Putting carpet over deck to protect in winter?

I have a porch that is made with pressure treated wood. It's two years old & has never been stained. Because it is a front porch, it needs to be shoveled in winter. I am looking at using semi transparent stain. Can I put outdoor carpeting over it in the winter to protect it from the shovel scraping off the finish? I'm concerned that when I remove the carpet in the spring, the deck will be a mess. I'm not sure if having carpet on the deck will create too much moisture that will destroy the stain. Has anyone done this? My second option is to maybe use a plastic shovel. The problem is, I hire someone to do the porch and driveway and he may not be diligent about using the correct shovel. I'm not always here when he does it. Any suggestions?