Here Are the Five Steps that Made Us Famous!

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Five Step Carpet Care? What are these five steps all about?

We aren’t in the business of building staircases and we haven’t invented any new dance moves lately. But we have developed a unique, five step process for cleaning carpets that works better than our competitors! Here they are:

  • STEP 1: A professional soil extractor is used to remove deep down dirt, dust and allergens.
  • STEP 2: Non-toxic cleaning solution is applied to carpet fibers with special attention given to problem areas.
  • STEP 3: A professional rotary activator is used to loosen and lift deeply embedded soil and stains from the carpet. At this step, we also use hot water extraction if necessary.
  • STEP 4: A machine with a special 100% cotton bonnet is used to remove any remaining soil and pollutants. It also accelerates drying.
  • STEP 5: Carpet pile is groomed to give it the new carpet look and feel. Furniture is placed back to its original position with special protective pads.

Our goal is to always be honest and transparent with our customers. Some companies will only answer questions in a vague manner. They promise to get out stains and odors, but a few days after they leave, the dirt seems to re-emerge from beneath the carpet. Or, their cleaning solutions end up damaging the carpet that they were paid to clean!

We don’t mind telling you exactly what our five step process entails, because we have nothing to hide. Our cleaning solutions are honest, just like we are with our customers.

Our green carpet cleaning solution is non-toxic, biodegradable, colorless, odorless, and hypoallergenic. It contains no soap, bleach or enzymes. That means it’s safe for your carpets and healthy for your kids and pets. Also, we use a lot less water than our industry competitors, making Five Step the sustainable carpet cleaning option. Since our cleaning solution is soap-free, your carpets will stay clean longer, as there is no residue left over for dirt and grime to adhere to.

Honesty is the best policy. If we only use the safest and most environmentally friendly cleaning products, then we can afford to be honest about what we use. We believe that the health of our clients, their pets, and the environment is more important than our bottom line.

If you’re looking for green carpet cleaning in Asheville, NC and the surrounding areas, give us a call at 828.237.3237 our contact form to drop us a line today!

 

How to Clean a Hardwood Floor

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One of our specialties is the deep cleaning of hardwood floors. Over the years, we’ve cleaned thousands of wood floors, restoring beauty and luster to even the most hopeless of cases.

But as miraculous as the results can be, you still need maintenance care in between your professional cleanings in order to protect your wood floor. Our clients often ask our opinion about the best way to keep their wood floors looking clean and beautiful, so here are some tips.

  1. Before cleaning, remove dirt, debris, dust, and pet hair from the floor with a dust mop or the floor brush attachment of your vacuum. Do this weekly or as needed, and avoid using a broom with very coarse bristles, as it may damage your floor!
  2. Once or twice a month, clean the floor using a liquid cleaner or oil soap specially formulated for hardwood floors. Follow the instructions on the container and make sure to dilute with water so as not to leave a sticky or filmy residue behind.
  3. Use a bucket to mix your cleaning solution and a sponge mop to clean the hardwood floor, wringing out the mop after each dip in the solution to ensure the floors do not get too wet. Once the entire area has been mopped with the cleaner, rinse the mop thoroughly and wet-mop the floor with clear water.
  4. Leaving your hardwood floor damp may damage it, so make sure to dry the floor thoroughly using a dry towel.
  5. Prevent scratches in your floor by providing interior and exterior doormats and using protective pads or discs on the feet of tables, chairs, and sofas.

And there you have it! Follow these simple steps and your hardwood floors will stay bright and lustrous between deep cleanings.

If you live in the Asheville area, give us a call at 828.237.3237 or get in touch via our contact form today to schedule your wood floor cleaning! (And yes, we clean pine and laminate floors, too!)

What comes out of a rug during cleaning?

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Rugs can hide a lot of dirty, dusty surprises when they’re not regularly cleaned! Watch the short, 5-second video below to get an idea of just how much dirt comes out of the average rug during cleaning.

That’s a lot of crap!

And remember, this is only a small portion of our five step cleaning process. After we blow all of the loose debris and particulates out of the rug, we soak and wash it in our non-toxic cleaning solutions to ensure that the hidden threats–like allergens, bacteria, fungi, and even viruses–get cleaned out, too. It’s not enough for a rug to just look clean when we’re done with it. It has to actually be clean, healthy, and sanitized, down to the smallest microscopic fiber!

And it’s very important to us to achieve that level of clean without resorting to harsh chemicals, enzymes, or detergents that can damage your rug, not to mention harm the health of your family and pets. All of our cleaning solutions are gentle, non-toxic, and sustainable.

If you live in the Asheville, NC area and are looking for a top-notch professional rug cleaner, give us a call at 828.237.3237 or drop us a note today!

Back to Business!

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COVID-19 Update:

Five Step Carpet Care is back to business! Both the state of North Carolina and the city of Asheville have relaxed their stay-at-home orders in recent weeks, which means that we can now return to doing what we do best. Carpet and rug cleaning, wood floor cleaning, tile and slate cleaning, and upholstery cleaning services are back.

