Synthetic Turf Upkeep and Maintenance

While synthetic turf does not have the risk of disease or weeds like traditional turf, it does still require some upkeep to avoid damage from wear and tear. However, this should be relatively easy to maintain for your customers and utilizes tools you already have in your truck.

General Upkeep

You’ll need to rake, blow, and occasionally rinse to maintain synthetic turf’s aesthetics. With proper maintenance, synthetic turf lasts 10-15 years.

Your first step in a maintenance visit should be removing debris from the lawn with a leaf blower or lawn vacuum. Generally, there will be some leaf and dust buildup.

Raking will help the blades stand up straight. This is especially important after use of heavy furniture or heavy daily use since these make the blades flatten over time. Brush the turf against the grain in high traffic areas to avoid matting. Only use rakes with synthetic or plastic bristles, as metal bristles can damage and rip the turf.

Call customers after high winds or thunderstorms to see if they need maintenance completed. Use a hose to rinse off any stubborn dust.

When you come to the jobsite, ask if there are any spots on the synthetic turf that need extra attention. Sticky products are typically harder to remove. You can chill sticky products with ice cubes to harden the product, then remove it from the blades. A putty knife is another option.

Advise customers to rinse any regular spills that may occur on the lawn by first blotting the spill up, then rinsing the area with a mix of water and a mild house detergent. They should fully rinse the mixture out with cool water or a mixture of half water and half vinegar to kill bacteria.

These maintenance practices will not harm the infill and shouldn’t require you to replace the infill.

Pet Care

Artificial turf will drain most liquids, but customers should rinse their synthetic turf to avoid smells.

Share these tips with customers who own pets:

• Scoop up any waste and discard. 
• Rinse the turf off with a hose after pets relieve themselves. 
• Pets typically have favorite spots to go in the yard, and this may lead to smells, even after rinsing. The sun is a natural disinfectant but if you use a cleaning product make sure it is a bio-degradable and smell-inhibiting disinfectant or turf neutralizer.
  o    Zerofill is an infill product that is a pet odor neutralizer.

Heat Care

In the summer, customers should cool the turf with water. Synthetic turf does not retain moisture and will feel hot in extreme heat. You can spray it down during your maintenance visits, but homeowners can also keep their sprinkler system intact for this purpose. Although these will rarely be used, running the system for a brief time to cool the lawn is a good use case. This will be less effort for clients than hosing it down on their own, and this is another way to retain business, as you can also service the irrigation system. Some clients prefer to leave their sprinklers for a more natural-looking aesthetic. 

Additionally, T-Cool is in infill product you can spread on the turf and wet every 7-10 days. This will release a cooling element that will cool your turf up to 50 degrees.

Snow Care

To remove snow from homeowner synthetic turf, shovel the top layer of snow and leave at least an inch on top of the turf. Brush away this last inch with a broom to avoid damage to the blades. Do not use metal rakes. Using salt or ice melt is not recommended. Salt can leave residue and prevent proper drainage and is also an irritant for children and pets. If you’re taking on larger synthetic turf jobs, read more on how to remove snow from synthetic turf fields.

Safety

Advise customers not to use cigarettes or fireworks near synthetic turf as these can cause irreparable damage to the fibers. Suggest they also place charcoal grills far away as well, since smoldering charcoal can burn turf also.

Get What You Need at SiteOne

For synthetic turf questions or for questions about a job, visit your local SiteOne branch and associates will help you. For more information on turf maintenance, visit the Turf Care section of our Learn page.