How to Clean Velvet Upholstery

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clean velvet upholstery

Who doesn’t love the beauty and luxuriousness of rich, velvet upholstery? No one! But this upholstery can be one of the trickiest types to clean. Stains don’t only stick to the surface of the velvet, they also coat the individual fibers and seep into the backing, causing quite a mess! So how do you clean a velvet sofa, chair, or ottoman? Follow these tips to find out how to clean velvet upholstery.

What type of velvet is your upholstery?
If your upholstery is synthetic velvet (or velveteen), you should be able to DIY it without too much trouble. If, however, the velvet is made from cotton, silk, or wool, you may want to call in an expert. Cotton velvet is especially finicky, and the fibers can bunch and kink when they come into contact with soap, water, or cleaning solutions.

To get stains out of synthetic velvets:
Clean the fabric as soon as possible after staining occurs. Do not allow the stain to dry on its own, as it will set into the fabric and become much harder to clean. With a clean cloth or towel, gently press the stain to absorb any moisture and wipe away any loose debris. Prepare a mixture of lukewarm water and dish soap, then apply the suds to the stain. Rinse by dabbing with a damp, soap-free cloth. Allow the velvet to dry and then gently brush it.

For regular maintenance:
Clean your velvet upholstery with a furniture brush to remove dirt, lint, and fuzz. Vacuum regularly with the furniture attachment on your vacuum cleaner. Velveteen can be safely steam cleaned. For cotton, silk, or wool velvet, check the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions.

If you’re not sure whether your upholstery is synthetic velveteen or natural fiber velvet, you’re likely better off calling a professional upholstery cleaning service to handle the job. If you live in the Asheville, NC area, we would be happy to help you with your velvet couch, chair, or other furniture.

Give us a call at 828.237.3277 or drop us a line for an estimate today. We look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

How to Clean Red Wine from Carpet

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clean red wine from carpet

Wondering how to clean red wine from carpet?

There’s no problem with enjoying a nice glass of red wine in the evening, but sometimes imbibing can result in a dark red mishap. If you end up with a red wine stain on your carpet, don’t worry! Chances are, you can get it out with just two simple cleaning ingredients if you act quickly.

Try to attack the stain as soon as you notice it. The less time the wine has to absorb and set into the carpet fibers, the better your chances of successfully removing the stain.

Follow these steps to clean red wine from carpet:

  1. Blot stain immediately with a clean cloth.
  2. Slowly add water and continue to blot.
  3. Apply a paste of 3:1 baking soda and water to the stain, making sure to cover it completely.
  4. Allow the paste to dry, then vacuum.
  5. If the stain has not been completely removed, apply a spot cleaner, making sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
  6. If the stain is still there, call your friendly local carpet cleaner!

If you didn’t discover your wine stain until it was too late, or if you’re having trouble with the above steps, it’s time to call in a professional!

Five Step Carpet Care is the leading professional carpet cleaner in the Asheville, NC area. We will have that red wine stain out of your carpet in no time! Give us a call at 828.237.3237 or get in touch via our contact form today!

 

Best of the Five Step Blog – DIY Edition

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We’ve published some great how-to articles over the years. It is always our goal to help our customers, even if the best help we can offer is to tell them how to complete a small project on their own. In fact, we’ve written on many diverse How-To topics, such as ‘how to get poop off carpet’ and ‘how to get a bad smell out of a wool rug’!

So we thought it would be neat to curate some of our very best How-To articles into a single post to help all the DIY-ers out there with their flooring and upholstery projects. Below are our top eight.

Click the image to view the full article!

 

how to clean a fabric couch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We hope this helps you in all your DIY flooring and upholstery endeavors. But if you get stuck, or just decide you don’t have the time or energy to go it alone, don’t hesitate to give Five Step a call at 828.237.3237 (or drop us a line via our contact form.) We’ll be happy to help!

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!)

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!

How to Sanitize Upholstered Furniture

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Have an old sofa that’s been sitting in your basement for a decade? Or maybe you recently purchased a set of antique upholstered chairs from a yard sale? Maybe you’re worried that the fabric might be harboring hidden mold and bacteria. Not to worry! It is possible to sanitize upholstered furniture, and it’s not as difficult as you might think!

Disinfecting fabric is actually quite simple. There are many disinfectant sprays on the market that are safe to use on fabrics, and you can even whip up your own antibacterial, antifungal spray at home using eco-friendly ingredients. However, these products may only work to sanitize the surface of your upholstered furniture. For deep cleaning that tackles hidden health hazards inside stuffing and cushions, you are probably better off hiring a professional upholstery cleaning service. It just depends on how deep the contamination goes.

If you’re going the DIY route, the first thing you’ll want to do is to choose a disinfecting spray. Check the instructions and cautions on the label of any store-bought product you choose to make sure it’s safe for use on fabrics. And just to be certain, test a small area on the back of a seat cushion or somewhere that will remain hidden from sight. Allow the product to dry and make sure it doesn’t result in discoloration or any other undesired affects.