During the most stringent period of the shutdown, we were unable to provide services in occupied dwellings, but now we are free to do so.

Of course, the danger isn’t completely over, and we are still taking healthy precautions to prevent spread of the virus. We are wearing masks, using hand sanitizer, and monitoring the health of our staff.

Give us a call to schedule your appointment! 828.237.3237

How to Prepare For Your Carpet Cleaning

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prepare for carpet cleaning

What should you do to get ready for a professional carpet cleaning? There’s not much you need to do—we’re fairly self-sufficient. But there are a few simple preparations you can make to help ensure that your carpet cleaning goes smoothly and quickly.

We have put together an easy checklist that you can use to prepare on the day of your carpet cleaning:

  1. Schedule your carpet cleaning for a day when you won’t need to use the room. For instance, if you’re having the carpets cleaned in your guest room and you have relatives coming from out of town, schedule your cleaning for the day before they arrive. Once the carpet has been cleaned, keep family members and pets out of the room for a minimum of 3-4 hours to allow the carpet to dry.
  2. Pick up small items. Before the crew arrives, go through the room and do a quick pick-up. Move toys, shoes, magazine racks, potted plants, and other small items out of the room.
  3. Remove breakables from the room. Our professional staff is careful and cautious when it comes to the safety of your belongings. When using our equipment, we always try to remain conscious of our surroundings to prevent any mishaps. But, better safe than sorry. If you have fragile items hanging on the walls, for instance, it might be a good idea to get them out of the way before your scheduled carpet cleaning. And definitely remove any breakables from tables that will need to be moved prior to the cleaning.
  4. Get cats and dogs secured in another area of the house. Our carpet cleaning solutions are non-toxic and totally safe for you and your pets, but dogs and cats can get in the way when we’re cleaning. Or they might be frightened of our equipment. So the best bet is to get your pets secured in another room while the carpet crew is at your home.
  5. Move heavy furniture out of the way. We will move smaller items or furniture that can be slid from one side of the room to another, but please move all heavy items out of the room before our arrival. Or, if you prefer, our strapping crew can move your heavy furniture for you for an extra charge.
  6. Vacuum if you want—or don’t. Some of our clients prefer to vacuum the carpet before we arrive, but it’s not necessary. We will vacuum prior to cleaning.
  7. Prepare to be wowed! Your carpets are going to look AMAZING after we’re done. If you’re prone to weakness in the knees when you’re pleasantly surprised, you might want to have a soft chair ready to collapse in!

And that’s it! We’ll take care of the rest.

We hope you found this carpet cleaning checklist helpful. If you are looking for a sustainable, green carpet cleaning service in the Asheville, NC area, contact us or give us a call at 828.237.3237 today!

 

How to Clean a Fabric Couch

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how to clean a fabric couch

There’s nothing like sinking into a comfy couch to watch your favorite show or read a good book after a long day of work. But after a couple of years of use, the upholstery on your comfy couch can start to feel not-so-comfy. Over time, the fabric collects spills, dirt, oil from your skin, and pet dander, leaving it looking—and feeling—grimy. Luckily, if the damage hasn’t gone too far, it’s a fairly simple DIY matter to clean a fabric couch. Here’s how to do it.

  1. Vacuum first. Thoroughly vacuum the cushions, arms, and back of the couch, and don’t forget to remove the cushions and vacuum underneath to get rid of crumbs and dirt that might be hiding there.
  2. Stain removal. Most types of fabric upholstery (both cotton and synthetic) can be cleaned with a mixture of vinegar and water. Use one part vinegar to three parts warm water, and squeeze a small amount of dish soap into the mixture. Dab the mixture onto the stains, or mist the area with a spray bottle. Use a clean cloth or towel to wipe the stain until it lifts, then rinse the towel and dab the area to remove any soap residue. Pat dry. (Note that this method might not work for certain types of stains, like ink, or for stains that have set for a long time. If you have stains that won’t come out with vinegar and water, your best bet is to call Five Step! We’ll get the stains out in no time.)
  3. Allow for drying time. Once you’ve patted all of the excess moisture out of the upholstery, allow the couch to air dry for 3-4 hours. You can direct the airflow of a fan toward the couch to speed up the process, or if you live in a very humid climate.

The above method works great for periodic maintenance of your cloth-upholstered furniture, but it’s intended to spot clean stained areas, and not the whole couch! Your fabric couch will still benefit from professional upholstery cleaning on occasion, to deep clean it and make it look like new.

If you live in the Asheville, NC area and are in need of top-notch upholstery cleaning services, give Five Step a call at 828.237.3237 or get in touch via our contact form today!

Coronavirus/COVID-19 Update

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Earlier this week we published our company’s official response to the Coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis, and assured customers that if anything changed, we would let everyone know.

Well, not unexpectedly, a few things have changed! Read on to find out how recent developments have affected our business.

Still Providing Services at Unoccupied Properties

As a result of Buncombe County’s shelter-in-place policy that began on Wednesday, as well as North Carolina’s stay-at-home order (announced yesterday), we are temporarily changing our business practices to comply with the law and to help keep WNC safe and healthy.

