Pressure Washing Artificial Grass? Read this first…

One of the main reasons people change from real grass to artificial grass is because it’s advertised as the maintenance-free solution. But that’s not strictly true, artificial grass needs much less maintenance than real grass, but it does need maintaining. Leaves, dirt, debris, animal poop, and birds mess all need to be removed from artificial grass.

It’s not so bad in the winter months when the weather helps out by rinsing the astroturf on a daily basis. But during the hot dry summers, you’ll need to get busy, especially if you have pets. Dogs and cats will treat the fake grass just like real grass and it will soon start to smell if you don’t take some action. Obviously, you’ll be removing solid wastes every day but the liquid can cause strong smells very quickly.

Can You Use A Pressure Washer On Artificial Grass?

We get asked this question quite often and the answer’s not that straight forward, you see it all depends on how your artificial grass is seated. If it’s bedded on sand you might want to leave the pressure washer in the shed, because the sand will easily get dislodged and cause lumps and bumps in your lawn. The correct way to install artificial grass is by using a granite chipping base, covered with granite dust, covered by a weed membrane.

The granite base is much more able to withstand water pressure making it the ideal sub-base for artificial grass. As long as you use the correct nozzle and PSi, pressure washing artificial grass is the quickest and easiest way to keep it looking and smelling great.

So it depends on how the artificial grass is bedded, if it’s bedded on sand don’t use a pressure washer. If it’s bedded on granite chips it’s fine to use a pressure washer.

How To Pressure Wash Artificial Grass

By following these steps it is easy to pressure wash your artificial lawn without any problems in a short amount of time. There are safety issues to consider when using a pressure washer and we’ll add those at the bottom of this page. Be sure to read them and follow them to keep you and your household safe and injury-free.

Pressure Washing Artificial Grass A step By Step Guide

Here’s the quickest and safest way to clean artificial grass using a pressure washer.

1. Remove waste
   Lift all dog or cat faeces from the artificial grass, then using the plastic rake or broom, remove any leaves or other debris.
2. Spray the lawn
   Using the 40-degree (white) nozzle spray the whole lawn to make sure it’s all wet. Keep the wand at least 12 inches (30 cms) from the surface and spray at an angle, avoiding directly spraying at the ground.
3. Apply cleaner
   Using a suitable detergent, change the nozzle to the 65-degree (black) nozzle and apply the detergent to the lawn. Allow the detergent to work (as directed on the bottle).
4. Rinse the suds away
   Change back to the 40-degree (white) nozzle and rinse all of the soap suds away. Remember to spray at an angle, and keep the wand at least 12 inches (30 cms) away from the lawn. This will also fluff up the grass as it washes.

Keeping Safe While Pressure Washing An Artificial Lawn

Always follow these tips to keep you, your home and your family safe when using a pressure washer to clean your artificial lawn.

• Keep pets indoors
  The spray from a pressure washer has the potential to severely injure pets, keep them safely indoors out of harm’s way until you finish using the pressure washer.
• Keep children under control
  Kids love being outside and watching what’s going on, and that’s great. But when using a pressure washer it can also be dangerous, if possible do the pressure washing when they’re out, or make sure they stay away from the water jet.
• Cover any electrics
  Water and electricity don’t mix, cover any outdoor electrics like intruder lights, junction boxes, meters etc with plastic sheeting and secure with masking tape.
• Remove any obstacles
  Move anything that could cause you to lose your balance and trip including pot plants, toys, tools and garden furniture.
• Wear personal protection equipment (PPE)
  Always wear boots or at the very least closed in shoes, keep arms and legs covered, wear goggles, gloves, if you have sensitive hearing consider ear protectors and if there’s a lot of loose debris, wear a face mask.
• Never use more power than needed
  By using the correct nozzle and keeping at least 12 inches (30 cms) from the artificial lawn you should be able to keep the pressure low enough to do no harm. Use the lowest PSi possible, you can always increase if necessary but start low.
• Never concentrate the water jet at one spot
  Keep the lance moving to avoid damaging one area.

Frequently Asked Questions