It’s not uncommon for pet owners to come into one of our stores or call us and ask why their artificial grass has a bad smell. Oftentimes, they bought from another company or DIY’ed and were not made aware of important odor prevention and treatment practices.
By the time customers make a purchase, we want to empower them to be artificial grass experts. That’s why we have our Knowledge Base, YouTube videos, and this blog page – not to mention an entire team of artificial grass nerds working here.
To tackle the question of how to keep an artificial grass lawn stink-free, there are a couple of solutions. But why does it start to stink in the first place? Well, when a pet uses an artificial grass area to do their business, as it’s draining through the grass and backing, ammonia from urine can get trapped and build up over time. That’s what the unpleasant odor is. But have no fear, there are a few ways to prevent and treat this!
Choosing the Right Infill
Before the artificial grass is even in the yard, you can be sure to choose an infill that has been specifically designed for pet applications. We recommend HeroFill, as it is infused with anti-fungal protection and controls odors caused by mildew, mold, fungus, and algae. And it’s anti-microbial to significantly reduce the odor caused by ammonia buildup in pet urine and inhibit bacterial growth.Another option is the Zeodorizer Turf Infill that is specifically designed for pet applications and also helps to reduce that ammonia smell by absorbing liquids and gases like a magnet, preventing the ammonia from forming a gas. It holds the ammonia until the sodium ions in rainwater release the magnetic ability, which forces the odor-causing bacteria into the ground – ultimately “flushing out” the ammonia smell.
Regular Cleaning
Once you have the right infill, a simple way to keep your turf fresh is to simply give it a light rinse every week or so, depending on how many pets use the area. The more or the bigger pets you have, the more you want to rinse your turf. Because your infill works to flush out that bad ammonia smell, giving it a little rinse will help that trapped ammonia work its way out of your turf and into the ground, where it won’t have to be heard from (or smelled) ever again. For more info on giving your lawn a good cleaning, check out this blog post.
Turf Bomb
For excellent prevention and treatment of pet odors, use Turf Bomb. This is in addition to those weekly or biweekly rinses. You’ll want to use Turf Bomb as a periodic deep cleaning agent. It’s non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, biodegradable, and safe for kids and pets. It was also specifically designed for cleaning puppy pads, so trust us when we say, this stuff works. Here’s what our customers have to say:
