May 12th, 2022 by Sarah Miles

Why you should think of an artificial lawn more as a carpet than grass

The greatest benefit to an artificial lawn is its low maintenance but don’t confuse ‘low’ with ‘no’; artificial lawns still need some TLC every so often. Granted, this is nowhere near the amount of work a grass lawn requires so don’t worry that it’s not the time-saver you anticipated.

Your artificial lawn is not grass; it is an outdoor carpet. Weather conditions, environmental dirt and debris, and animal toileting mean that the lawn that you have invested in and use regularly could be contaminated with all sorts of dirt, germs, bacteria, algae, and mould. It can also start to smell, particularly if you have dogs or cats (and remember, of course, that your neighbours’ cats or even wild animals such as foxes could be using it as a toilet even if you don’t have any pets).

Keeping it clean

As mentioned earlier, artificial grass maintenance is nowhere near as labour intensive as having a real grass lawn, but you do need to keep on top of it if you want it to remain in good condition and sanitary for use.

You should, therefore, be doing the following things:

• Remove surface dirt and debris
  Any lawn will become subject to the various detritus that falls or gets carried there by wind and rain. Leaves, blossoms, twigs, dirt, bird droppings etc will not only make it look untidy but the longer you leave them, the deeper they will find their way into the pile and then they can become quite difficult to remove. Simply brush them away or, if the particles are fairly small, you could even vacuum them up! For a large garden, a leaf blower can do the job very efficiently.
   
• Remove pet waste quickly
  It is perfectly fine for dogs and cats to toilet on artificial grass, in fact, many pet owners get it because it’s easier to clean their waste up than from grass. However, you do need to do it in a timely fashion as it’s not a good idea to allow it to sit on the surface for long periods of time. Not only does it increase contact time with the fibres, but it can also disintegrate due to exposure to rain or sun and find its way deep into the pile where germs and bacteria can start to fester. Ideally, pick up faeces straight away. You may also want to rinse urine away with clean water if you can identify where they’ve been.
• Clean it
  This is where the idea of thinking about it as a carpet makes a lot of sense. Just as carpets can be kept fresh and hygienic through washing, so can artificial lawns. Artificial grass cleaner contains everything you need to clean, disinfect, deodorise, and even fragrance your lawn without damaging it (don’t be tempted to use general cleaners as these can be too harsh and may cause discolouration). It’s really easy to apply, just dilute to the correct ratio and apply to the grass with a sprayer or watering can. Allow to work for 15 minutes or so and then rinse with clean water. It will look much fresher, smell better, and remove all the nasties that were lurking in there.
  

  2 x 5L Pro-Kleen Artificial Grass Cleaner Cut Grass Fragrance

  The Pro-Kleen Artificial Grass Cleaner cleans, disinfects and completely destroys and eliminates any lingering nasty odours with ease from your artificial lawn. 

  Price: £26.95

  Buy Now

  
• Remove weeds
  “But I bought an artificial lawn so I wouldn’t have to worry about weeds!” you may exclaim. And you’re perfectly justified in saying this as an artificial lawn will attract far fewer weeds than a real one as most installation processes will include laying weed killer first and then a hardcore, weed barrier, membrane, and infill, which make it difficult for weeds to come up through from the ground. However, in an outdoor environment, you simply cannot avoid weeds entirely as they will be carried as seeds on the breeze and can be dropped by birds onto the surface and burrow their way down. If they do come up, just pull them out as weed killers can potentially discolour the grass. While cleaning grass won’t kill weeds, it can help to wash away any seeds before they get properly established, thereby preventing most of them from growing.

Taking time to follow some of these easy steps will keep your lawn looking fresh, clean and new for much longer and will prevent unpleasant odours from building up and is a much easier solution than ultimately having to replace the whole lawn.

2 x 5L Pro-Kleen Artificial Grass Cleaner Floral

The Pro-Kleen Artificial Grass Cleaner cleans, disinfects and completely destroys and eliminates any lingering nasty odours with ease from your artificial lawn. 

Price: £26.95

Buy Now