If you're planning to host friends and family this year during the holidays, you want your house to look—and smell—its best. Unfortunately, one of the biggest collectors of stains and odors in your home is the household carpet. Unless you take care of some basic carpet cleaning, your guests may see every stain that happened over the last year. Below are some tips to help you maintain your rug before—and during—the holidays.

How to Maintain Your Carpets During the Holidays

1. Hire a Carpet Cleaning Service

If it's been a year or more since the last time you splurged on carpet cleaning, it's likely time to do so again. This is particularly true if you have kids or pets who track in mud and debris. Carpets trap odors, such as pet dander and urine stains. A carpet service will transform your dingy rug into something that looks like new.

2. Enact a No-Shoes Policy

Once the carpet is clean, you want to keep it that way, at least through the holidays. Lay down the law with a "no-shoes allowed" rule, both for your own family and for any guests who visit. This will help the rug stay clean for the whole season. No-shoes policies are especially valuable during Wisconsin winters, which are often snowy, slushy, and muddy. The stricter you are about this, the better your rug will look this winter.

3. Place Trash Cans Strategically

Another major cause of carpet stains is people dropping food. This is particularly common during holiday parties, where drinks have been served and guests are juggling plates, cups, forks, and more. Place trash cans throughout the home to encourage guests to discard waste whenever they're done eating. The fewer items they juggle, the less mess will end up on your floor.

For a thorough, pre-holiday carpet cleaning, contact Triple A Maintenance Inc in Cameron, WI. They are a certified janitorial service serving Barron, Rusk, Washburn, and Sawyer Counties. In addition to carpet cleaning, they also specialize in mold remediation, duct cleaning, emergency water damage and fire damage, and disaster restoration. Visit their website to reach out to them online or call (715) 458-4699 to schedule an appointment.