We're about to rent a house, and the landlord has one demand: no spot on carpet!

Now, even if I beat kids up (which I won't), they will take food etc to their rooms, basement and everywhere they can basically. It means I'll have to cover more than 1000 sq feet.

Budget is around $250 MAX!

It does NOT have to look great. It must protect the carpet though. If you have to, feel free to suggest two categories - one for basement and one for the rest of the house.

 

Near imposable to at some point to not spill something even if there are no children involved.
Throw rugs is about all you can do.
May want to conceder buying a carpet cleaner.
You it twice and it's pad for itself.
We have a cleaner and A Bissell Spot Bot for any small spills.
The trick is to clean the spills ASAP.

 

Welcome to the forum.
Is the entire house carpet?
Hopefully it's not carpet in the common messy areas (dinning room, kitchen, entry way).

Although not a flooring guy, I would probably say a throw rug or mat in the commonly used areas (beside the beds, living room, etc) where there is carpet. A small carpet /upolstry cleaner is also not a bad idea. We've had a Bissell Little Green for a few years now (maybe 5yrs) and it has taken out some pretty nasty messes. Also great for in the car with it's size (and cheap). I'm only suggesting that specific model as it was cheap to buy, and has worked great for us (we have 3 kids, and I use to do car shows with my daily driver car).
Alternatively, you could rent a cleaner before you move out or hand over the keys.

Edit: Joe beat me to most of what I was saying. Should type less I guess.

 

No carpeting in kitchen/bathroom/entry-area. The rest of the house is carpeted!

How much do these "throw rugs" cost? (I can buy gently used to cut-costs) I want to do something wall-to-wall and not leave any place open.

 

With only 25 cents per square foot budget, you couldn't even buy visqueen and painter's tape for that. I doubt you will be able to cover all the carpet. What has been mentioned previously is the best solution. Control where people eat; ensure shoes are removed upon entry; secure a good cleaning device and use it immediately upon discovery of a problem.

 

Go to some thrift stores for some throw rugs. A throw rug is just a rug to would normally place on a wood, or tile floor.

 

At least you don't have rug in all the wrong areas of the house.
My previous suggestion is the best I can make. Throw rugs or mats in all the high traffic areas and a carpet cleaner. I'd still suggest buying one as it'll be on hand when ever needed. Not sure what the rental rate is for a carpet cleaner, but I know the Little Green I suggested is about the cost of renting a unit 3 times here. I put out first unit through more then it was designed for and it had zero issues. Had to replace it because it got caught in our flooded basement this past spring. Bought the exact same model.

 

With a lot of traffic, rugs or mats can damage the carpet under them.

 

As I mentioned, I can't control where people eat. They will stay at home ALL THE TIME.

The carpet is really light-colored.

I'm willing to leave some areas like basement etc for now. That should give me a larger budget.

Is it safe to use throw rugs on carpet?

 

Simplest solution is run don't walk from this deal. IMHO the landlord has unreasonable expectations on what normal reasonable wear and tear is and when you do eventually move he will fight you tooth and nail for your deposit. A house isn't a home if you can't relax in it.