So, you’re wanting to make an artificial turf potty box for your dog? Where do you start? What materials should you use? Will it get gross? How do I clean it? So many questions. When making a potty box for your dogs, no matter their size, it’s important to focus on three specific components: the surface or box you put it on, the drainage mat used between the artificial turf and surface, and the artificial turf being used. Below we’ll help you learn how to make a DIY artificial turf potty box using remnant or “scrap” pieces of artificial turf. When making a potty box, you’ll save tons of money using remnant pieces from a high quality manufacturer versus buying large rolls or small precut “potty” pieces from a big box pet store.
When first creating an artificial turf potty box, it’s important to think about what you’re putting it on. Anything plastic or acrylic should work. Just make sure it is durable and will not break if stepped on by a large dog or adult. For a big or small dog, you could use one of the plastic containment trays that portable restrooms sit on or a clothes washer pan. Those would both work great in creating your own potty box. If you’re wanting to put turf over a concrete area, you’ll need to make sure the concrete has a slope to it for drainage purposes. If you put artificial turf over concrete with nowhere for liquids to drain out to, the artificial turf will begin to smell. With trays and pans, you can easily dump and rinse them out to eliminate any bad odors.
After you have your surface or platform ready, you’ll then need to put down something to create an air gap between the turf and the surface. Two types of materials that work well for this are MiraDrain and AirDrain. MiraDrain is more accessible and can be bought at almost any hardware store. AirDrain is more efficient and works best for larger or multiple dogs, but it is special order only. Either one will work just fine for a small area or tray though. You simply just place the drain material over the area. It’s as simple as measure, cut and place.
After you’re done inserting the drain, it’s then time to place the artificial turf over it. This is the most important part of a potty box. In order to achieve a working and efficient potty box that actually drains liquids through the turf instead of just sitting on top of it, you need an artificial turf product that has a 100% permeable backing system. Without a 100% permeable backing system, there is no point in making a potty box. The product will begin to smell very quickly and you will end up scrapping the whole idea. A 100% permeable and non-absorbent backing system will allow the urine and water to drain through the artificial turf so it’s not just sitting on top of it making it smell bad. It is wise advice to avoid a turf that has a solid urethane backing system with small holes punched in it. We have yet to find a dog with good enough aim to make this system effective. Once the urine and water seeps through the artificial turf, the MiraDrain or AirDrain will then catch it. The liquids will then drain through the MiraDrain or AirDrain and will then be ready to dump and wash out or will move down the concrete slope to the nearest drain.
It’s important to regularly wash down these potty boxes and turf products to clean them so you don’t get any bad odor from it. You can make them any size you want as long as the boxes are durable and won’t brake from someone stepping on them. We hope this was helpful on how to make a DIY artificial turf potty box. If you’re interested in our available inventory of remnant pieces to make your own potty box, give us a call at 877-405-5296 for more information.