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Weekly Flylady Thread 24th September 2018
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Natty68
Posts: 3,465 Forumite
What is FLYLADY? Well, it's our version of the US flylady idea - but we work on the principle that housework is not fun, it's boring, can be time-consuming, is often thankless but, unfortunately, necessary. It's here on Old Style to provide the support we all need and to make the whole task easier and quicker. We also accept that, sometimes, life just gets on top of us and we can't keep up, maybe because we're time-poor, not in the best of health and/or we have littlies who need us. We are definitely NOT control freaks aiming for perfection and utterly spotless show-homes.
Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread. You're more than welcome to join us in the everlasting battle against dust, grime and gibble. The aim of our thread is to make those onerous tasks less daunting, and to support each other - and to make time for the finer things in life!
Please do remember we have to abide by MSE rules; each post should, ideally, include some mention of flying.
Thank you Valli for last week's thread
Please follow the forum rules on this thread as Flylady has been here a LONG time and is a fabulous support and resource for lots of us. All posts should have some Flylady-related (ooh a compound adjective) content!
The idea is that even if you are really busy you don't need to fall off the wagon!
Every room comes back around next week so please don’t stress about catching up
These lists are only suggestions and not a must do list; you are more than welcome to post and follow your own lists.
Also adding a declutter mission each day will help to gradually clear the clutter and make flying easier.
A few of the basics before we start the week
Hotspots are areas where if one thing gets put there, loads of other things follow!
Daily routines are anything you need to do on a daily basis like washing, swish and swipe kitchen and bathroom, ironing, making beds, vacuuming high traffic areas, making meals etc.
Night-time routines are all things which make getting ready in the morning easier, preparing clothes for the next day, making lunches, swish & swipes of the kitchen and tidying the living room before you go to bed plus personals like shower/brush teeth etc.
Fling Boogie - stick on some loud music, grab a bin bag and whiz around the house finding items that can go out with the rubbish, recycling, for charity shop, basically anything that will stop it cluttering your home.
Swish and swipe/S&S means have a quick wipe over an area such as a sink or toilet to prevent the build up of dirt. This is usually done on a daily basis
HHE/HHC/HHI Half Hour exercise/challenge/ironing ... run around for 30 minutes to the Benny Hill music frantically cleaning exercising or ironing.. other music may be used if you prefer!
WM ~ Washing machine
TD ~ Tumble dryer
SC ~ Slowcooker
BM ~ Breadmaker
DW ~ Dishwasher
SOAADFA ~ Sit on 'bottom' and do 'nothing'
KH/XH/FW ~ Ex-husband and other not so polite versions
DH/DD/DS/DW/DP ~ Dear husband/daughter/son/wife/partner/whatever
OH/SO ~ Other half/significant other
NN ~ nice neighbour
Toxic (friend/mother/sister/whoever) ~ person in your life that seems to exist to make your life miserable
AF ~ Aunt Flo 'time of the month'.. nothing to do with flying but it comes up often.
ETA ~ Edited to add
Gibble ~ miscellaneous crap that appears forever homeless
Dot-to-dot ~ pick a small area (not a whole room) like a chair/coffee/table/shelf/worktop or wherever- thats your first 'dot' - totally clear it - clean it - and only put back what should be there - deal with what you have removed (not just move it somewhere else) then if you have time move on and do the same to another 'dot' -the idea is just like a dot to dot puzzle, you aim to join up all the dots and have a tidy room. The trick is to keep each dot tidy until you get them all joined up! All credit to AnW's Mum for this one
RoD ~ Room of Doom, the one room that feels like it is a permanent pit and cannot be used to its potential!
MAD half hour- Mad is the abbreviation for Make A Difference.
The idea is that you have a Forth bridge (ie never-ending - or just huge) task but that you work on it in half-hour bursts. This way you know you ARE stooping, and that you won't get it finished but you will make a difference - so it might be clearing out - the garage or shed, or clothes sorting, or weeding - you get the picture - but rather than keep going until you've lost the will to live you do half an hour...but, eventually those half hours will get the job done!
