Cleaning Artificial Grass With Vinegar – What You Need To Know

Artificial grass can be a great addition to your home. They are also an excellent investment as they last for years with minimum maintenance.

However, this doesn’t mean you can just leave them unattended after installation.

If you want to retain the quality of your artificial grass, you need to give it some care.

Fortunately, one of the best ways to clean and maintain your artificial grass is also the simplest and cheapest too – Vinegar!

Today, we’ll show you EXACTLY how to use vinegar to clean your artificial grass, safely and easily.

But before anything else, here is a common question among most homemakers:

Will Vinegar Damage Artificial Grass?

The short answer to this is “No.” Artificial grass may look similar to natural grass, but they are completely different from each other.

Artificial grass is made from high-quality synthetic materials. Vinegar is completely safe on synthetic grass and will not damage it in any way.

However, despite being made from synthetic materials, your grass is vulnerable to harsh chemicals and fire.

Hence, if you plan to cook and barbeque in your backyard, we recommend you not to install your artificial grass anywhere near the fire pit – Even the smallest accidents may cause permanent damage to your lawn. 

Remember: Your artificial grass doesn’t grow back! So it’s important to keep it safe and clean.

Additionally, harsh chemicals like stain removers, detergents, or any solution that contain an acid or alcohol base may end up wearing out your artificial lawn.

Always use cleaners designed for artificial grass or vinegar to keep your lawn safe!

For most applications, we recommend using a 1:1 vinegar solution – This means mixing equal parts of vinegar and water, and using this to clean your artificial grass.

5 Ways To Use Vinegar On Artificial Grass:

Besides being a great general purpose cleaner (and kitchen ingredient), vinegar is also a great cleaner for a few specific situations. Here’s exactly how to use vinegar to clean artifical grass:

1. Use Vinegar As A Weed Killer:

If you’re wondering whether weeds can actually grow in an artificial lawn, the answer is yes!

Weeds usually grows around the edges in artificial grass lawns due to fallen leaves or airborne seeds. And sometimes, it can even grow through the membrane from underneath your artificial lawn…

That can be quite annoying!

Luckily, you can easily solve this problem with a bottle of distilled white vinegar.

Just fill a spray bottle with some distilled white vinegar and start spraying on the unwanted weeds.

You may want to repeat the spraying process two or more times to ensure that the weed dies completely. This is a great way of killing weeds naturally.

Vinegar that contains 20% acidity or higher may work best to effectively kill the weeds. Also, be careful while spraying the vinegar so that you don’t end up spraying and killing your desired plants.

When you’re done, give your lawn a quick rinse with water – This will wash away the vinegar and prevent any lingering odors, and it will ensure the vinegar doesn’t corrode your fake grass or its backing.

2. Clean Pet Waste And Bird Droppings:

Cleaning and maintaining your artificial grass becomes even more vital if you have pets that use your artificial lawn as restrooms.

Be sure to always clean up after your pets. This way, you can retain the grass’s quality, avoid foul odors, and maintain good overall hygiene.

The good news: Your pets will tend to use the same area, so all you have to do is focus on that patch of grass.

The first thing you should do is pick up and remove solid wastes and rinse the affected areas daily using a garden hose. This will help keep the grass clean.

Additionally, you should also spray these areas with a distilled white vinegar solution to disinfect the area and neutralize any bad odors. 

If your pets use the artificial grass lawn areas regularly, it’s best to do this once or twice a week.

3. Use Vinegar As A Disinfectant:

Although your artificial lawn is not alive, the fact that it sits outdoors means it’s exposed to germs and dirt every day.

Insects, leaves and other organic matter can start to decay, making its way in between the grass blades and even passing through the backing.

This can lead to a huge buildup of germs and bacteria within your lawn!

Fortunately, it’s easy to prevent this from happening in the first place: All you have to do is disinfect it regularly.

Though vinegar is not a certified disinfectant, it does contain some disinfectant properties. At the same time, it’s also gentle enough not to damage your artificial grass.

This makes it the perfect DIY artificial grass cleaner!

4. Remove Food And Paint Stains With Vinegar:

Stains can be tough to remove if they remain undetected for an extended period. If you notice any fresh food or paint stains on your artificial grass, it is best to remove them as soon as possible.

Artificial grass lawns are no stranger to food stains, especially if you end up hosting tons of outdoor gatherings.

The good news is you can easily get rid of the stains with a diluted vinegar solution.

For most stains, a quick spray of vinegar and a rinse will do the trick. But for paint stains and stickier food spills, you can soak a rag with the vinegar solution and gently rub the stains away.

The vinegar solution will break down and remove even the greasiest stains in no time!

5. Remove Mold With Vinegar:

Normally, artificial grass is not a great place for bacterial and fungal growth. But you may still run into some problems from time to time…

Leaves may fall and remain trapped on the artificial grass, especially during autumn. And since they retain moisture, they can provide a place for mold to grow underneath.

This can pose some health risks, especially for those with allergies, asthma and other diseases.

The best solution to this is to prevent it before it happens – Simply use a plastic tipped rake to remove the leaves from your lawn in time, especially during autumn.

Nevertheless, if the mold has already formed on your artificial grass, you can easily remove it with the help of some water and vinegar

Simply spray the mixture on the mold and gently wipe the grass blades with a sponge. Then, wash off the area with some white vinegar and rinse it with water.