If everything looks good, you can go ahead and spray your upholstered furniture all over with the disinfectant. Leave seat cushions out so that the air will circulate around them, helping the product to dry adequately.

For an all-natural, eco-friendly spray, use equal parts vodka and water. Seriously! The vodka both sanitizes and deodorizes, and will not damage fabrics. (Again, if you want to be extra sure, just spray a test area before you proceed with cleaning the rest of the upholstery.) You can even add natural fragrances—a drop or two of lemon, lavender, or peppermint oil works well–to make your spray smell great.

If you’re concerned that there might be bacteria, viruses, mold, or mildew hiding deep inside the stuffing or seat cushions of your upholstered furniture, you’ll want to hire a professional for a thorough deep cleaning.

In the Asheville, NC area, Five Step Carpet Care is your number one source for upholstery cleaning and disinfecting. Give us a call at 828.237.3237 or use our contact form to get in touch today!

 

 

How to Clean Woven Grass Rugs

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Are you scratching your head trying to figure out how to clean your woven grass rug? Obviously you can’t throw it in the washing machine or use a regular carpet cleaner on it. And most spot cleaning products on the market are intended for cotton, wool, or synthetic fiber rugs. So how do you clean one that’s made of grass?

Rugs made of woven grass are more commonly referred to as “sisal” or “seagrass” rugs. They are among the simplest types of rugs to maintain because they are made with dried vegetation that does not attract dust and is impervious to bacterial growth. For the most part, just regular vacuuming is enough to keep sisal and seagrass rugs looking great for years.

But what about spills and stains? Most types of stains on sisal and seagrass rugs can be spot cleaned fairly easily at home, using these DIY instructions:

  1. Immediately blot the spill with paper towels or a clean white cloth. Try to remove as much moisture as you can before moving on to step 2.
  2. Dilute a PH-neutral detergent with room temperature water. Gently brush the rug fibers without allowing them to become fully saturated.
  3. Blot away the moisture with paper towels or a clean white cloth.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as needed.
  5. Hang the rug in the sun to dry, or use a blow dryer to quickly evaporate any remaining moisture.

If this DIY method doesn’t work for you, or if you are unsure about the type of stain you’re dealing with, you might want to seek help from a professional.

Five Step Carpet Care offers a sisal rug cleaning service in the Asheville area of western North Carolina. If you’re in the area, give us a call at 828.237.3237 or get in touch via our contact form today!

How to Clean a Futon Mattress

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Wondering how to clean a futon mattress? Or how about maintaining your futon mattress to keep it looking clean, smelling fresh, and to extend its usefulness?

Futons are a great, versatile furniture choice, especially for tight spaces and multi-purpose rooms. Because many people use their futons both as sofas and beds, they can get dirty and worn more quickly than other pieces of furniture. Use these six simple steps to get your futon mattress clean and keep it that way! 

Photo by Filios Sazeides

  1. Rotate regularly- Rotating your futon mattress helps keep from collecting dust and cobwebs on the bottom. It also prevents the mattress from becoming misshapen from overuse on one side. You should turn your futon mattress over about once a month to extend its life.
  2. Freshen- Once every two or three months, take the cover or bedding off of the futon mattress and allow it to air out, using fans for extra air circulation. You can also deodorize your mattress at this time by sprinkling baking soda on the surface, letting it sit for an hour, and then vacuuming.
  3. Vacuum- To give your mattress a thorough cleaning, start by rotating and/or airing it out, then vacuum it to remove lint, dead skin, and pet hair.
  4. Spot Clean- If you have an accidental spill and get a stain on your futon mattress, try to tackle it quickly—before the stain dries, if possible. You can use a small bowl of water with just a drop or two of liquid dishwashing soap to remove most types of stains. After the stain is removed, be sure to sponge the area with clear water to get rid of any soap residue. Then blot dry with a clean cloth or towel.
  5. Clean and Maintain the Frame- Your futon frame may be made of wood or metal. Either way, to keep your futon looking its best, you should dust the frame every month or so, paying special attention to the parts beneath the futon mattress, where cobwebs and dust bunnies tend to gather. Take the time to tighten any loose screws while you’re at it. If you have a wooden frame, you might want to oil the wood.
  6. Protect Your Futon Mattress- The best investment you can make to extend the life of your futon mattress is to purchase a quality futon cover. Keeping the mattress covered will prevent dirt, crumbs, and spills from reaching the mattress itself. Futon covers are thick and durable, and they zipper up one side to make taking them off and putting them back on easy. They are usually machine washable. You should launder your futon cover about once a month if you use the futon frequently.
  7. Professional Cleaning- If your futon mattress has stains that won’t come out with regular spot cleaning, or if it has been sitting for awhile in a dank or musty environment, you might want to consider having it professionally cleaned. A professional upholstery cleaner will come to your home and clean the futon for you. With their specialized equipment, they are sure to get it much cleaner than you could do yourself.

If you live in the Asheville, NC area and are in need of friendly, professional upholstery cleaners for your futon or any other furniture, call Five Step Carpet Care at 828.237.3237 today or get in touch using our contact form.