Artificial Grasses That Stay Cool

While artificial lawns can be wonderful additions to make your home seem green and lush without the hassles of watering, mowing and the maintenance of one, a major drawback of artificial grass lawns is that on hot and sunny days, they can become much hotter when compared to natural grass. In fact, according to a study by Penn State, a poorly designed artificial turf can easily reach temperatures exceeding 175 degrees, which makes it very uncomfortable as well as unsafe for anyone sitting or playing on such turfs.

cool-grass

Artificial grass may not get as hot as sand, rocks, concrete pavements or walkways, but they are also not as cool as natural grass. This can become a problem for your kids or pets who walk or play on the grass. Nevertheless, there are many ways to keep artificial grass lawns cool on hot days and you can ensure that the grass does not get too hot and can be kept at a comfortable temperature.

Ways to Keep Your Artificial Lawn Cool

  • If you plan to install an artificial grass lawn in your home, but have not yet done so, you can avoid the overheating of the artificial grass by choosing appropriate materials and also including sub-surface cooling systems.
  • Select a light grass color and a light colored infill, which can help to lower the temperature.
  • Avoid using rubber infills as they tend to absorb more heat and also transfer the heat much more than non-rubber infills.
  • Install the artificial grass lawn under shady trees. This will not only provide a comfortable and shaded area for your kids or pets to play but will also help to keep your artificial lawn protected from the direct rays of the sun and keep them cooler.
  • Use shade cloths to cover parts of the lawn or the lawn entirely to block the direct sunlight and reduce the absorption of the heat.
  • Use a retractable awning which can be opened up to provide shade to the lawn and keep it cool on very hot days.
  • Run your sprinkler system, if you have one, for a few minutes or water your artificial lawn very quickly with a garden hose to reduce its temperature.

These are some methods that you can employ to keep your artificial lawn cool.

Alternatively, you can look at installing an artificial lawn that has an inbuilt cooling system. Let us take a look at some of the options of synthetic cooling systems that can help your artificial lawn stay cooler.

HydroChill™

HydroChill™ from is an infill coated sand, which when added to the artificial grass’ infill can result in a cooling of around 16oC – 28oC. HydroChill™ can be easily applied to your newly installed artificial lawn or an existing old one by using the same process as you would in adding a regular sand infill. You can just sprinkle it by hand or by using a sand spreader and brush it in with a stiff broom. HydroChill™ works naturally when the artificial turf is hydrated by dew, rain or simply when you water it using a hose and once it is hydrated, the moisture remains for several days.

Hydro Chill

image: shawgrass.com

HydroChill™ works by releasing the moisture stored in it when the artificial grass becomes heated and when the moisture evaporates, the heated surface becomes cool. HydroChill™ works extremely well even on the hottest days and is especially suitable for areas that are drought-hit or have water problems.

HydroChill™ can be used for all synthetic lawns including residential lawns, putting greens and even in large sports arenas, etc. HydroChill™ is UV resistant, eco-friendly and non-toxic, making it kid and pet-friendly. And, the best part is that you can install the HydroChill™ all by yourself even on your existing artificial grass.

TigerCool®

TigerCool® has been introduced in the market by Synthetic Grass Warehouse. TigerCool® Heat Reflective Technology has been created by Tencate, the manufacturer of space-age yarns for Boeing and NASA. TigerCool® helps to reduce the temperature of your artificial turf by around 15% and by around 10 degrees. The TigerCool® yarns are manufactured using advanced UV inhibitors and color pigments that reflect heat and help to reduce the surface temperature.

TigerCool® is ideal for use in your home garden, commercial properties or public parks. TigerCool® is 100% lead-free and non-toxic, which makes the product completely child and pet safe.

