Are Health Hazards Hiding in Your Carpet?

When it comes to carpets, cleanliness is not just what you see on the surface. Carpet health hazards often go unaddressed because we can’t see them. Vacuuming is a good start to keeping clean carpets, and it’s great for dealing with unwanted debris and particulates, like mold spores. But for a healthy clean at the microscopic level, periodic professional cleaning is required.

When you prep raw meat in your kitchen, do you clean up with a wet paper towel, or do you use a cleaning solution to take care of any bacteria remaining behind on the kitchen surfaces? Chances are, you put the cutting board and knife into the dishwasher, where it will be scoured with steaming hot water and an antibacterial detergent. Then you spray the counter with an antibacterial spray, and you wash your hands, too. Not taking these steps could pose serious harm to your family’s health.

We may not eat food off of our carpets. But when your carpet is overdue for deep cleaning, it can harbor the same types of health hazards found in a kitchen, like bacteria and viruses, plus extra ones like mites and fungi. They ride in on the soles of your shoes, or on your pets’ paws. They settle into the carpet fibers and make themselves at home. Vacuuming alone can’t tackle these invisible threats. Some of the contaminants may cause odors, which, over time, can impact not just your health, but also your enjoyment of the home.

But there’s good news. Periodic professional deep cleanings can eliminate those contaminants and leave you confident in not only the cleanliness but also the healthiness of your home.

Five Step Carpet Care can eliminate the health hazards hiding in your carpet. With our unique, environmentally friendly, and sustainable five-step process, your carpets will look as good as new, even under a microscope! Our cleaning solutions are 100% non-toxic and safe for you, your family, and your pets.

Live in the Asheville, NC area? Give us a call at 828.772.1824 or get in touch via our contact form today to schedule your cleaning!

 

Amazing Before and After Area Rug Cleaning!

It’s been awhile since we did a Before and After post, so I thought it would be a great time to share some photos of an area rug we cleaned recently.

We clean area rugs, including fine and oriental rugs, in our facility in West Asheville. Each rug that visits our facility gets a luxurious spa treatment, complete with a tub soak in our all-natural, non-toxic cleaning solutions.

As you can see, this particular rug looked a bit worse for wear when it arrived. It appears that a large piece of furniture has been sitting on top of it for a long time, and it hasn’t been cleaned underneath. There might be a little staining from spills, as well. But that’s nothing we haven’t successfully dealt with before. Trust us, we’ve cleaned far worse.

BEFORE

Now take a look at the very same rug, after being treated to our amazing five step cleaning process! It looks as good as new. The texture is restored to the rug fibers and the color is renewed. Seriously, if I saw that rug for sale in a Home Depot, it would never occur to me that it wasn’t brand new.

AFTER

If you live in the Asheville area and are looking for a top notch area rug cleaning service, give Five Step a call at 828.772.1824 or drop us a line via our contact form. We offer convenient pick-up and delivery service, or you can drop your rugs off at our facility yourself.

How to Protect Your Carpets Between Cleanings

protect your carpet

Your carpets represent a substantial investment in your home. Carpets protect the subfloor beneath. They add comfort, color, and warmth to a room. They provide a barrier between your bare feet and the cold floor in the winter months. Carpets do many jobs in our homes, and they’re not cheap to replace.

Periodically having your carpets professionally cleaned goes a long way toward ensuring that they’ll remain both functional and attractive for as long as possible. But there’s more you can do to keep your carpets clean, lush, and beautiful for years to come.

Here’s a list of simple of Do’s and Don’t when it comes to maintaining your carpet investment.

DO

  • Place welcome mats at ground level entry areas to contain dust and soil tracked in from outside.
  • Clean these mats regularly.
  • Ask family members and guests to remove their shoes at the door.
  • Implement a regular vacuuming schedule (daily for most businesses dealing with the public; weekly for homes; twice weekly for pet owners.)
  • Vacuum room edges and under furniture every second or third time you vacuum.
  • If you have pets, bathe and brush them regularly to reduce hair, dander, and dirt in the home.
  • Avoid bringing juicy or sticky foods into carpeted rooms.
  • Serve beverages to children in cups with tight-fitting lids.
  • Spills happen. When they do, act fast to mitigate the stain. The longer you wait, the more likely the stain will set in the fibers and absorb into the carpet padding. This can lead to odor and mold growth.
  • Keep a small remnant of your carpet for testing new spot cleaners or other cleaning solutions before using them on the installed carpet.
  • Have your carpet professionally cleaned for maintenance (Yearly for homes, more often for businesses.)

