How to Take Care of Your Artificial Turf in the Winter

When taking care of your synthetic lawn in the winter, it can be confusing to figure out just what you need to do to keep it looking great come spring. 

For most of the year, you just enjoy your artificial turf, playing or relaxing on it, and cleaning up any dirt, debris, and spills. But then, the cold weather comes—and along with it comes the snow and ice. Your lawn won’t turn brown with the cold weather like your neighbor’s natural grass does. But there are some steps you can take to protect and take care of artificial turf during the winter. Here’s how you can do that.

Artificial Turf Maintenance Before, During, and After Winter

Make sure to follow these instructions on taking care of your turf at times surrounding the winter weather.

Before

Before the first freeze, or right around that time, take an hour or so to clean up any fall leaves, twigs, or other debris. You can make the process easier by using a leaf blower or getting the whole family involved. 

Then, make sure you have a basic winter survival kit for your turf. These items can help you remove snow from your turf if you choose to do so:

• Plastic snow shovel 
• Leaf blower 
• Soft bristle broom 
• Tarp 

If you know a particularly bad storm is coming, you can cover your turf with a tarp if you plan to use it in the next week or so. This step is optional, however, as snow will not damage your turf, so you don’t need to worry about covering it if you don’t plan on using your turf during the winter. 

During

Are you planning to use your artificial lawn during the winter? If you have a putting green, you may want to get out and practice your game. If you have kids or pets, you may want to give them a place outdoors to get some energy out even if it’s chilly. Kids are impervious to cold! 

If you do plan to use the turf during the winter months, you will want to carefully broom off the snow, so people can use the area. You can also use a leaf blower to accomplish this. 

If you don’t plan on using your lawn too much over the winter, you don’t need to do a lot of maintenance! You can simply allow the snow to melt naturally, and drain away with the natural drainage your turf has. 

Snow and even ice shouldn’t harm your artificial turf. However, if the blades are still icy when people begin using the area again, some damage could occur. Frozen blades could break or come under stress when people or pets step on them. If the area is going to be used, be sure to take steps to protect your turf and remove snow or ice from the surface.

After

When the winter storms are over, and the weather starts to warm up, you will want to take a couple of quick steps to ensure your synthetic turf looks great and is ready for use. Once the snow melts away, you should take some time to clean your turf. You will want to remove any debris that may have gathered on the surface of your turf. If there are any stains that may have occurred during the winter, be sure to clean those up with a mixture of water and standard household soap or cleaners. And finally, you will want to brush the bristles so they are fluffed up again.

Make the Switch to Artificial Turf

Now that you know how easy it is to care for artificial turf during the winter months, you can spend the time doing other things you love. If you want to make the switch to artificial turf to avoid the mowing and the seeding and the fertilizing that comes with natural grass in the fall and spring months, learn how SYNLawn Seattle can help. The experts at SYNLawn have helped countless Seattle homeowners and business owners convert their outdoor (and indoor) recreation areas to artificial turf. They can help you, too! Fill out this contact form to learn more about the artificial turf options and how to best care for your investment so it can last for years.