Paradise Green’s Cool Blade Technology

The Paradise Green’s Cool Blade Technology was manufactured for the Arizona weather conditions and can withstand extremely high temperatures. Paradise Green’s Cool Blade Technology is built into the blades of the artificial grass and the advanced cooling technology keeps your artificial grass lawn considerably cooler and at a comfortable temperature as compared to artificial turf that does not have this cooling feature. The Cool Blade Technology works by dissipating the sun’s rays rather than absorbing them. Paradise Greens artificial turfs are suitable for residential and commercial properties. The Paradise Green’s Cool Blade Technology is manufactured in the United States.

GST KoolMax Technology

GST’s KoolMax Technology ensures that your artificial grass lawn remains cooler by around 15% and the grass is pleasant even on the hottest days compared to other artificial grasses. This innovative product has been tested by experts and the KoolMax technology is part of the W-blade product series from GST. Not only does the KoolMax technology help to keep the artificial grass cooler, it also enhances the airflow, deflects light, limits the sheen and eliminates the shiny, fake look of artificial grass.

Koolmax

Also, the “hollow blade” design of the grass from GST is unique. The grass blades are hollow in the center that make the blades look very realistic and also help to keep the lawn temperature stable and very cool during the summer. The hollow blade technology simulates the transpiration process that occurs in living plants that keeps them cool by retaining the moisture in their stems and reducing the temperature.

SYNLawn’s HeatBlock™ Technology

SYNLawn artificial grass makes use of the HeatBlock™ Technology which helps to combat the heat and damage caused by the sun. The exclusive technology helps in reducing the rising temperatures by reflecting the rays of the sun, thereby reducing emissivity and build-up of heat. The HeatBlock™ Technology keeps the artificial grass so cool and comfortable that you can walk on it barefoot and it is pet-friendly too.

Heat builds up when the thermal energy from the sun is absorbed by any object, and just like dark clothes, can absorb more heat than light-colored ones, artificial grass absorbs the heat of the sun on hot days and holds it for a longer period of time, making the grass rather hot and uncomfortable.

SYNLawn-Heatblock

SYNLawn’s HeatBlock™ Technology includes infrared reflective pigments that help to disperse the heat and also helps to reduce the emissivity of the grass fibers by around 20%, which makes the grass much cooler than other synthetic grasses available in the market.

Cool Yarn by Purchase Green

If you are looking for an artificial lawn that remains cool, then you could consider Cool Yarn grasses that can improve the temperature of the artificial grass by around 10-20% when compared to grasses that have the highest rate of heat retention. Cool Yarn grasses are engineered and manufactured using processes that allow them to remain cooler than other artificial grasses.

Inhibitors are added to the pigment that gives the artificial grass its natural green coloring. These inhibitors help to deflect the heat from the blades of grass instead of absorbing it. The polymer additives, the “U-shaped” fiber and the construction of the artificial grass, help to reduce the temperature of the artificial grass by deflecting the UV rays of the sun away from the short curled fibers that trap the heat. Cool Yarn is extremely pet and children friendly.

NewGrass®

The NewGrass® artificial grass variants are manufactured using a special yarn blend that guarantees to be less hot in the summer. If the “Ultra with Cool Blade Technology” and “NewGrass Supreme”, the two varieties of grass from NewGrass®, are used along with an eco-friendly infill instead of conventional crumb rubber infill, the surface heat can be reduced almost by around 30%. In fact, using environmentally safe and eco-friendly infills like “ZeoFill” along with NewGrass® with “Cool Blades” can help to enhance the cooling effects of the artificial grass even more. The artificial grass from NewGrass® resembles and feels like natural grass. Additionally, they are friendly on the skin and also UV resistant.

Conclusion

If you have an artificial grass lawn at home or plan to install one, the usual worry of the artificial grass becoming very hot and uncomfortable can now be an issue of the past. You can use some of the DIY tips discussed in the article above as stopgap measures to help keep your artificial turf cool.

Alternatively, there are many types of artificial grass available today that make use of various cooling technologies that help to keep the grasses much cooler than the regular ones on a scorching day. There are also cooling technologies that can be used with your existing brand of artificial grass to give you just the same results. So, if you are looking for an artificial grass that stays cool when it’s very hot, you can opt for one of the grasses or technologies we have discussed in this article.