If you're installing artificial turf in a home with pets — or planning to — the infill you choose matters just as much as the turf itself. It's an easy detail to overlook during installation, but it's often the single biggest factor in whether your backyard stays odour-free for years or becomes a recurring problem. Here's what to consider.
Why Infill Choice Matters So Much for Pet Owners
Infill sits between the blades of artificial turf, helping the fibres stand upright and giving the surface cushioning and stability. For pet owners, it plays an additional, less obvious role: it's also where urine ends up pooling and draining through. If your infill isn't designed to handle that, odour becomes almost inevitable over time, regardless of how good the turf itself is.
Common Infill Types (and Their Downsides for Pets)
Silica sand: The most basic and widely used infill. It's inexpensive but has no odour-absorbing properties, meaning urine passes through and pools underneath, where it can become a persistent source of smell.
Rubber crumb: Common in sports and play surfaces for its cushioning. However, it can retain heat and odour, and some pet owners find it doesn't drain or manage urine odour any better than plain sand.
Zeolite-based infills (like smellBgone PETFILL): Specifically engineered to address ammonia and odour, rather than just providing structural support for the turf fibres.
What to Look for in a Pet-Specific Infill
- Ammonia absorption, not just liquid drainage — the smell comes from ammonia compounds in urine, so an infill needs to actively bind and neutralise this, not just let it pass through.
- Non-toxic and pet-safe, given how much direct contact paws, noses and mouths have with infill material.
- Long-lasting performance, rather than needing frequent top-ups or replacement to keep working effectively.
- A natural look and feel, so it doesn't compromise the appearance or texture of the finished turf.
How smellBgone PETFILL Addresses This
smellBgone PETFILL is made from an organic group of minerals — hydrated calcium potassium sodium aluminosilicates — engineered specifically to absorb and hold ammonia from pet urine. Rather than simply letting urine drain through to the base layer (where odour tends to concentrate over time), it actively works to break down urea and prevent bad odours from developing in the first place.
It looks and feels like standard sand, so there's no visible difference in your finished lawn, but its functional role is entirely different. It's also safe, organic and non-toxic, suitable for all pet zones including areas your dog or cat is likely to use most often.
Installation Tips for Pet Owners
- Get your ratios right. How much infill you need depends on the number of pets you have and the pile height of your turf — heavier pet use generally calls for closer attention to infill depth and coverage.
- Focus on known "hotspot" areas. If you already know where your pet tends to go (a particular corner, near a fence line), make sure infill coverage is thorough and even in these zones specifically.
- Pair infill with a maintenance routine. Even the best infill benefits from periodic treatment. Combining PETFILL with occasional applications of smellBgone SYNTURF gives you both prevention and active odour elimination.
Retrofitting Existing Turf
If your turf is already installed and odour has become a problem, you don't necessarily need to start from scratch. In many cases, existing infill can be topped up or supplemented with smellBgone PETFILL to improve odour control going forward, particularly in problem areas.
Getting Started
Because of its size and weight, smellBgone PETFILL isn't sold directly online — you can enquire about an order for your installation, or find it through one of our stockists.
The Long-Term Payoff
Choosing the right infill at installation (or upgrading later) is one of those decisions that's easy to underestimate — until you're dealing with a smelly backyard a year down the track. Getting it right from the start saves a lot of ongoing maintenance headaches later.
Get in touch to discuss smellBgone PETFILL for your next turf project.