Tips for Artificial Grass Owners During a Heatwave

With a heatwave hitting the UK in September, and seeing temperatures above 30°C, it poses risks for anyone with artificial grass in their gardens. Getting burned from the sun is unpleasant enough as it is, but getting burned from the ground is not exactly an upgrade. If you are one of the 10% of UK homes with artificial grass in your garden, there are some ways in which you can protect yourself in the heat.

The main dangers are to pets and children who are more likely to walk on artificial grass and get burned. Although they offer convenience, fake lawns also come with the risk of heat retention and reaching uncomfortable temperatures in a heatwave. Some shapes of artificial grass are available that prevent excessive heat gain, but not everyone will have these or will be aware of them.

Throughout summer, it’s important to regularly check your artificial lawn and assess how safe it is. While natural grass offers a cooling effect, a synthetic lawn doesn’t have this luxury built in as the plastics used tend to have insulating properties. This causes heat to become trapped and the material to reach high temperatures, posing a real risk to children and pets.

You can use the following tricks to cool down your artificial grass and keep high temperatures in check:

• Shading

• Hydration

• Suitable subsurface

• Neighbouring plants

Shading

Perhaps the most obvious solution to cooling down areas under the sun is to make sure there is plenty of shade. Canopies, parasols, gazebos and the like are perfect for creating large areas that will be cool. Using some form of sun shade prevents the artificial grass from overheating.

Hydration

One of the easiest ways to reduce the temperature of artificial grass in the sun is to spray it with water. You can make use of a garden hose, sprinkler or spray system to do this, depending on how big your garden is. The water droplets help absorb the heat before it evaporates. This also has the added effect of cooling the surrounding air.

Suitable Subsurface

You may be aware that artificial grass looks its best when it has a sand infill brushed into it every now and again. Did you also know that certain infills can help regulate the temperature? These minimise how much heat is absorbed by the grass and also have good moisture retention. This makes it compatible and doubly effective if combined with the hydration technique above.

Neighbouring Plants

Tall plants, trees and hedges are useful for creating barriers and more shade, but they can also supply a cooling effect of their own. Transpiration happens when water moves through a plant and is evaporated. If you have enough neighbouring plants, on a hot day, the surrounding air can be cooled down naturally as they heat up.

Which Artificial Grass is for Me?

U and W-shaped fibres are both excellent at regulating the temperature of a fake lawn. They can prevent overheating and excessive heat from becoming a nuisance to both your children and your pets.

Find out more about artificial grass with our many informative articles.