Mr S/A/T/M/L/Al - supermarkets Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi. You get the picture!!
Click here to read Toots wonderful welcome guide
This week we are having a Deep Cleaning challenge.. dislodge those spiders.. chase out those bugs and degrot the grotty spaces. This is time-consuming.. so if you can't manage it, it really doesn't matter.. but flying just keeps things ticking over and sometimes a better scrubbing is needed..let's see how this goes!
Monday Musings ~ Kitchen and Dining Room
Level One...
Clean floors
Level Two...
Clear and wipe kitchen surfaces
Sort fridge bringing what needs using soon to the front, clean out any spills or manky stuff in there!!
Wipe dining table.. (clean table cloth if necessary)
Level Three...
Dust any extra furniture in dining area, checking for cobwebs on way round
Wipe and replace all those small appliances.. kettle, toaster etc
Clean cupboard door fronts and fronts of appliances .. don't forget those kick boards..
Extra Mission ~ Choose one or more of:
Deep Clean Challenge
Get in that cupboard under the sink and fling everything you don't use.. if it hasn't been used in the last 6 months you don't need it.. fling it!! Give it a GOOD scrub out before replacing the things you do use and need to keep. Feel free to get carried away and do more cupboards!!!
Tuesday Thrills ~ Living Room, Hall and Stairs
Level One...
Do something from your Toots list, or at least start something if you have nothing you can do in 15 minutes
Vacuum floors and sofas
Level Two...
Test the heating (ie put it on for an hour) - bleed rads as required
Dusting, even if around everything
Remove clutter making sure stairs especially are safe
Clean TV, other electricals and cabinets
Level Three...
Wipe light switches, sockets (make sure they are not switched on!!) and banister
Clean any other glass like mirrors, pictures etc
Tidy shoes, coats and bags .. wash any that need washing in preparation for cold weather!! See if there are any that don't fit, past their best or just plain uncomfy which could leave the house!
Sort through your handbag and fling all those ancient bus tickets and receipts.. don't forget your purse too!!!
Extra Mission ~ Pick one or more of the following tasks –
Deep Clean Challenge
Clean light fittings, skirtings even the ones behind furniture. Clean fire-surrounds. Wipe sofa's down.
Wednesday Whiles ~ Master Bedroom & Landing
Level One...
Check fire alarms are working
Remove and wash bed linen.
Level Two...
Dust surfaces & make sure no cobwebs..
Vacuum mattress before replacing with fresh linen
15 minutes floordrobe clearance
Level Three...
Vacuum floors in bedroom and on landing
Sort one area of clothes or linen storage making sure only what should be in there is, anything that's had it's day or doesn't belong there is removed
clear out one 'hotspot' drawer/box
Extra tasks list ~ as usual choose one or more
Deep Clean Challenge
Get under the bed.. drag everything out and sort through it.. Clean out all those dust-mammoths before putting back ONLY the things you need to keep!
Thursday Tinkles ~ Bathroom and Study/Pc Area
Level One...
Clean floors in these rooms (even if it is around the clutter)
Level Two...
Clean baths, toilets and sinks
Clear any clutter from desk
Dust PC and desk and wipe off those cup rings!!
Wipe keyboard, house phone, sockets, switches and mouse etc
Level Three...
Clear clutter from floor
Wipe down tiles in bathroom.. defragment the pc while doing this (programs.. accessories..system tools.. defragment!.. if you do the disc cleanup as well it clear all the cookies and temporary files too.
Clean shower screen/curtain if you have one/if required
Clean the brushes/dust box/filters on the vacuum cleaner!!!! .. make sure they are completely dry before using it though.. I don’t want anyone electrocuted!!
