What’s the Best Way To Clean Your Dog Run Turf?
Whether you’re a pet owner with a synthetic grass lawn in San Diego, CA, or a dog kennel owner with a turf dog run in Garland, TX, looking after the cleanliness of your artificial grass is paramount for keeping all furry friends safe, happy, and healthy.
If you have a synthetic grass dog run, you’ll know that it’s far less maintenance than natural grass, but it does need to be maintained regularly to remain clean and odor-free. But how often should you perform synthetic grass maintenance, and what maintenance is required, exactly? Here’s our guide for how (and how often) to maintain your artificial grass dog run.
Daily Synthetic Turf Maintenance
If you own or manage a dog kennel, vet’s office or other commercial facility with a dog run, then you want to ensure that your dogs have a clean space to enjoy and play around in. To keep your dog run up to scratch, you’ll need to do some quick daily turf maintenance to remain proactive and prevent odors before they start.
We recommend checking your artificial grass dog run at least once a day, if not more frequently, for any solid pet waste. If you spot any pet waste, pick it up from the turf in the same way you would pick up dog poop from natural grass and dispose of it properly.
If you let solid waste sit on your artificial grass too long, not only are your turf blades at risk of becoming matted down, but odors and bacteria can also start to develop. If you have any trouble removing the pet waste, clean stubborn remnants with a mixture of mild detergent and water.
Weekly Artificial Grass Maintenance
At the end of each week, there are a few additional turf maintenance steps that will need to be completed to ensure a clean and odor-free lawn. If you have a dog run with very heavy foot traffic, however, you may want to do these steps more than once a week.
Firstly, pick up any debris or solid waste per your daily turf maintenance tasks. Then, once the area is cleared of all debris, as well as toys and water bowls, rinse the entire yard thoroughly with a garden hose. Pay special attention to areas where the dogs are most likely to urinate.
Rinsing down your lawn will help flush away any urine and bacteria that accumulated on the lawn over the week. While the vast majority of liquid waste will be flushed away by the turf’s drainage system, a good rinse will help dislodge and wash away any remaining bacteria and waste caught in the turf’s blades or infill.
Monthly Synthetic Grass Maintenance
Running a pet-friendly facility can be time-consuming, so you may not always remember to perform your daily or weekly turf maintenance. It happens to the best of us, which is why TurFresh designed an effective artificial turf disinfectant and deodorizer to help eliminate any odors emanating from your turf.
Once a month — or whenever you begin to detect pet odors — spray the entire dog run with an effective turf deodorizer. You can spray the turf disinfectant wherever you feel it’s needed (even hardscaping and walls) and allow it to dry. There’s no need to rinse it off afterward.
Once your turf disinfectant has dried completely, we recommend cross-brushing your turf to counteract any matting. Use a brush or broom with synthetic bristles, and brush your turf away from the grain. This helps your turf blades stand upright again, reviving your lawn’s lush appearance. It’s inevitable that your artificial grass will become matted down with dogs running and playing on it all week long, but a few minutes of this turf maintenance step per month will leave your dog run looking lush and pristine in no time.
Yearly Artificial Turf Maintenance
You likely spring clean your home or office once per year, so make it a habit to spring clean your dog run, too! Once per year, inspect your artificial grass and look for any wear and tear, such as loose seams or missing turf blades.
You should also replenish your turf’s infill as part of your yearly turf maintenance. Small amounts of infill tend to get removed from the lawn over time as they get blown away in a storm or picked up by birds, so occasionally topping up your infill is a quick and effective way to revive your turf blades and help them stand up straighter.
This yearly deep cleaning is also a great time to invest in professional artificial turf maintenance services from a local expert like TurFresh. Our 10-point cleaning process is incredibly thorough, and it includes revitalizing turf blades, topping up infill, tucking loose seams, deodorizing your turf, and much more. If you don’t have time for weekly or monthly turf maintenance yourself, we offer a variety of scheduled service plans that range from monthly to annually, so your dog run can receive the TLC it needs and deserves.
When clients are seeking a safe and fun dog run for their furry friends, they want a facility that’s beautiful, clean, and looks like a paradise their pup would enjoy. Don’t scare them away with all-concrete patios or make life harder for yourself with natural grass. Artificial grass is the perfect solution for everyone, and TurFresh’s turf cleaning products and services will make your life easier than ever before. If you’d like to find out more about our turf maintenance services and how we can help your dog run stand out from the competition, give us a call at (916) 269-5545 or fill out our online contact form. We also offer an online store stocked with our industry-leading pet turf cleaning products.