Vacuum three stories of carpeted floors, clean a handful of sinks and drinking fountains until they shine, mop several sticky, and often stinky, bathrooms and dust shelves containing thousands of precariously perched books, magazines, videos and other publications.

"It's almost like what you would do at home, just on a bigger scale," Evans said, duster in hand. "And it takes longer."

But during the first week in February, Evans' time tested routine will drastically change. She will not begin her day with the usual custom.

The 66-year-old is retiring from her longtime housekeeping job at Lyon College. Her last day was Feb. 1. It's a decision Evans has wrestled with for the past year.

"I never thought I would be here this long," she said. "It's taken me more than a year to decide to do this. I didn't want to retire and then not have anything to do. But I think I will be able to find something."

The Arkansas native admits adjusting to a new schedule will be hard.

While most of Lyon College sleeps, Evans is typically beginning her workday. She has cleaned just about every building on the Lyon College campus in her 27 years of service and currently is assigned to the Mabee-Simpson Library.

To Evans, cleaning is more of an art than a chore. She plans her cleaning times around the needs of other people.

"The first thing I do is vacuum because no one is here that early," she said. "The last thing I do is dust because it's quiet and won't bother anyone."

Evans said of the many things she will miss about Lyon College and her job, the people top her list.

"I just love the people," she said enthusiastically. "It's an entertaining job. I like to talk with everyone and hear stories about what happened over the weekend. It can be pretty funny."