Extra mission ~ Pick whichever you want to attempt:
Deep Clean Challenge
Empty and wipe out those bathroom cabinets. Get rid of everything you don't/won't use before replacing the things you do need. BIG scrub under the sinks/baths/loo's .. eradicate all those dust-bunnies and stray socks and toothpaste gloops!!
Friday Frills ~ those frightening Friday kids rooms and spare rooms
Level One...
Vacuum the floor, even if it's just where you can see
Level Two...
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Dusting.. all those shelves and flat fluffy surfaces!! Don’t forget the light shade and curtain pole!!!
Level Three...
Strip beds and replace with fresh linen .. check if duvets need freshening up too
Sort through a cupboard/chest of drawers and get the clothes out which are no longer wearable, too small or out of season
Wipe any sticky marks off walls and doors
Extra Task List
Deep Clean Challenge
Pull out the beds, furniture and clean all behind them.. the skirtings and light fittings and everything.. get rid of all the things that are no longer required
Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread. You're more than welcome to join us in the everlasting battle against dust, grime and gibble. The aim of our thread is to make those onerous tasks less daunting, and to support each other - and to make time for the finer things in life!
Please do remember we have to abide by MSE rules; each post should, ideally, include some mention of flying.
Thank you Valli for last week's thread
Please follow the forum rules on this thread as Flylady has been here a LONG time and is a fabulous support and resource for lots of us. All posts should have some Flylady-related (ooh a compound adjective) content!
The idea is that even if you are really busy you don't need to fall off the wagon!
Every room comes back around next week so please don’t stress about catching up
These lists are only suggestions and not a must do list; you are more than welcome to post and follow your own lists.
Also adding a declutter mission each day will help to gradually clear the clutter and make flying easier.
A few of the basics before we start the week
Hotspots are areas where if one thing gets put there, loads of other things follow!
Daily routines are anything you need to do on a daily basis like washing, swish and swipe kitchen and bathroom, ironing, making beds, vacuuming high traffic areas, making meals etc.
Night-time routines are all things which make getting ready in the morning easier, preparing clothes for the next day, making lunches, swish & swipes of the kitchen and tidying the living room before you go to bed plus personals like shower/brush teeth etc.
Fling Boogie - stick on some loud music, grab a bin bag and whiz around the house finding items that can go out with the rubbish, recycling, for charity shop, basically anything that will stop it cluttering your home.
Swish and swipe/S&S means have a quick wipe over an area such as a sink or toilet to prevent the build up of dirt. This is usually done on a daily basis
HHE/HHC/HHI Half Hour exercise/challenge/ironing ... run around for 30 minutes to the Benny Hill music frantically cleaning exercising or ironing.. other music may be used if you prefer!
WM ~ Washing machine
TD ~ Tumble dryer
SC ~ Slowcooker
BM ~ Breadmaker
DW ~ Dishwasher
SOAADFA ~ Sit on 'bottom' and do 'nothing'
KH/XH/FW ~ Ex-husband and other not so polite versions
DH/DD/DS/DW/DP ~ Dear husband/daughter/son/wife/partner/whatever
OH/SO ~ Other half/significant other
NN ~ nice neighbour
Toxic (friend/mother/sister/whoever) ~ person in your life that seems to exist to make your life miserable
AF ~ Aunt Flo 'time of the month'.. nothing to do with flying but it comes up often.
ETA ~ Edited to add
Gibble ~ miscellaneous crap that appears forever homeless
Dot-to-dot ~ pick a small area (not a whole room) like a chair/coffee/table/shelf/worktop or wherever- thats your first 'dot' - totally clear it - clean it - and only put back what should be there - deal with what you have removed (not just move it somewhere else) then if you have time move on and do the same to another 'dot' -the idea is just like a dot to dot puzzle, you aim to join up all the dots and have a tidy room. The trick is to keep each dot tidy until you get them all joined up! All credit to AnW's Mum for this one
RoD ~ Room of Doom, the one room that feels like it is a permanent pit and cannot be used to its potential!
MAD half hour- Mad is the abbreviation for Make A Difference.