Rug Cleaning Services

Until further notice, Five Step will only be able to perform cleaning services in unoccupied properties. To clarify, we can still clean carpets, upholstery, wood floors, and tile in homes, businesses, and vacation properties that are currently vacant or unoccupied.

In addition, we are still taking rugs for cleaning in our Asheville facility, and we are still offering pick-up and delivery service for rugs.

Health and Safety Precautions

As we mentioned in our last update, our crew is taking extra precautions to prevent spread of the coronavirus, such as wearing gloves and face masks, washing hands frequently, closely monitoring our health, and practicing social distancing.

We know this is a tough time for many people in our community. We hope that everyone stays safe and healthy!

 

Five Step’s Response to Coronavirus/COVID-19

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To all Five Step Carpet Care Customers,

We wanted to take a moment to share with you how we are responding to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

For the time being, we are still open and working. There are still people (and businesses, and churches) in the community who need our services, and we want to keep providing those services as long as it’s feasible to do so.

Customers can still make an appointment with us to have carpets, upholstery, wood floors, or tile cleaned. And of course we are still providing our rug cleaning service at our Asheville facility, with pick-up and delivery available.

Our crew is taking extra precautions, too. We’re staying abreast of cleaning industry standards on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Our cleaning solutions are proven to kill 99.99% of viruses. We are wearing gloves to avoid spreading germs. Crewmembers are closely monitoring their own health, and of course no one with a fever, cough, or any other symptoms will be allowed to continue working.

We also remain alert to the news and to local, state, and federal guidance that may cause us to alter our policies going forward, and we will post here on the blog, as well as on our Facebook page, if anything changes.

We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in these uncertain times.

Best of the Five Step Blog!

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Hello readers! This week we thought we’d do a round-up of some of the very best posts we’ve published on the Five Step blog over the years.. From how to clean up puppy accidents, to bad carpet cleaning advice, to tips on choosing a vacuum cleaner, there’s a lot of information here!

So without further ado, here are ten of the BEST posts from the Five Step Carpet Care blog!

 

Can You Wash Scotch Guarded Fabric?

how to clean scotch guarded fabric

 

Why Does My Wool Rug Smell?

carpet cleaning asheville

 

How to Clean a Futon Mattress

 

5 Signs You Should Invest in Rugs

 

The Worst Carpet Cleaning Advice We’ve Ever Heard

worst carpet cleaning advice

 

Pros and Cons of Different Types of Vacuum Cleaners

 

DIY Carpet Cleaning: Should You Risk It?

DIY Carpet Cleaning

 

5 Upholstery Cleaning Myths, BUSTED!

 

How to Clean Up Poop Off Carpet

 

WNC Cigarette Smoke Odor Removal

cigarette smoke odor removal

How to Clean Up Poop Off Carpet

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If you have dogs or cats, no matter how well they’re trained, accidents will happen. It’s inevitable. No one loves cleaning up poop off of carpet (or anything else, for that matter) but as a pet owner and a reasonably clean person, you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves at some point and just do it.

It’s commonly believed that feces stains do not come out of carpet without professional cleaning. This is true sometimes, but not always. If you notice the poop while it’s still relatively fresh, you should be able to remove the stain without too much trouble. It’s when you fail to notice it right away, or when it gets smeared into the carpet pile, that the stains might not come out with DIY methods. In that case, a professional carpet cleaner is probably your best bet.

But assuming your pet has just left their present recently, here are the easy steps you can take to clean the stain up quickly and efficiently.

You will need paper towels, a bottle of club soda, some regular liquid dish soap (Joy or similar), and a clean, dry cloth or towel. Once you have your materials ready, follow these steps:

  1. Using your paper towels, remove any solid pieces and dispose of them.
  2. Pour a small amount of club soda on the stain. It will bubble, and the bubbling action will lift the remaining poop to the surface of the carpet.
  3. Blot with your dry cloth or towel.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you’ve lifted up as much of the stain as possible.
  5. Squeeze a small amount of dish soap onto the stain, and rub it in. (Don’t use too much dish soap, as the residue might be difficult to rinse out.)
  6. Pour one final bit of club soda on top of the dish soap. It will foam up.
  7. Use your cloth to massage out the remaining poop residue.
  8. Allow the carpet to dry, and then fluff it back up.

You’ll be surprised how well this non-toxic method works for removal of feces stains from carpet!

Now, you would think that poop stains are the worst offending stains your pets can make. But that’s actually not true. Urine is worse, since it spreads and seeps down into your carpet. Even if you remove the stain, the odor will stay behind. This type of deep-set odor can be nearly impossible to get out with DIY methods. So that’s when you definitely need the help of professionals!

Five Step Carpet Care has helped hundreds of pet owners with this exact problem. Rest assured, we can get the odor out! If you live in the Asheville, NC area and have a pet stain or pet odor problem in your house, call Five Step at 828.237,3237 or drop us a line to get a quote.