Have you ever noticed, when you walk on grass, how comfortable, springy, and cool it feels? Natural grass has a feel to it that makes everyday activities enjoyable, such as walking barefoot, running around on it, tossing a ball with friends, or playing fetch with your dog. There is a natural bounce, absorbency, and feel that is unmatched by anything else.
So what do you do if natural grass isn’t an option and you want or need to choose artificial turf instead? How do you make artificial grass feel like natural grass? How do you keep the individual blades springy and standing upright? How do you ensure proper drainage and prevent odors?
The answer is simple: use a recommended amount of high quality turf infill.
What is Infill for Artificial Turf?
For artificial turf to maintain the look and feel of natural grass, it’s not enough to lay down a roll of artificial grass overtop your dirt and call it a day. An essential part of a proper installation is to add infill on top of your turf.
Infill for turf does several things. Its primary purpose is to weigh down the turf, so it won’t buckle, scrunch up, or wrinkle. Infill helps your turf yard stay in place no matter how much you, your kids, or your dog run around on top of it.
Infill also helps keep the grass blades remain standing upright like natural grass. Without infill, synthetic blades can tend to get worn down and flattened over time. With infill placed between the blades of turf, your artificial grass will look naturally perkier and more like the real grass lawns everyone is used to seeing. Though you can lay down turf without infill, if you want your lawn to drain well, last longer, look better, feel more natural to walk and play on, infill is a must-have.
How Much Infill is Needed for Synthetic Turf?
There are various types of infill, and each type has a slightly different measurement for spreading onto artificial turf. However, the general rule for adding infill to your synthetic turf is 1 to 3 pounds per square foot. A 50-pound bag will cover a maximum of 50 square feet of turf.
The purpose of ensuring the proper amount of infill is to give your artificial turf the support and structure necessary for adequate drainage, look, and feel. If spread too thinly, the infill won’t be able to do a proper job of bolstering your turf. Add too much, and you’ll see the infill instead of having it blend in with the grass and becoming part of the lawn.
By adding the proper amount of infill, you should accomplish three goals:
Proper Look and Feel: Infill should never stick out like a sore thumb when looking at your artificial grass lawn. It should appear to blend in naturally, enhancing the appearance of your turf.
Maximum Drainage: Infill should never “collect” water. It should allow proper drainage of liquid, so you aren’t dealing with puddles or pools in your lawn.
Increased Durability: The right amount of infill helps keep your lawn looking good for years. It limits the damage done to the backing material by the sun’s UV rays and helps prolong its life.
What is the Best Pet Infill for Artificial Grass?
There are several types of infill, including silica sand, rubber, and Durafill sand. Unfortunately, none of these are specifically designed for pets. Each type can tend to absorb odors from pet waste without neutralizing them. They can also collect moisture and be challenging to clean out when necessary. In addition to those issues, rubber infill tends to absorb heat, making artificial lawns hot to the touch for little feet and puppy pads. So, what is the solution if you have pets or children that want to run and play on your artificial turf?
There are three infills designed specifically for pets, but none of them are all that great at eliminating odors in our experience: Envirofill, Zeolite, and Biofill.
Envirofill is long-lasting, natural-looking, and anti-microbial.
Zeolite is organic, traps and controls odor, absorbs moisture, and is completely permeable, making drainage a non-issue.
BioFill is all-natural, keeps artificial grass cool, is long-lasting, and helps trap and absorb odors from pets.
Though each type of infill does have anti-microbial properties and can help control pet odors, in our 15 years of experience working with these types of infills, we have yet to see them work well as deodorizers. Though they are pet-safe, you’ll still deal with the associated odors from waste with these products.
So what is the best option that gives you all the benefits of being natural, non-toxic, pet-friendly, and odor-controlling? A combination of ZeoFill and copper slag.
ZeoFill is a natural, healthy, and beneficial infill that not only makes your grass look great but keeps odors from soaking into your turf. It absorbs moisture and is designed to kill bacteria and get rid of pet smells. Copper slag is comprised of small, heavy, dark granules that blend into your grass, giving it a natural look and feel. It aids with proper drainage and will not compact or harden over time. The combination of the two gives you an infill product that ensures moisture is properly soaked up, and odors are effectively neutralized.
The best part about a ZeoFill and copper slag combination is that it is entirely safe for pets and children. Even if ZeoFill gets ingested by a dog for some reason, they won’t suffer any harmful effects. There’s no need to “wash off” your artificial turf with ZeoFill, either. The infill works better when dry and will soak up any moisture around. It will still work when wet, but is best when dry, leaving you with a virtually maintenance-free infill for your artificial turf. ZeoFill continually renews its absorption and anti-microbial properties for the life of its use in your yard. ZeoFill is the ideal infill for any lawn, but especially artificial turf that is frequently used by pets and children. It can withstand consistent use, regular play, and the abuse of your pet’s potty breaks. No longer will you have to worry about stepping into a puddle left behind by your pet or having your entire lawn smell like Fido’s potty break. With this combination, you can finally enjoy a yard that is safe and fully usable by both pets and people alike.