DON’T

  • Vigorously scrub a carpet stain. This is an ineffective practice that will actually push the stain farther down into the carpet while fraying the carpet fibers. Blot instead of scrubbing.
  • Use the wrong cleaning product. To avoid permanent damage or discoloration, make sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
  • Use deodorant powders incorrectly. Deodorizing powders can leave gunky residue on your carpet, which can become more and more noticeable with repeated use.
  • Rent faulty carpet cleaning equipment. Unfortunately, rental equipment is often improperly maintained. Sometimes rental machines can do more harm than good.

With proper maintenance practices, you can get the most out of your carpet for many years to come! If you live in Western NC and are in need of one-time or regularly scheduled carpet cleaning for your home or business, give us a call at 828.772.1824 or use our contact form to get in touch today!

 

Carpet Cleaning Service in Arden NC

carpet cleaning arden nc

Looking for a good carpet cleaning service in Arden NC? Your search is over!

Five Step Carpet Care is Arden’s most trusted carpet cleaning company, for several important reasons. Our customers say they love our friendly crew, our prompt service, and our thoroughness and professionalism. They also like that we show up when we say we’re going to and never leave a mess behind.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that when we’re done cleaning your carpets, they look clean and vibrant as new, and they smell fresh, too. (We can even tackle hard-to-clean pet stains, and we actually get the odor out!) Or that our cleaning solutions are green, sustainable, and completely non-toxic for your family, pets, and the environment.

No matter the style or fiber of your carpet, and no matter what kind of stain, our exclusive five step process will get them clean with no damage to the carpet itself. Check out some of our before and after photos to see what we mean.

We’d love to show you what makes Five Step so special. If you’d like us to make you our next satisfied customer, give us a call at 828.772.1824 or drop us a line via our contact form.

Clean Carpets for Christmas!

Are you hosting guests at your home this holiday season? Maybe you’re planning a Christmas or New Years party, or just expecting family for Christmas dinner. Preparing your home for guests can be stressful at any time of year, but especially in December, when most of us have so many other demands on our time. From gift shopping to meal planning to putting in the extra hours at work to wrap those projects up before taking time off for the holidays, you’re probably stretched pretty thin. Not to mention that all you really want to do when you have a few minutes to spare is sit in front of the fire and stuff yourself with Christmas cookies, not deep cleaning the living room!

But there is one item you can cross off your list, and that’s the carpet and rugs. Our team of friendly pros can get your carpets looking sparkling new, and lightning fast. We also offer a convenient rug pick-up and drop-off service, so you can get your area rugs and even fine oriental rugs cleaned without even stepping outside the front door.

And, as always, our cleaning solutions are 100% green and sustainable, so you can pamper your home with no uncomfortable environmental guilt!

Even if you’re not hosting any gatherings this holiday season, having immaculately clean and vibrant carpets and rugs in your home is a wonderful way to start the new year off fresh. You might consider making carpet cleaning a New Years resolution for your home!

If you live in Asheville, NC, or the surrounding area, and you’re looking for top-notch, professional carpet cleaning, give us a call at 828.772.1824 or drop us a line using our contact form. There’s still time to get those carpets and rugs looking spotless before Christmas!

 

 

Top Wood Floor Cleaning Professionals in Arden, NC

wood floor cleaning arden nc

“Wait, you mean you’re a carpet cleaning company that cleans wood floors, too?”

Yeah, we get that a lot.

But it’s true! At Five Step, we clean more than just carpets. We’re also pros at cleaning your area rugs, upholstery, tile and slate, and yes! Even hardwoods.

Our reputation in Arden for high quality, professional wood floor cleaning services can’t be beat. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Check out these before and after photos to see what we mean.

If cleaning isn’t enough to restore your floors to their original luster, we can even remove old layers of urethane or wax and refinish the wood to a new gloss!

And as with all of the services we offer, our wood floor cleaning process is environmentally safe and sustainable. Our cleaning solutions are all-natural and contain no bleach, acids, enzymes, dyes or colors. They’re safe for you, your pets, and our precious waterways.

If you live in Arden or anywhere else in western NC, and you’re in need of some deep clean TLC for your wood floors, look no further than Five Step. Give us a call at 828.772.1824 or reach out via our contact form to schedule your appointment today!

 

 

 

(Re)New Furniture for the Holidays?

Are your sofas and chairs starting to look a little worse for wear? About to have family over for the holidays, but still haven’t gotten the wine stains out of the couch from last Thanksgiving? Are you wishing Santa would bring you a new living room suite this year, but you don’t know how you’re gonna pay the Santa bill?

