Wether in a home or a high-traffic facility, holiday celebrations and winter conditions can wreak havoc on carpets. In light of this, U.S. Products put together the following steps to care for carpets after all the festivities are over:

• Walk through the facility manually picking up any candy, cigarettes, large food crumbs or other debris left on the carpet.

• Look for spills and identify whether the spill is a liquid or food. Take action to clean up the area and then blot dry. If a spill appears to have caused a spot or stain, a safe way to treat the area is to blot it using cold water and a small amount of dishwashing detergent; then, blot dry.

• Candle wax on carpets after holiday parties can be a problem. If the wax has hardened, scrape as much of it off the carpet as possible using a dull knife or paint scraper. Then, place a cloth or several layers of paper towels over the wax and apply a warm iron. The wax should transfer to the cloth or paper towel and off the carpet.

• Once large debris has been removed and stains dealt with, vacuum the entire area. For more thorough cleaning, vacuum heavily trafficked areas in multiple directions.

• Finally, consider having the carpets professionally cleaned.

"This final step will help start 2013 out right," says Mark Baxter, an engineer and product manager for U.S. Products. "A professional cleaning using hot-water extraction helps ensure soils, bacteria, and contaminants are removed from the carpet so it is clean and healthy for the new year."