Why Is My Artificial Turf Melting?

Artificial grass, often referred to as "turf," is rapidly becoming one of the most popular trends in both residential and commercial landscaping. Today's artificial turf resembles natural grass both in appearance and even to a great extent in feel, making it a perfectly viable option for the home where children and pets play outside. And as turf requires no watering, fertilizer, mowing, or other maintenance, it is an environmentally friendly approach to property maintenance.

However, artificial grass has one major drawback that is never a factor with natural grass: when exposed to enough heat, turf can melt, becoming unsightly and unpleasant to touch and ruining the aesthetic appeal of a property. The melting point of artificial grass is quite high; in fact, it takes temperatures of more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit to melt most turf. So why is your turf melting, when such concentrated heat is needed? The answer is likely a window reflection burning grass.

Artificial Grass Burning from Windows

When sunlight reflects off glass windows, it can become focused and concentrated, and therefore much hotter than when it shines down naturally. Energy efficient windows that are designed to reflect back a portion of the sun's rays in order to prevent interior warming enhance this effect even more than a standard glass window. (Thus ironically the eco-friendly windows you installed in your home might be the reason the artificial grass melted; the very same turf you also installed to be environmental conscious.)

Window Reflection Burns Grass, Turf, Vinyl Siding and More

Is The Sun Reflecting Off Windows Killing Your Grass?

Regular grass can also be damaged or even killed by the excessive heat created by sunlight reflecting off of windows. If your lawn is covered with patches of dried, discolored, or dead grass that cannot be explained by factors such as pet damage or a fertilizer burn, it's entirely possible that your windows are to blame.

It's easy enough to tell if the sun reflection burning grass is the issue: simply note where there are patches of bright light on your yard when the sun is shining and see if they correlate to the damaged areas.

Fortunately, it's also relatively easy to prevent the sun reflecting off windows killing grass or melting turf, and you won't have to make any major changes to your home or your yard, either. If the glare from your windows is burning the grass, you simply have to stop the reflected glare using a purpose-built window tint.

Exterior Window Film to Reduce Reflection

Anti-reflective exterior window film stops artificial grass melting by breaking up the concentrated reflection of sunshine that would otherwise be focused on your property. The scattered sunlight is harmlessly directed in multiple directions, and the view from inside the home is no more impacted than as by a standard screen. In fact, from a distance, window film for artificial grass protection is essentially invisible to the eyes, and that is true both from within and from outside a home or commercial property so treated.

How to Stop Reflection from Windows Melting Artificial Grass

So if your turf is melting or your natural grass is burning, don't hesitate to find out whether or not it is glare from your windows that is causing the damage. Turf Guard Window Film is an easily installed and affordable way to protect your artificial turf, and to do so in a minimally invasive manner.