbicides can react negatively with your synthetic turf, so be very careful when utilizing harsh chemicals near the turf. These chemicals can leave spots of grass that look burnt or even change color from the reaction. Additionally, gasoline and any vehicle fluids should not be kept near your synthetic grass. If you have to use chemicals or paint near the surface, we firmly suggest you put down some heavy-duty protective tarp before starting these projects.

DON’T DRIVE ON IT

Synthetic grass can take heavy foot traffic, but driving on it with a vehicle is not recommended. Because of the twisting motion in the wheels, it can wreack havoc to the fibers and infill. Driving on it will make the fibers pull away from the backing material and lead to tearing over time. The heavy weight can cause the turf to flatten and cause ruts that will require you to resurface the grass.

USE SHARP ITEMS WITH CARE

Sharp objects can tear or cut your artificial grass. The sharper the item is, the more the damage will be. Be careful with sharp-edged gardening tools, sharp furniture feet, and ordinary tools. If you are thinking about patio furniture on your artificial turf, you should consider utilizing furniture feet covers or installing a patio area for the furniture.

REGULAR CARE

Many Naperville homeowners don’t have to spend much time on the upkeep of their artificial grass. Still, you should think about enforcing a routine maintenance schedule to keep your grass looking its best. You should remove loose debris, clean up spills as they take place, and give the surface a quick cleaning if you haven’t gotten precipitation lately or live in a drought-prone area. Here is an easy 4-step process you can follow for regular care.

Step 1: Eliminate any debris from the turf regularly, especially after high winds or storms.

Step 2: Rinse regularly with a hose. Cold, clean water will make sure to eliminate any dust or pollen. This step can sometimes be skipped if you live in an location with plenty of precipitation.

Step 3: Brush the turf against the grain or pile direction to perk it back up. Cross brushing against the grain will also stop the fibers from matting.

Step 4: Let dry for a minimum o 30 minutes before resuming normal activities.

Extra Credit: If it’s been a year since your installation, you should think about having your turf professionally groomed, cleaned and infill levels verified by Southwest Greens of Illinois.

MOSS MOLD AND MILDEW

If you have pooled water on your artificial surface, moss, mold and mildew can grow. These generally look like black spots or dark areas on your artificial turf. This should be removed by an expert by a SWG location nearest you.

Here is an equipment list that will assist you complete these steps effortlessly.

EQUIPMENT LIST

1. Garden Hose: Helpful for rinsing the yard when the weather is dry and dust or dirt piles up on the artificial grass.
2. Leaf Blower: A leaf blower will be useful to eliminate light debris more easily. One that has a suction option is really useful, so you can utilize it like a vacuum cleaner also.
3. Stiff Bristle Push Broom: Make sure to avoid metal rakes cause they will cause damage to the turf. Stiff Concrete push brooms are best to help make the artificial turf look its best.

PERFECT ALL YEAR

Synthetic grass is an excellent choice for Naperville homeowners and commercial property managers. We hope this maintenance guide will assist you maintain your artificial turf.

If you are yet to get synthetic grass for your lawn or putting greens yet, call us today for a free consultation.