@mark noble,
We replaced our hallway from carpet to hardwood. It took the lady who did the work had us move out for one day when she applied varnish on the wood flooring. All three bedrooms and the living room has carpeting. I use one bedroom as my office, and have placed plastic floor mats between the door and the computer table. Otherwise, I try to remove my shoes once inside the house. It always doesn't work, because we usually get inside from the garage that goes directly into our kitchen and family room. I try to self clean the carpets on a regular basis, but the living room doesn't need it, because it's rarely used. I'll hire a professional carpet cleaner to clean our living room carpet when needed.