Why does my artificial grass smell?

For most households, artificial or ‘fake’ grass does not cause any issues but households with pets may experience a problem with bad smells over time. If you have used a reputable fitter they will have ensured that the grass has good drainage so that during heavy rain, the water is taken away from the garden quickly.

Even with good drainage systems in place, artificial grass can begin to smell because the ammonia in dog pee will cling on to the grass. This isn’t much of an issue during the winter months. Partly because we are outside less when it’s cold and so we do not notice the problem. The additional rain helps carry away the ammonia so it does not have as much chance to build up.

In the summer months the lack of rain and increased sunshine helps create the perfect storm. The ammonia reacts with the sunshine and because it has been allowed to build up, it creates an awful smell, making spending time on your newly laid lawn more of a nightmare than a joy.

There are a number of methods available on the internet however these are often more trouble than they are worth. One method which we tried was to wait for the sun to set then flood the garden with water. Left over night, this did have an effect but it simply wasn’t a long term, cheap or environmentally friendly solution. A special grass cleaning solution is the better and easier method.