Maybe you don’t need brand new furniture. Maybe you just need renewed furniture. At Five Step Carpet Care, we make old upholstery look good as new every single day. We work our magic with all types of fabrics—even wool and microsuede—and can get out layers of grime and any type of stains. Gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie…you name it! When we’re done, your guests will think you’ve gone out and bought a whole new suite of furniture.

And while we’re at it, we can renew your carpets and area rugs, too. In just a couple of hours, your home furnishings will be as bright and radiant as when you first moved in.

If you live in the Asheville, NC area and are looking for upholstery or carpet cleaning for the holiday season or any other time of year, give us a call at 828.772.1824, or drop us a line via our contact form. You and your home will be SO glad you did.

 

Top Source for Upholstery Cleaning in Arden NC

upholstery cleaning arden nc

Looking for a great upholstery cleaning service in Arden, NC? Our customers all over Western North Carolina know that when they need upholstery cleaning, Five Step Carpet Care is just a phone call away.

Got a pizza sauce stain on your nice white sofa? We can take care of that.

Wine stain on your velvet wingback chair? We’ve seen it before, and made it disappear.

Is your microsuede couch just looking kind of dingy after a couple of years of wear and tear? We deal with old, ground-in dirt and residue all the time.

Did you pick up a gorgeous chaise lounger at an antique shop that was discounted because the upholstery was less than pristine? We know how to handle delicate fabrics.

Or maybe your beloved pet has left embarrassing odors on your armchair. (Or is it their armchair? Either way, we can clean it.)

Our crew is polite, friendly, and professional, and we always pay close attention to detail. Plus, our cleaning solutions are gentle on fabrics, as well as sustainable and non-toxic—safe for you, your pets, and the environment.

If you’re looking for top notch upholstery cleaning with great customer service in Arden or anywhere in the Asheville/Hendersonville area, give Five Step Carpet Care a call at 828.772.1824. You’ll be so glad you did!

Best of the Five Step Blog!

Greetings, readers! The leaves are turning in Asheville, and we are loving the fall weather. Hope you’re enjoying it, too!

This week, we thought we’d do a round-up of all the best and most informative blog posts we’ve published on the Five Step blog over the last year. From tips for hiring a carpet cleaning service to the worst advice we’ve ever heard about carpet cleaning, we’ve touched on a lot of topics over the years. So, without further ado, here are 8 of our best all-time blog posts!

5 Signs You Should Invest in Rugs

5 Upholstery Cleaning Myths, BUSTED!

The Worst Carpet Cleaning Advice We’ve Ever Heard

worst carpet cleaning advice

What Does Spring Cleaning Have to do with Rugs and Carpets?

spring cleaning rugs

New Years Resolutions for Your Carpet

new years resolutions

Asheville Pet Odor Removal

asheville pet odor removal

What’s that smell???

Carpet Care for Small Business

small business carpet care

Tips for Hiring a GOOD Carpet Cleaner

asheville, how often should i have my carpet cleaned

 

Tile Floor Cleaning in Weaverville NC

There are a lot of tile floors in Weaverville NC, and we aim to clean them all!

tile floor cleaning weaverville nc

Maybe that’s overly ambitious, but we can dream, can’t we?

You might not know it from our name, but at Five Step we don’t just clean carpets. We’re also WNC’s experts on environmentally friendly cleaning for upholstery, area rug, wood floor, and, YES–tile!

If you have tile or slate floors or walls in your home, you know they can start to look dull and dirty over time. The grout between the tiles can become stained, yellow, or aged-looking. Periodic deep cleaning is necessary to keep your floors looking new, but going the DIY route can leave your knuckles scraped and your knees aching. Not to mention the amount of time it can take without specialized equipment! (A lot of time, trust us.)

Instead of going it alone, give us a call! Our professional crew will make your tile sparkle, your grout gleam, and your slate shine!

We can handle any surface, including:

  • Bathrooms- tubs, showers, and floors
  • Kitchens- floors, backsplashes, counters and walls
  • Outdoor areas- terraces, decks, patios, pool areas
  • Traffic areas- foyers, hallways, staircases

As always, our cleaning procedures are sustainable and non-toxic, using just a fraction of the water our competitors use, and keeping harmful pollutants out of our precious waterways. Just one more reason to choose Five Step!

If you live in Weaverville, or anywhere else in western North Carolina and you have dirty tile or slate that needs a little TLC, contact us today or give us a call at 828.772.1824. We promise you’ll be glad you did!