Into the Closet(s)

I've mentioned before that I really dislike housework. One reason I like living in a small house is that it requires much less cleaning than a large house. I read a book a few years ago about "making your house do the housework," and although I don't remember all the advice it contained, I've been doing my best to organize this place so the ongoing maintenance is minimal.

As part of that process, today Dad and I are going to replace the flooring in the bedroom closets. Both bedrooms are carpeted, and carpeted closets are a pain in the you-know-what. The carpet traps lint and fallen buttons and is almost impossible to vacuum because of the tight space and the hanging clothes on the lower bars. Maybe this is just a personal fetish, but I've replaced the closet carpet with hard flooring in most of the houses I've owned over the years. This time I found some realistically oak-patterned vinyl strips that match my furniture on clearance at Lowe's, so we're going to install that.

Originally I was just going to cut out the carpet, tear up the pad, and slap the self-adhesive vinyl down on the underlying cement slab, but then my father (a stickler for doing things right) got into the act. So now I have some real oak thresholds to step down between the carpet and the vinyl, and we're going to rip off the mop boards in the closets and reinstall them after we've put down the new flooring.

I've already put up racks in my bedroom closet for shoes, purses, hats, and necklaces. The closet in the room I use as my office houses a wine rack on one wall and an office-supply organizer at the back; Dad will be building bookshelves on the other wall next week. By the time we're done, the closets will look better than some of the actual rooms in the house. And I will be able to clean the floors when they need it with a quick once-over with the whisk broom.

Weekly maid service would be better, but I'll take whatever small victories I can achieve in the war against housework.