Whether you have carpet or tile flooring, or a combination of both, it’s likely very dirty after the busyness of fall. From dirt tracked in on your kid’s football cleats to your pet’s paws, lots of things can cause your flooring to look dirty and dull. Before you have your family and friends over for Thanksgiving dinner, make sure your carpet and tile floors in Michigan are clean and inviting. Here are some tips.
1. Pair Food With Carpets
Thinking about your holiday menu? Try to keep the color of your upholstery and carpets in mind as you come up with a list of the food and drink you will serve. For example, if you have white or light carpets, serve lemon-lime soda or white wine rather than dark soda and red wine. Then, if someone spills, it won’t leave such a glaring stain. Scrubbing Cabernet Sauvignon stains out of your new carpet from a tipsy guest is probably not how you want to spend your Thanksgiving.
2. Set Out Shoe Racks and Boot Trays
As you welcome your guests to your home, encourage them to leave their shoes on the doormats and boot trays positioned at the entrance. If you’re not looking forward to the awkward moment when you have to tell guests to remove their shoes, post a cute little sign doing the work for you, such as:
- This is a shoe-free house: please kick off your shoes and rock your socks!
- Please lose the shoes (our children lick the floor)
- Cute shoes: now take them off.
- Because little hands touch our floor, please leave your shoes at the door.
- Friends, please help keep our house neat, no shoes on your feet.
So your guests don’t have to wander around in bare feet, put out a basket of booties or slippers for them to use while in your home and then take with them.
3. Offer a Bench
No one wants to balance on one foot while taking off their boots and clinging to the wall. To make it easy on your guests, place a bench near the entrance so they can relax and do it without falling on their faces.
4. Use Area Rugs and Hallway Runners
Area rugs and runners not only provide a decorative element to your home during the holidays, but they also protect your carpeting, wood, and tile floors from stains, spills, and sharp heels. If a guest does spill something on them, you can easily throw the rug in the washer.
5. Wipe Pets’ Paws
Don’t let your furry friends track in mud right before Thanksgiving dinner. Wipe their paws when they come inside from playing to remove rock salt and dirt. These substances not only cause irritation on sensitive paws, they can be abrasive on your floors.
6. Add Plenty of Tables, Stands and Trays
In an effort to reduce spills and topples while guests are mingling, strategically place tables, trays and stands in each room. This gives them a convenient place to rest their appetizer plate or wine glass.
7. Vacuum and Sweep Beforehand
Before guests arrive, vacuum all carpets and sweep the floors. While you’ll no doubt have to do this again once they leave, you really want to make a good impression. Clean floors go a long way in achieving that. Plus, when you remove small pieces of debris and dirt, you reduce the chances that dirt will spread and scratch your floors or get embedded in your carpet.
8. Schedule a Carpet Cleaning
Scheduling two carpet cleanings — one before the holidays and one after – is a good idea for any homeowner who likes to entertain. The first cleaning is to make a good impression on guests, while the second is to clean up after them.
Contact 1st Class Carpet Cleaning and Restoration Services
Call us for carpet cleaning in Michigan today before your holiday guests arrive. We would be happy to give you a free quote on carpet cleaning before Thanksgiving at (248) 491-3088.