Top Maintenance Tips for Artificial Turf in Indoor Sports Facilities

Artificial indoor turfs are perfect for facility operators looking for a climate-controlled, steadfast grass-like surface. Synthetic grass is ideal for indoor gyms and sports facilities because it provides the comfort and cushion of natural grass while remaining ultra-durable and easy to clean. It requires no sunlight or watering and can endure heavy foot traffic daily. However, to get consistent performance year-round, it’s crucial to maintain the turf properly. This blog will discuss tips for adequately supporting the upkeep of your indoor facilities that use artificial turf.

Maintaining the Longevity of Your Artificial Turf

Keeping your indoor artificial turf adequately maintained isn’t hard. One of the best things about artificial turf is that upkeep does not require much. However, there are some essential things to remember while ensuring your indoor facilities containing artificial turf are cared for.

Cleaning Your Indoor Turf

Indoor artificial turfs are much easier to maintain than natural grass turfs.  They don’t require strict maintenance requirements like hardwood floors.  You don’t have to worry about cleaning debris or picking up leaves and sticks scattered across the field.  But you’ll still have to clean your turf periodically to protect its quality and longevity. Daily cleaning tasks such as removing debris like miscellaneous trash or anything racked in from outside should be picked up daily.

Spot Cleaning

Keeping heavy-traffic areas on your indoor turf is essential to its longevity, as avoiding spills and messes will be impossible. Spot cleaning is vital for artificial turf to ensure that messes don’t stain and cause lasting damage. Using water and detergent to clean the mess and blot it so it doesn’t spread will quickly rectify the mess. Water and detergent might not cut difficult stains.

Removing Deep Rooted Substances

Aside from stains and other problems affecting your turf, many foreign substances can get ingrained between the fiber blades. For instance, chewing gum often settles between the blades and the infill. A regular Freon aerosol spray is the most efficient way to remove debris like gum. Spray it over the target surface and let it settle before it loosens so you can easily remove it. Leaving substances like lipstick, polish, paint, or oil-based solutions on the turf for an extended period, they’ll leave behind a stubborn stain that’s difficult to remove.  Use a paint remover with detergent and water before cleaning these spills. That way, you can ensure these messes don’t smear or spread.

Grooming Your Indoor Artificial Turf

A gym or sports facility receives large amounts of foot traffic, and your turf needs to be incredibly durable to withstand the running, jumping, and exercising that occurs. No matter how durable your turf is, it must be occasionally brushed to maintain its lush and realistic appearance. There is no need for a mower with artificial turf, but use a power broom to help your turf retain its natural appearance. Beyond a power broom, tines and rakes are also used to ensure the infill material’s spread stays in place. Brushing your turf blades against the grain, also known as cross-brushing, every week is strongly recommended to keep them upright.

Disinfecting Your Turf

Unlike regular grass, artificial turfs cannot naturally absorb microbes.  For this reason, you should occasionally clean your turf with disinfectants to ensure it’s germ-free. Synthetic turfs are very resilient, so you can use commercial cleaners to give your turf a deep clean.  If you’re uncomfortable using commercial cleaners, you can disinfect the turf with bleach and water.  Disinfecting your turf is essential for health reasons. Disinfecting prevents germs from spreading and protects against mildew, mold, and other potential health hazards.

Routine Inspections

Over time, seams can come loose or infill can move around, causing potential hazards for any athletes using your facility. As part of your in-depth synthetic turf maintenance routine, check for any uneven areas or loose seams.  If you notice that your infill is distributed unevenly, you can work it through your turf with an artificial grass rake or top up with more infill to even things out. With a little care and attention, artificial turfs can last up to two decades.  In order to ensure your turf lasts this long, it’s crucial to inspect it regularly.  By performing regular checks, you can maintain a top-quality turf and avoid costly and unnecessary expenses.

Quality Care for Your Facility and Its Users

You can’t keep your turf completely clean all of the time. There are no sure-fire ways to guarantee a stain-free and sterile turf year-round. Players sweat and often spit on the turf during the game and stains and spills will happen. Using these turf cleaning and maintenance tips, any facility manager should be much more successful in fighting these problems and protecting your investment.