The carpet looked fine … amazingly good, in fact, for a light-colored twelve-year-old carpet that hadn’t been shampooed for two or three years, maybe longer. But when I opened the door after a two-week trip and dragged my suitcase across the threshold, the house smelled a little stale.
I thought about it for a few days. (Quick decisions are not my strong suit.) And then I called Alpine Cleaning and scheduled a carpet shampoo—five areas—for Saturday at noon. Simple, right? But first I’d have to move tables, chairs, lamps and all manner of odds and ends off the carpet.
Jordan, from Alpine Cleaning, arrived twenty minutes early, apologizing and blaming it on the traffic, or rather the lack of traffic on a Saturday morning.
Perfect! He could help me move that heavy chair I hadn’t been able to budge and my three-panel batik-and-narra screen. He wouldn’t be able to help me move them back, though. The carpet wouldn’t be dry enough for at least another ten hours.
In the meantime, I couldn’t get into my laundry room or open some of my kitchen cupboards. It was only a minor disruption of my comfortable routine, but it got me thinking of another larger disruption: the kitchen remodel I’d had done a few years earlier.
Next I thought of all the times I’d moved, of the boxes stacked against walls, the sacks meant for Goodwill, the trunks bound for storage.
Change is so messy. Even the tasks we undertake to maintain the status quo cause disruption.
The following morning I tested the carpet with my bare feet and found that it was perfectly dry. Before putting the house back together, though, I had things to do: church, a family Father’s Day picnic, and calls to my daughters.
Finally, with almost everything back in place, I called a neighbor. Two minutes later, Herman showed up at my front door carrying some Magic Sliders. What a deal those sliders are! We simply slipped one under each leg of my heavy chair and slid it across the floor and carpet to its permanent resting place by the window.
Now I’m thinking that heavy chair needs a shampoo. It smells a little musty.
I’ve been clicking around and see that you published your book last year and were awarded finalist status in a national contest. That’s awesome. I’ll add it to my to-read list, which unfortunately is quite long. Congratulations. Finishing a book and publishing it are rewards all of their own.
Thanks for your encouragement, Christine. You’re exactly right: Finishing a book and publishing it are rewards all of their own.
Right now I am just glad that we dont have any carpet flooring, just tiles and wood in the different rooms. I guess a carpet flooring would proof disastrous with my mother-in-law here as all the time some drinks get spilled, food falls on the ground and whatnot all
Those sliders make all the difference. I found a little trick that has helped me when I want something like a dresser or chest moved and there is no one home to help. I take a large, thick beach towel and slide it under one side and then the other until I have it beneath intended object and then I pull the towel with furniture on top. Then I simply remove one leg, end, or whatever at a time. Because when I want something done I want it done NOW, this works for me, ha!
Clean carpets is the best! And yay for magic sliders.
Some people always have the appropriate tools.
Once we get one thing taken care of we look around and there’s something else. Enjoy your fresh carpet, Nicki!
Thanks, Jill. I don’t want to look too closely or I’ll find another big job that will disrupt my writing time.
Oh, I envy you the clean carpets! I love it when the house is sparkling clean and you can’t smell dirt. 🙂
With our hot weather, I’ve been leaving the windows open, adding to the clean-house smell. (We’re having a heat wave, Seattle style.)
Isn’t that the way? You get one thing cleaned and you ALWAYS notice something else that needs spiffing–up. Probably why I’ve always been a hit or miss housekeeper. Or a “lick and a promise” cleaner, as my mother used to say!
I like that saying: with a lick and a promise. Housekeeping in moderation, that’s my view. Because there’s always something else to be done.
So glad you catalogued this event with those photos. My goodness! Glad you had help to move everything back.
Magic sliders? I’m not familiar with those, but I’d like to get familiar with them! They sound great!
My carpet also needs a clean. Sigh. My back is hurting just thinking about moving furniture.
I guess Magic Sliders come in various sizes and for various purposes. They’re made of plastic polymer. Some are small and can be screwed into the bottom of a chair so when you move it, you won’t scratch the floor. The ones my neighbor brought over were probably four inches in diameter. Something like the ones in this link: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-4-in-Round-Magic-Sliders-4-Pack-04100/100391627