3 Mistakes to Avoid When Removing Pet Urine from Artificial Turf
Artificial turf is a savior for pet owners because it doesn’t die or turn brown where your pet relieves itself — a frustration that’s incredibly common amongst pet owners with natural grass. However, unpleasant odors can still accumulate in the affected area if you don’t perform routine artificial grass cleaning. Certain cleaning products and methods can even worsen the problem or damage your artificial grass. Next time you’re cleaning pet urine from your synthetic turf, make sure you’re following these simple guidelines — including what not to use!
Avoid Vinegar
Many online artificial grass care articles advise that you use a mixture of vinegar and water to clean pet urine stains. While diluted vinegar is good for spot cleaning some spills, it isn’t effective for dog urine. Applying vinegar to pet urine will simply mask the smell and leave a sour vinegar scent in its place. You may find that you have to clean the area again to get rid of the new, foul odor — a mix of dog urine and vinegar.
Avoid Sand
Some homeowners sprinkle sand over their artificial turf to absorb the urine, similar to the way that cat litter works. This is ill-advised, however, as the sand can become trapped in between the synthetic turf blades and hinder your artificial turf’s drainage capabilities. Next time your dog relieves itself in that spot, the accumulated sand will block the drainage flow and trap more of the urine, causing it to pool in that area and making it even more difficult to clean.
Avoid Bleach
Bleach is some homeowners’ go-to for killing bacteria and eliminating strong scents. However, when it comes to pet urine, this is a potentially dangerous solution. The bacteria present in pet urine produces ammonia, so if it’s mixed with bleach, toxic chemicals are produced which can be harmful to your family and pets. Never mix bleach and ammonia — instead, try a mild detergent or artificial turf-specific cleaning product.
What to Use Instead
TurFresh creates cleaning products that are specially engineered to eliminate pet odors from artificial grass. Our TurFresh BioS+ enzyme concentrate is a highly effective solution formulated to remove pet urine odor and stains by breaking down the ammonia and proteins present in pet waste. This eliminates the smell at the source rather than simply masking it, leaving a long-lasting freshness. Our TurFill infill works similarly. Use the TurfComb to apply infill between synthetic turf blades and eliminate pet odors while keeping your synthetic turf blades lush and upright. If you need a deeper clean, we offer residential artificial grass cleaning services that include a comprehensive 10-point process for long-lasting freshness.
To find out more about TurFresh’s odor-eliminating artificial grass maintenance products, visit our online store. All of our cleaning products are all-natural, non-toxic, and safe for kids and pets. If you’d like to schedule an artificial turf cleaning service for your home or business, give us a call at (415) 366-1163. We’re always happy to help and provide you with a free estimate.