Crying Over Spilled Coffee

I know there is earth shattering news going on in the world around us and I go on here about cats, birds, renovations and the mundane natterings within my mind. But do you mind if I get one more minor rant off my mind? It will take your mind off your troubles for a minute.

I just need to carry on a little bit more about this thing called "laminate flooring".

I know laminate, hardwood flooring, leather furniture and anything/everything that can be cleaned up with a little elbow grease is all the rage right now. I have read very little about the downside to all of the above.

I could go on and on about wafting cat hair and the need to install a vacuum cleaner that sucks up whatever is floating in the air as well as what is accumulating on the floor, baseboards, walls and doors. But I've done all that before. Enough said.

This one is about spilling coffee.

I was heading into our most enjoyable, comfortable and cozy living room with a cup of coffee, a plate of toast and my cell phone in my hands. I don't know what or how it happened but I ended up spilling the top quarter of my cup of coffee as I walked into the living room.

We have an area carpet in the living room and as luck would have it, my coffee spillage overflowed onto the carpet. Thankfully the majority of the liquid was on the laminate and I reminded myself of the benefits of laminate over carpeting. Had I spilled coffee on brand new carpeting I would have been thoroughly disgusted with myself.

Score one for laminate flooring. I sopped up my mess, dabbed the excess coffee out of the carpeting, washed down the carpet area, then laid a towel under and above the carpet to absorb any excess moisture. I wiped up the coffee that had splattered from here to eternity on the laminate, then washed the floor. Each time I moved the mop, I was more and more amazed at the expansive area this minor amount of coffee covered.

Fifteen minutes after the spilled coffee incident, I was back where I started. My toast was cool, my coffee was warm and I was wearing the scent "Eau de Café" on my sleeve. I was annoyed I had spilled coffee on our new carpeting but I forgave myself and carried on with my day. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there are more serious issues going on in the world these days. I was the better man and let it go.

Fast forward to three mornings later. I finally decided it was time to cross the picket line on my self induced ten day vacuuming strike. I pulled out the vacuum cleaner and set about my merry way, vacuuming the endless cat hair we have been inhaling, drinking, eating, wearing and sleeping with lately.

I was feeling a tad miffed about the whole ordeal. Vacuuming is time consuming. The hair was everywhere. I had finally made my way out of the kitchen and into the living room when I spotted some splatters on the wall. "What got spilled here?!" I muttered wordlessly. The tone of my inner voice is a snarky one. I was a tad bitter.

I started wiping down the wall, then hit the baseboard where cat hair is now sticking to the caulking between the wall and the baseboard. What cleaner cleans cat hair that is adhered to caulking? The tone of voice in my mind was getting harder to listen to. "Grrr ... laminate. Grrr ... cats! Grrr ... I hate vacuuming!"

Then I noticed more splatters on the wall. And more. It was three day old coffee!! Not only does spilled liquid splatter far and wide horizontally when it gets spilled on laminate, it splatters upwards as well. The walls, the baseboards, the table legs ....

Yes, all of the above is washable. Yes, I should have thought to look upwards as I cleaned up my mess initially. Yes, this is honestly not a real problem in the whole scheme of things. "First world problem", my brother would gently remind me.

I am so very grateful for our new flooring. I truly am. I love our cats. I really do. I'm glad to have an easily washable house. I am! But cat hair + laminate flooring = excessive need to clean.That is the formula I'm not loving at this moment in time.

I thought maintaining that-which-is-new would be so easy. I would wash down the cupboards, the baseboards, the doors and dust the cat hair off the walls on a weekly basis. I would pick one chore per day and just do it as regularly as I make my bed every morning. But the need for bi-daily vacuuming has zapped the little energy I have in me these days.

I am done. I am going to stop ranting now and appreciate the little things ... like listening to the birds who have moved into our attic.