Indoor artificial turf is an excellent choice for sports and fitness facilities because it can be used all year round.
It is also the perfect surface for football training sessions in the winter months when grass pitches are typically waterlogged.
However, you will need to maintain it correctly to ensure that it performs at its best.
Routine Cleaning Tips for Indoor Artificial Turf
We have put together a list of daily maintenance tips for your indoor artificial turf pitch to help you keep it in top condition.
Removing Debris
Use a soft brush to remove any loose debris from the surface of your indoor artificial turf before and after training sessions. This will help to prevent wear and tear on the playing surface.
Removing Stains
If there are any stains or marks on the surface, use a damp cloth or sponge to clean them off.
For tougher stains, use a mixture of one part white vinegar and three parts water. Work the solution into the stain with a soft brush. Let the area dry completely before using it again.
Deep Clean – How to Clean Indoor Artificial Turf Using Carpet Cleaner
Depending on how much your indoor artificial turf is used, you’ll want to schedule deep cleaning on a monthly basis to keep it looking fresh and inviting.
Here are 5 steps to clean indoor artificial turf using carpet cleaner:
Step 1 – Gather the cleaning supplies
For this project, you’ll need the following items:
Carpet Cleaner
A carpet cleaner that can be used on both carpets and hard surfaces. We recommend a shampooer with a rotating brush bar.
This will help scrub away any dirt or stains on your artificial turf. You may also want to use a separate spray nozzle for applying the shampoo solution to your turf.
Bucket #1 – Cleaning Solution
A small bucket filled with warm water and a little bit of mild detergent (we recommend using dish soap). This will be used for pre-treating any stains or spots on your turf before you shampoo it.
Bucket #2 – Clean Water for Rinsing
A large bucket filled with clean water for rinsing out the shampoo solution from your turf after you’ve cleaned it.
If possible, we recommend having two people helping you move the buckets around as you go along.
One person can hold the first bucket while another person fills it up with clean water and then carry it over to where you’re working to rinse out your turf.
The third person can then pick up the first bucket and carry it back over to where they started so that everyone has one hand free at all times to move the buckets around as needed.
This will make things much easier! If this isn’t an option, then just try not to lift too many full buckets at once or else you risk spilling water everywhere!
Step 2 – Pre-treat any stains or spots on your turf
Before you start shampooing your artificial turf, make sure that you pre-treat any stains or spots on it first.
This will help to ensure that the shampooer can work more effectively and get rid of these spots as quickly as possible.
Here’s how to do it:
- First, use a spray nozzle to apply a generous amount of warm water and dish soap directly onto the spot or stain.
- Let it soak for about 5 minutes before scrubbing it with a brush (like an old toothbrush). If the spot is still there after this step, then repeat this process one more time before moving onto step 3 below.
Step 3 – Shampoo your turf using carpet cleaner
Now that you’ve pre-treated all of the spots and stains on your turf, you’re ready to start shampooing it! To do this, follow these steps:
Place your turf in the center of a large, empty room (or in an area where you can easily sweep up any excess water or shampoo solution that ends up getting spilled).
Make sure that there’s plenty of room for you to move the carpet cleaner around as you go along.
Use a spray nozzle to apply a generous amount of shampoo solution directly onto your turf.
Make sure that you get it all over the entire surface and don’t miss any spots!
If possible, we recommend starting in one corner and working your way out from there so that you have more control over where the shampoo is going.
Start scrubbing with the rotating brush bar on your carpet cleaner. You may want to use a separate spray nozzle on your shampooer at this point if you think it will be easier to direct the shampoo onto specific areas of your turf.
Just make sure that you don’t accidentally spray too much shampoo onto other parts of your carpet or hard surface underneath!
Once you’ve scrubbed all over the surface, use a separate spray nozzle to rinse off any excess shampoo solution from your turf.
Be careful not to get too close to any seams or edges when doing this or else you risk spraying water into them!
If necessary, repeat this step until all of the soap is rinsed off and no bubbles remain on the surface. This will ensure that everything is clean and ready for use again!
You should also try using different settings on your carpet cleaner during this step if possible (like a lower speed setting) so that it doesn’t rub against or damage your artificial turf while it’s being cleaned.
Once everything has been rinsed off, feel free to give the entire surface another quick scrub with a brush (like an old toothbrush) just to make sure that all of the soap has been removed before moving onto step 4 below.
Step 4 – Rinse off any remaining shampoo solution from your turf using clean water
Now that all of the soap has been rinsed off from your artificial turf, it needs to be completely rinsed off as well before drying it off completely with paper towels or cloth towels (depending on how wet it still is). Here are some steps for doing this:
Fill up one bucket with clean water and then place half of an old towel inside of it so that it sits right at the bottom of the bucket.
Place your turf in the center of this towel and then pour clean water over it until all of the soap is completely rinsed off.
If necessary, repeat this step until no more soap bubbles appear on the surface of your turf when you pour water over it.
This will ensure that everything is completely clean before you move onto drying it off!
Step 5 – Dry your artificial turf using paper towels or cloth towels
Once you’ve poured enough water over your artificial turf to rinse off all of the shampoo solution from it, it needs to be dried as well before being put back into use again. Here are some steps for doing this:
Use a separate spray nozzle to apply a generous amount of warm water directly onto your turf (you may want to use a hose connected to a faucet if possible).
Make sure that you get plenty of water on both sides and edges so that everything dries evenly. You may also want to wipe down any excess shampoo solution that got on other parts of your carpet or hard surface underneath with paper towels or cloth towels if necessary.
Let everything dry for at least 6 hours before putting it back into use again!
What about you?
Have you ever cleaned your artificial turf using carpet cleaner before? If so, then we’d love to hear about your experience! Just leave a comment below and let us know how it went!