What should I expect from new artificial turf in the first month?
Expect loose trimmings to work free over the first weeks and infill to keep settling into the pile through the first month; both are normal. Wait about two weeks before the first brush unless the installer said otherwise, keep rinsing light, and plan the first professional deep clean for months out, sooner if pets already use the yard every day.
Week one: what is normal
- Fine loose fiber bits from cutting and seaming, worked out by rain and foot traffic.
- Fibers that look a little stiff or shiny; they relax and lie more naturally within a couple of weeks.
- Sand visible at the base of the fibers in spots until infill finishes settling.
- A faint line at a seam that softens as traffic and rain settle the turf on both sides of it.
Weeks two to four: settling
Infill keeps settling under rain and normal use through the first month, and the fibers stand more evenly as it does; our infill guide covers what a settled depth should look like once it is done. Walking paths start to form wherever people actually cross the yard, which is expected and not the matting that later maintenance addresses; a new path only becomes a maintenance issue after months of the same route with no brushing.
Brian prices it by square foot before any work starts, and every job ends blown clean.
The first brush and the first rinse
Most installers suggest waiting about two weeks before the first brush, so the infill has time to settle before it gets disturbed; follow your installer's specific instructions if they gave different guidance for your product. When you do brush, use a synthetic-bristle broom against the grain and go lightly rather than aggressively. There is no waiting period for the first rinse: a hose on a normal setting is fine anytime, since the turf is built to drain from day one. A pressure washer is never the right tool, new turf or old.
What is not normal
If fibers are still coming loose after the first season, our page on artificial grass shedding fibers explains when shedding stops being normal.
A few things at this stage point back to the installer rather than to maintenance, since TIMELESS Turf Restoration cleans and restores existing turf and does not install it: a bare patch of backing with no fiber over it, a seam that gaps rather than just shows a faint line, or a low spot that holds standing water more than an hour after a normal rain. Those are workmanship questions for whoever installed the yard, and worth raising with them directly while the install is fresh.
When to book the first professional clean
New turf has nothing to deep clean yet except the debris of its first season. In our experience the first real professional visit makes sense once the yard has been through a pollen season, or around the one-year mark for a people-only lawn, whichever comes first. A yard with dogs on it from day one is different: start the daily pickup and weekly pet-zone rinse immediately, and put the first Premium Restoration on the calendar within the first few months rather than waiting a year.
When to call us
Call once the yard has been through its first pollen season, or sooner for a pet household, for an Essential Clean or Premium Restoration starting at the $199 minimum visit. If anything about the install itself looks off in that first month, that is a conversation with your installer first.
Free quote, priced by square foot. You approve any add-on before we do it.
