Carpet care for Burke Mountain new builds: the first professional clean
A new house on Burke Mountain comes with brand new carpet, so cleaning it is usually the last thing on anyone’s mind. Then, a few months in, the hallway upstairs looks dull, the bottom stair has a grey patch, and the light beige bedroom carpet shows every footprint. That’s normal for a new build, and it’s easy to fix. Here’s why new carpet gets dirty so quickly, when to book its first professional clean, and what it costs.
Why new carpet in a new build gets dirty fast
Construction dust doesn’t leave when the builder does. Drywall sanding, trim work and final touch-ups leave a fine dust in the ducts, on the window ledges and in the carpet itself. When the furnace runs for the first time in the fall, a lot of that dust comes back out through the vents and settles on the floor. The grey lines you sometimes see along baseboards and under doors are often this fine dust, pulled in by air moving through the gap.
The neighbourhood is still being built. On many Burke Mountain streets, there are still lots being dug, roads being finished and yards waiting for sod. That means more dirt and fine grit on boots, strollers and paws than in an established neighbourhood. Grit is what wears carpet down: it sits at the base of the fibres and cuts them every time someone walks over it.
Light builder colours show everything. Many new homes come with light carpet in the bedrooms and on the stairs. It looks great in the show home and shows traffic lanes within a year.
When to book the first clean
There’s no single right date, but these are the times it pays off most:
- Before the furniture arrives. If you have a gap between possession and moving day, empty rooms are the easiest to clean thoroughly. Every inch gets done, including the spots that will sit under the bed and the sofa for years.
- After the first winter. Once the furnace has run for a season and the family has tracked in a few months of rain and mud, a hot water extraction clean lifts out the construction dust and grit before it wears the fibres.
- On the schedule your carpet warranty asks for. Many carpet warranties ask for professional hot water extraction at set intervals and want to see a receipt. Check the paperwork from your builder or the carpet maker, and keep the invoice after each clean.
After that, a professional clean about once a year keeps most homes in good shape, and a bit more often with pets or small kids.
What the first clean involves
We use truck-mounted hot water extraction. The unit stays outside in the driveway or on the street, and only the hose comes into the house. That matters in a new build, because the noise, heat and moisture of the machine stay out of the house, and it has the power to pull up fine dust instead of pushing it deeper.
Each clean includes:
- Pre-treatment on traffic lanes, stairs and entry areas, where grit and dust collect first.
- Hot water extraction, which rinses the carpet and pulls the water and dirt back out.
- Plant-based, pet-safe solutions on request, and a clean rinse so nothing sticky is left behind to attract new dirt.
- A final walkthrough with you before we leave. If anything isn’t right, we fix it.
Most carpet is dry in 3 to 6 hours. Open a few windows or run the furnace fan to help it along.
What a typical new build costs
Pricing is by area: a room, a hallway or a set of stairs is $90 each, before the current promo, plus GST. The minimum for a visit is $210, which covers up to 3 areas. Some examples:
| New home | What’s cleaned | Areas | List price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burke Mountain townhouse | 3 bedrooms | 3 | $210 (minimum) |
| Townhouse, full clean | 3 bedrooms, upstairs hallway, stairs | 5 | $450 |
| Detached house, upstairs only | 4 bedrooms, hallway, stairs | 6 | $540 |
| Detached house with a carpeted basement | 4 bedrooms, hallway, 2 sets of stairs, basement rec room | 8 | $720 |
Rooms up to about 150 square feet count as one area. A large bonus room or basement rec room may count as two, and you’ll see that in your price before you book.
Keeping new carpet looking new
- Put mats at every door, inside and out, including the door from the garage. It’s the cheapest way to keep grit off the carpet.
- Shoes off at the door. In a neighbourhood with active construction, this makes a real difference.
- Vacuum the stairs and the upstairs hallway twice a week for the first year, while dust is still settling out of the ducts.
- Change the furnace filter after the first few months. New-build filters fill up with construction dust faster than you’d expect.
- Blot spills right away, from the outside in, with plain water. Don’t scrub.
Booking
You can book carpet cleaning in Coquitlam online and see your exact price before you choose a weekday time. If you’re adding a sectional or an area rug from the new living room, put it on the same booking and it’s all one visit.
Common questions
Is it too early to clean carpet that’s under a year old? No. Cleaning removes dust and grit before they wear the fibres, so it helps new carpet last longer.
Should we clean before or after we move in? Before, if you can. Empty rooms are faster and get cleaned edge to edge. If you’re already in, that’s fine too, and we work around the furniture.
Do you clean in Port Coquitlam and Port Moody too? Yes, across all three Tri-Cities, including newer homes in Port Moody and Port Coquitlam.
Ready to book? See carpet cleaning in Coquitlam, or call (604) 802-8500.