Can You Vacuum Your Artificial Turf?
Whether you live in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, or San Diego, artificial grass is a landscaping solution beloved throughout Southern California for its extremely low maintenance nature. Compared with the daily watering, weekly mowing, and seasonal re-sodding of natural grass, artificial grass is worry-free and quick to touch up. However, like any other home investment, you do need to perform occasional synthetic turf maintenance in order to extend the lifespan of your synthetic grass. Luckily, maintaining synthetic turf is quick and easy — just pick up debris and hose down your lawn for regular upkeep!
Can you vacuum artificial grass?
When it comes to cleaning your artificial turf, homeowners are all about quick and easy solutions. After all, you installed your artificial turf because of its low maintenance requirements. But many of our clients all seem to have the same question: can you vacuum artificial grass? We’re not sure how this myth got started, but it’s surprisingly common, and we get asked this quite often by our turf maintenance customers looking for a simple way to pick up debris. The short answer is: no.
There are a couple of key issues that arise when vacuuming synthetic grass. The first is your infill. Infill is an integral part of your synthetic grass landscaping, as it keeps the turf blades upright and provides a soft, cushiony feel to your lawn. If you vacuum your synthetic turf, the vacuum will likely suck up infill from between the blades, requiring that you top up on infill after you finish vacuuming. This will exponentially increase your time spent cleaning your lawn, defeating the purpose of vacuuming it in the first place.
The second concern is that artificial turf blades may loosen and sag or come loose over time due to the powerful sucking force of the vacuum. Even the toughest synthetic turf backings will give way over time with repeated pulling and tension, and sagging of this nature could require extensive and expensive synthetic turf repair if you’re not careful.
Alternative artificial grass maintenance options
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to clean up your synthetic grass without damaging your artificial turf blades, there are several options specifically created with synthetic grass landscaping in mind.
If your main goal is to remove embedded pet hair and large debris, a turf comb may be the best option. TurFresh’s TurfComb and products similar to it are created specifically for artificial grass, with soft, synthetic bristles that won’t scratch or damage your artificial turf blades. It can even be used for cross-brushing and distributing infill, making it a one-stop solution for a full DIY artificial turf maintenance routine.
If you have a commercial property, a large lawn, or you’re looking for a deeper clean that a turf comb will give you, we recommend you to power broom your artificial turf. The TurFresh TurfGroomer will clear pine needles, dog hair, leaves, and other debris while re-blooming your artificial turf blades for a fully rejuvenated artificial grass landscape.
If you’re worried about damaging your artificial grass or you simply want a professional-level cleaning that the DIY approach can’t achieve, leave it to the experts at TurFresh. We offer comprehensive artificial turf maintenance packages for both residential and commercial properties of any size. We’ll remove debris and pet hair, unclog your drainage, top up infill, tuck seams, remove odors, and much more. Give us a call at (213) 279-6599 to schedule a turf cleaning appointment, or visit our online store to browse our selection of at-home turf cleaning products.