The idea is that you have a Forth bridge (ie never-ending - or just huge) task but that you work on it in half-hour bursts. This way you know you ARE stooping, and that you won't get it finished but you will make a difference - so it might be clearing out - the garage or shed, or clothes sorting, or weeding - you get the picture - but rather than keep going until you've lost the will to live you do half an hour...but, eventually those half hours will get the job done!
Mr S/A/T/M/L/Al - supermarkets Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi. You get the picture!!
Click here to read Toots wonderful welcome guide
This week we are having a Deep Cleaning challenge.. dislodge those spiders.. chase out those bugs and degrot the grotty spaces. This is time-consuming.. so if you can't manage it, it really doesn't matter.. but flying just keeps things ticking over and sometimes a better scrubbing is needed..let's see how this goes!
Monday Musings ~ Kitchen and Dining Room
Level One...
Clean floors
Level Two...
Clear and wipe kitchen surfaces
Sort fridge bringing what needs using soon to the front, clean out any spills or manky stuff in there!!
Wipe dining table.. (clean table cloth if necessary)
Level Three...
Dust any extra furniture in dining area, checking for cobwebs on way round
Wipe and replace all those small appliances.. kettle, toaster etc
Clean cupboard door fronts and fronts of appliances .. don't forget those kick boards..
Extra Mission ~ Choose one or more of:
- One load of washing
- Empty bin and make it smell nice
- Wipe window sills and clean windows in these rooms
- Clear and wipe the tops of the wall units!!
- Clean oven if you didn't do it last week
- 30 minutes ironing.
Deep Clean Challenge
Get in that cupboard under the sink and fling everything you don't use.. if it hasn't been used in the last 6 months you don't need it.. fling it!! Give it a GOOD scrub out before replacing the things you do use and need to keep. Feel free to get carried away and do more cupboards!!!
Tuesday Thrills ~ Living Room, Hall and Stairs
Level One...
Do something from your Toots list, or at least start something if you have nothing you can do in 15 minutes
Vacuum floors and sofas
Level Two...
Test the heating (ie put it on for an hour) - bleed rads as required
Dusting, even if around everything
Remove clutter making sure stairs especially are safe
Clean TV, other electricals and cabinets
Level Three...
Wipe light switches, sockets (make sure they are not switched on!!) and banister
Clean any other glass like mirrors, pictures etc
Tidy shoes, coats and bags .. wash any that need washing in preparation for cold weather!! See if there are any that don't fit, past their best or just plain uncomfy which could leave the house!
Sort through your handbag and fling all those ancient bus tickets and receipts.. don't forget your purse too!!!
Extra Mission ~ Pick one or more of the following tasks –
- One load of washing
- Paperwork clearance.. spend 15 minutes minimum sorting through those piles of paper.
- Vacuum under furniture you can manage to move without hurting yourself
- Organize for chimney to be swept, stock up on firelighters, is the wood store full?
- Clean a window or two.
- Get yourself a bag or box, go around collecting things that are not in the place they should be, then put them back where they should be, or better still give them to their owners to put away themselves
Deep Clean Challenge
Clean light fittings, skirtings even the ones behind furniture. Clean fire-surrounds. Wipe sofa's down.
Wednesday Whiles ~ Master Bedroom & Landing
Level One...
Check fire alarms are working
Remove and wash bed linen.
Level Two...
Dust surfaces & make sure no cobwebs..
Vacuum mattress before replacing with fresh linen
15 minutes floordrobe clearance
Level Three...
Vacuum floors in bedroom and on landing
Sort one area of clothes or linen storage making sure only what should be in there is, anything that's had it's day or doesn't belong there is removed
clear out one 'hotspot' drawer/box
Extra tasks list ~ as usual choose one or more
- Something from your own list
- 27 fling boogie time, time for that midweek fling, go on grab a bag and clear that clutter
- Put away those summer clothes from someones cupboard and get out the winter woollies.. don’t store anything that is past its best! Make a list of things you need to buy!!
