Homeowners and other residents of Southern California love artificial turf because it is an effective, low-maintenance alternative to grass and decorative landscaping plants that require daily watering. Yet, for pet owners, artificial turf poses some serious challenges because the blades and surface can collect debris and smelly particles from the fur, skin, paws of their pets between professional inspections and repair calls. These particles include bacteria, sweat, saliva, skin oils, muck, urine, feces, yeast, and food. Removing pet-related odors requires that you clean your turf regularly, especially in pet-run spots and high human foot traffic.
Cleaning artificial turf with pets is challenging because of the way that particles build up quickly on
surfaces. You might think that you already know how to clean artificial turf, but think again if you
have ever
had to deal with the hardened buildup of these materials or stains. In those scenarios, you’ve allowed
too much
time to pass between personal and professional cleanings.
The key to cleaning artificial turf when you have pets and removing awful odors is to deal with
accidents as
quickly as possible after they happen. Once materials harden, you can always expect to have more
difficulty
removing them. You can actually damage the turf over time by repeatedly trying to do so, even worse, the
artificial turf absorbs and retains odors the longer you wait to clean.
To prevent odors and stains between professional artificial turf maintenance appointments, we suggest
inspecting
the blades and base surface weekly. If you find urine, feces, or other materials, use hot, soapy water
to wipe
away those materials. When you can no longer see the mess, then drown the area with an enzyme-based pet
odor
eliminator. These cleaners are made up of naturally occurring enzymes that are formulated to target
animal waste
and break it down. When the enzymes are done doing their job, they then turn to water keeping your lawn
safe for
kids and pets. You may be tempted to use a spray bottle or hose, but rinsing alone won’t remove oily
particles
that stick to the surface. Between accidents, you can also reduce the build-up of any odor-causing or
staining
materials and maintain your lawn by lightly sweeping it with a damp, soft-bristled broom daily and
rinsing it
weekly by hosing it down. Please note: To conserve water, never spray your artificial lawn daily.
As you have likely already realized, self-cleaning artificial turf is not enough to prevent it from
having nasty
smells that worsen over time. Tiny holes and gaps in artificial lawn materials make it difficult for
homeowners
and others to perform the deep cleaning tasks necessary to eliminate odor-causing particles from every
part of
their lawns.
Each day, professional artificial turf cleaners like TurfClean Inc. think about how to remove pet odor
from
artificial turf. Since 2017, we’ve thought about nothing else. We approach this problem in several ways
with our
TurfClean cleaning sanitation and deep cleaning services:
We remove recent large debris from the surface that has accumulated since you last swept it, including
human and
pet hair that can become matted into the blades and embedded at the base of each fiber. We then utilize
commercial-grade portable turf extracting machines that work better than many other methods on the
market. These
machines are used to spray a bacteria-killing agent, which agitates the turf blades to get the cleaning
solution
deep within the turf and pull out all that dirt and grime. Finally, our TurfClean technicians use our
enzyme-based pet odor eliminator, which is specially formulated with 7 strands of enzymes, to completely
knock
out the smell. Our technicians then fully inspect their work to ensure your artificial turf looks and
smell
fresh once more.
As you consider how to get pet urine smell out of artificial turf, it’s important that you think about
the
products
you and a professional turf cleaner use on your lawn. Artificial grass cleaner and odor elimination
products
must
break down anything that can cause a buildup of odor-causing materials from pets, including cellulose,
grease,
and
starch particles, which can bind together with other particles. An odor elimination product must also
penetrate
both
the surface and subsurface areas because pet urine crystals can migrate with human and pet foot traffic
into
drainage holes and settle below the surface. All cleaning products and equipment used by a professional
must be
able
to penetrate openings or gaps in the surface and break down and extract odor-causing materials.
At TurfClean, we have created our own proprietary enzyme-based pet odor eliminator product to use with
our deep
cleaning and extraction equipment. After extensive research and testing, we found that billions of
enzymes
coupled
with seven microbial strains break down particles for easier removal from your artificial lawn. They’re
not only
highly effective but also child-friendly, pet-friendly, and biodegradable. We believe in doing
everything we can
to
preserve our world, which is why we only use renewable raw ingredients that are safe for humans and
pets. We
have
also proven that our product works well to eliminate odors in high foot traffic residential and
commercial
locations. Homeowners, business owners, and dog daycare facilities rely on us for keeping their
artificial turf
clean and odor-free.
TurfClean is proud to offer superior artificial turf cleaning, maintenance, and repair services to our neighbors in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Riverside, and surrounding cities in Southern California. The knowledgeable, skilled and caring members of our team approach each cleaning job as an opportunity to help turf owners restore and maintain their lawns so that they and their pets can continue to enjoy these surfaces for many years. For more information about this topic or to schedule an inspection and deep cleaning appointment, contact us today.