Can you hoover artificial grass?

You’ve finally invested in your dream turf and installed artificial grass to replace your tired, balding, garden. Artificial grass can be a much better alternative for busy households, as it requires minimal maintenance and eliminates the need for mowing and strimming. However, although it requires less hard graft to look immaculate, some basic maintenance is still required to keep your neighbours green with envy.

You want your lawn looking its best, right? Sweeping and scraping dirt, debris and pet hair in the summer heat can be exhausting, especially if you’re doing this on a weekly basis to keep your lawn looking fresh. Therefore, you’re wondering whether you can hoover artificial grass, to create a quick and simple fix. You find yourself asking ‘can you vacuum artificial grass?’

So, can I vacuum artificial grass?

Before you get your vacuum out and hoover your synthetic lawn, there are two main concerns that you should be aware of:

– Damaging the artificial lawn fibres
– Removing or damaging fake turf infills

Firstly, If you choose to hoover artificial grass, it may not be the best idea as it could damage the grass fibres. Using a vacuum, particularly a powerful one used in your home, could suck up and remove the grass fibres, balding your new lawn and worsening its appearance. This will require significant funds to repair, or force you to replace an entire roll of grass altogether. Hoovering will accelerate the damage, meaning repairs will have to be carried out more frequently.

Secondly, most artificial grass types require infills. Infills are a separate layer of product that lays under the surface, which sits between the blades of artificial grass to keep it springy and upright. This gives the grass a ‘bouncy’ and cushioned feel just like natural grass. Repeatedly hoovering the fake grass will suck up the infill, meaning the grass will sag and begin to lose its natural, springy feel. This is an important part of your lawn, and will significantly impact its appearance.

Therefore, we wouldn’t recommend using a conventional household hoover to remove debris and hair from your synthetic lawn. If your fake grass doesn’t require an infill, we still would advise against hoovering since the fibres can still be damaged.

What alternatives are out there to hoover artificial grass?

Whilst a domestic hoover is unsuitable, there are other alternatives available that keep your grass free from rubbish and unwanted waste. There are plenty of artificial grass power brushes on the market, which act in the same way as vacuums and hoovers. Unlike conventional brooms, they require less work and are specifically designed to clean and sustain the perfect appearance of your lawn.

Most are electrically powered, using brushes to efficiently sweep away debris including leaves and pet hair. Rather than sucking up dirt, it pushes it away but requires minimal effort, unlike a normal broom. The specially designed bristles plump your artificial grass, supporting the grass infills and creating the kind of look you see in garden magazines.

Of course, there’s always the ‘old fashioned method’ of using rakes and brooms to sweep any dirt, but you run the risk of missing smaller debris like pet hair. Consequently, we’d recommend you only use brooms and rakes to remove larger waste such as leaves and bigger clumps of pet hair. You can also use a leaf blower to remove smaller debris, but as with a hoover, you risk removing parts of the infill that keeps your artificial grass looking great- especially if you have a powerful one.

Looking for more information? Take a look at our blog on ‘How to Clean Artificial Grass’.

If you’re thinking of using a vacuum to hoover artificial grass, consider using a fake lawn power brush as an efficient and more risk-averse alternative. If you’re looking for a grass cleaning solution, Forever Green lawns provide power brushes, hoovers, and vacuums designed specifically for synthetic turf. Contact us for more information or order online today.