Do You Need to Buy a “Power Broom” for Artificial Turf Maintenance?

Published April 24, 2023

Like any investment, proper maintenance will extend the life of your artificial turf and keep the appearance you want.  

There are many ways to clean and brush the turf to keep the blades upright, the infill in place and prevent the surface from becoming matted down and looking, well….more real. An industrial broom from the local garden center is often enough for smaller areas. They are available in soft or hard bristles. We recommend the hard bristle.

For larger areas, it might be worth investing in a “power broom.” The Stihl brand makes a nice one specifically for synthetic grass maintenance. Most towns have a Stihl dealer inside a hardware store or farm supply store. (It’s the wall of orange equipment.)  You can buy a combi head unit, usually in stock, and then the turf brush usually has to be ordered and takes a couple of days to arrive. So don’t wait till the night before you need it, to order it.  

Combi Unit with Wheels

Standard – No Wheels

There are 2 choices in combi units.  There is the upright unit, where you simply drag the unit on one long device, or you can buy the unit on the wheel kit that sits on the ground and has 2 handles, more like a lawn mower.  The latter is actually easier for longer periods of time, as the weight rests on the ground. 

Don’t confuse the nylon, cylindrical brush for turf with the metal brush used for street cleaning. You can’t have loose, metal bristles in your playing surface.  The combi head unit is also versatile, as you can also attach hedge trimmers, weed whackers and a number of other implements to use on the property. The whole set up is about $650 for the combi unit and turf brush.

Inevitably, the nylon brush will need to be cleaned every now and again.  Fibers from the turf and backing will get caught up and wrapped around the bristles as it rotates.  

It requires regular gasoline with the 2 part oil mix. The dealer has it and can often be found in gas stations in a pinch.  You can also buy a gallon, or 2 gallon, gas can and pour the 2 part mix into the can.  The plastic ones work, but the metal cans are ideal, and are even required in many places by OSHA regulations.   The plastic cans can explode if they get too hot, sitting out in the sun.  Some have been known to mix it in an empty gatorade bottle or milk jug, which is definitely an OSHA violation. 

We’ve been known to sell our used ones on the job site if we didn’t immediately need them on the next job. But consider the number of hours of maintenance over the lifetime of you turf and what you pay your labor. The $650 might be a sound investment for you and keep your turf plush and looking great all the time.