How Important Is Infill for Artificial Grass Maintenance?
Infill is an oft-forgotten aspect of artificial grass installation, but it’s crucial for maintaining your lawn’s natural appearance and feel. When you step on your turf landscape and notice how comfortable and soft it feels, that’s your infill at work.
Over time, your infill can shift, and your infill levels can lower as the material gets carried away by the wind, birds, or rough weather. To keep your lawn looking its best and performing at the highest level, maintaining your infill is imperative. Here’s why infill is a crucial component of any synthetic grass maintenance routine — especially if you’re a pet owner.
What Is Artificial Grass Infill?
Infill is a granular material that is used to fill the space between the blades of synthetic turf. It’s an essential component of any artificial grass installation as it provides stability and support to the turf, making it durable and long-lasting.
In addition to providing stability, infill has numerous functional benefits. Primarily, it helps the turf fibers maintain their upright position by providing support and preventing matting. It also shields the turf’s backing from the sun’s UV rays, preventing cracking and gradual wear. Infill also helps mimic the feeling of natural grass underfoot by replicating how soil absorbs impacts, providing a cushioning that makes synthetic grass comfortable to use year-round.
Infill can be made from a variety of materials, such as silica sand or zeolites. Many infill products are also coated with special coatings that prevent bacteria growth and eliminate odors. However, not all infill materials are created equal, and it’s important to choose the right infill as well as the right quantity of infill for your specific needs.
How Much Infill Is Needed for Synthetic Turf?
Using the right amount of infill is crucial for the overall performance and longevity of your artificial grass. Too little infill can cause the turf to lay flat and become stiff, causing premature wear and tear, while too much infill can make the turf unstable as well as detract from its appearance.
The exact amount of infill needed depends on factors such as the type of turf, the level of foot traffic, and the height of the turf blades. If you want to know the optimal infill level for your particular installation, ask your installer during the project or inquire with your professional synthetic grass maintenance company if you have one.
If you’re not sure exactly how much to use, we recommend following the general rule of applying one to two pounds of infill per square foot. This means that a 50-pound bucket of infill will cover approximately 50 square feet of your yard. However, this value reflects an initial application of infill where none already exists on your lawn. If you’re topping up your infill as part of a synthetic grass maintenance routine, you’ll likely need much less product.
What Is the Best Artificial Turf Infill for Pets?
There are many variations of infill available on the market, but if you have pets running around your property, you’ll want to ensure you choose a pet-safe infill product. The industry’s leading choice for pet-friendly infill is TurFresh’s TurFill.
TurFill is specially designed with pets in mind, making it a safe and effective choice for pets and their owners. In addition to providing the UV protection and ballast that most infill products do, TurFill neutralizes pet odor by breaking down the ammonia and proteins in urine to eliminate the smell at the source. Unlike competitors, which simply mask odors with pungent fragrance, TurFill works at the chemical level for complete odor neutralization.
TurFill is also all-natural, non-toxic, and completely safe for all kids and pets. We believe in its effectiveness so strongly, that it’s the infill we use for our own five-star, industry-leading synthetic grass maintenance services.
If you don’t want to worry about topping up infill or performing routine artificial grass maintenance, consider professional turf maintenance services. TurFresh’s 10-point turf cleaning process can be scheduled as often as you need us, whether that’s once a week or twice a year. If you prefer to do it yourself, you can visit the TurFresh online store to purchase our best-selling TurFill infill for at-home turf maintenance. If you’d like to learn more about TurFresh’s artificial turf maintenance service or book your first appointment, give us a call at (415)366-1163 or fill out our online contact form today.