How to Care for Fine Rugs

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how to get dents out of rugs

If you know how to care for fine rugs, you can enjoy them for a lifetime—and beyond! Persian, Oriental, antique, and handmade rugs require regular maintenance to keep them looking beautiful as they age. By following a few basic care routines, you can protect your fine rug’s value and enhance its beauty for many years to come. These rugs may even become family heirlooms that not only you, but your children and grandchildren will treasure.

Environmental Considerations

Fine rugs should not be exposed to constant direct sunlight, damp environments, or excessive heat. Keep rugs in climate and humidity-controlled rooms to prevent rot and decay, and use blinds or curtains to prevent sunlight from gradually fading the vibrant colors of your rugs. Never place your fine rug too close to a fireplace or heat source, as constant or excessive heat can cause drying-out and weakening of the natural fibers.

Vacuuming

Fine rugs should be vacuumed regularly to remove dirt, debris, and microscopic mold spores and other toxins. If the regular maintenance is not done, contaminants will build up over time to give your rug a dirty, yellowed, or dingy appearance.

Stains

Stains and spills do happen, but it is imperative that you do not use any cleaning agent on your fine rugs that might damage the fibers or bleach out the colors. If you have care instructions from the manufacturer or merchant, follow the directions for spot cleaning. Many stains can be tackled with a mixture of water and mild dish soap. But when in doubt, call in the experts!

Insects

Some insects like to burrow in and/or eat the natural fibers in fine rugs. In particular, moths can be a nuisance since they like to lay their eggs in the close-knit fibers. When their larvae hatch, they will go to work devouring your rug. To prevent this disaster from happening to your rugs, stay on top of regular vacuuming and don’t leave your fine rugs in dark storage areas without double-layer plastic protection.

Protect the Back

We don’t often think of rug backings as something that needs to be protected. We’re more interested in the beautiful top side of the rug—the part we can see! But the bottom of your rug can become damaged from wear and tear, too. To protect the backs of your rugs, make sure they are placed on smooth floor surfaces—never on rough-hewn stone or brick, for instance. You can also use non-slip mats underneath your rugs to both protect them and keep them from sliding out of position, bunching up, or causing a tripping hazard. Five Step carries Duo-Lock rug pads to prolong the life of your rug and prevent unwanted movement.

Professional Cleaning

Fine rugs should be sent to a professional rug cleaner every five years or so. At Five Step Carpet Care, we give your Persian and Oriental rugs a luxurious spa treatment and return them to you refreshed and revitalized. Learn more about our rug-cleaning process.

 

We would love to be your trusted source for fine rug cleaning! If you live in the Asheville, NC area, give us a call at 828.237.3237 or drop us a line today!

 

 

Attention, Hendersonville! Pet Odor Removal is Possible!

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Is pet odor in your carpet a lost cause, or is there a way to rid your home of bad pet odors without shipping your furry friends off to the farm? Don’t worry, Hendersonville. Pet odor removal is not only possible, we do it every day!

Did your puppy have a few accidents in the family room before he graduated potty training? Or does your cat track litter into the carpeted hallway? Maybe you have a sick or elderly pet who has continence issues. Or perhaps you just have that unmistakable “dog smell” from fur and dander being ground deep into your carpet pile, where the vacuum can’t reach it.

Chances are, the odors are actually coming from the bottom of the carpet, or the padding underneath. But you don’t have to rip the carpet out and replace it to get rid of the odors! Quality professional carpet cleaning can address those smells (and stains) for good.

Even if your pet odor problems are in your furniture’s upholstery, the problem can be fixed!

At Five Step Carpet Care, we help homeowners and property managers with pet odor problems all the time. We’ll get rid of those smelly spots so that you and your pets can enjoy your carpet (or furniture) again. Best of all, our sustainable, non-toxic five step process will take care of those odors without leaving any chemical residues behind.

If you live in Hendersonville, NC (or anywhere in western NC) and you struggle with pet-related odors in your home, give Five Step a call at 828.237.3237 or drop us a line.

 

How to Get Chewing Gum Out of Carpet

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When you find a sticky, gunky mess of gum stuck in your carpet, you’ll want to get it out as soon as possible. But how? You may have heard that freezing the gum with ice does the trick. While freezing is a helpful start, it may not be enough to complete the task. It all depends on how stuck into the carpet fibers the gum is. But don’t fret! There are ways to get chewing gum out of carpet. Just follow the steps below.

  1. Freeze the gum. Put a few ice cubes in a plastic baggy and place it on top of the gum. Leave it there for a few minutes, long enough for the gum to freeze and harden. Once it is hardened, try to pull the gum off of the carpet. If you succeed, great! You can stop here. But if there are still bits of gum ground into the carpet fibers that won’t come off, continue on to the next step.
  2. Apply WD-40. Please perform a spot test first to ensure that no discoloration will result! WD-40 is great for dissolving chewing gum, enabling you to easily lift it from the carpet. Spray the solution from close to the gum stain, and with a butter knife, scrape at the gum, picking up the bits as they separate from the mass. You may need to reapply the WD-40 if there is a lot of gum, or if it is ground deeply into the carpet.
  3. Quick clean-up. Finally, once the gum is completely removed, spray the area with your favorite non-toxic carpet spot cleaner, or a small amount of dish detergent and water. Wipe it with a clean cloth, and allow to air dry.

And that’s it! By following these three steps, you should be able to get chewing gum out of carpet without a big hassle. If you live in the Asheville, NC area and you need some help with carpet cleaning, give Five Step a call at 828.327.7233 or use our contact form.