- Clean windows in these rooms
- Check house for places where draughts are getting in.. doors, windows etc and see if there are ways to stop it!
Deep Clean Challenge
Get under the bed.. drag everything out and sort through it.. Clean out all those dust-mammoths before putting back ONLY the things you need to keep!
Thursday Tinkles ~ Bathroom and Study/Pc Area
Level One...
Clean floors in these rooms (even if it is around the clutter)
Level Two...
Clean baths, toilets and sinks
Clear any clutter from desk
Dust PC and desk and wipe off those cup rings!!
Wipe keyboard, house phone, sockets, switches and mouse etc
Level Three...
Clear clutter from floor
Wipe down tiles in bathroom.. defragment the pc while doing this (programs.. accessories..system tools.. defragment!.. if you do the disc cleanup as well it clear all the cookies and temporary files too.
Clean shower screen/curtain if you have one/if required
Clean the brushes/dust box/filters on the vacuum cleaner!!!! .. make sure they are completely dry before using it though.. I don’t want anyone electrocuted!!
Extra mission ~ Pick whichever you want to attempt:
- Wipe the skirtings, door and window frames in these rooms
- Wash your bathroom mats, nets, clean blind/curtains etc
- Sort a wardrobe or part of, a drawer or set of drawers making sure it has what needs to be in it and any 'extras' are put where they should be
- Give the pc desk a right good clean! Pull out the case, defluff and degrot it all!!
Deep Clean Challenge
Empty and wipe out those bathroom cabinets. Get rid of everything you don't/won't use before replacing the things you do need. BIG scrub under the sinks/baths/loo's .. eradicate all those dust-bunnies and stray socks and toothpaste gloops!!
Friday Frills ~ those frightening Friday kids rooms and spare rooms
Level One...
Vacuum the floor, even if it's just where you can see
Level Two...
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Dusting.. all those shelves and flat fluffy surfaces!! Don’t forget the light shade and curtain pole!!!
Level Three...
Strip beds and replace with fresh linen .. check if duvets need freshening up too
Sort through a cupboard/chest of drawers and get the clothes out which are no longer wearable, too small or out of season
Wipe any sticky marks off walls and doors
Extra Task List
- Wash a set of curtains, nets, duvet or throw
- Time for the Friday Flylady Fling, in the toy box!!!! aim for 27.. if no toy box you’ll have to choose another area!
- 30 minutes ironing
- Get those uniforms and coats and things in the wash which you will need on Monday
- Do some crafts/puzzles/something you enjoy
- Make a list of just 5 things that you will achieve in October
Deep Clean Challenge
Pull out the beds, furniture and clean all behind them.. the skirtings and light fittings and everything.. get rid of all the things that are no longer required
Mortgage Free as of 20.9.17
Declutter challenge 2023, 2024 🏅 🏅⭐️⭐️Declutter Challenge 2025
DH declutter challenge award 🏅⭐️
0
Comments
-
Flylady 2018 Challenges - GO FLYERS GO
SCRIMPERS (no spend SEPTEMBER)
atypical blonde
Lamewolf
Pigpen
Natty - 9lb lost so far.
Kazwookie
Jazee
Honey Bear
Valli
Fayolle
Yorkshirelass
Lynnejk
Mumof2
SLINKIES - weight loss challenge
Lynnejk - 9lb
Narcolepsy *some*
Valli 2st/28lb
Dizzy Imp 2st/28lb
FurryBeastOz 2st/28lb
nannygladys 3st/42lb
Fayolle 2st/28lb
atypicalblonde 2st/28lb
Princess Money Penny
Lil_me 5st/70lb
JojotheTightfisted
LameWolf 2st/28lb
Roundtuit 56lb
Jazee 2st/28lb
Pigpen *some*
MrsMoneypenny 1st at least
Froddington 2st
Dancemum 3st
Mademoiselle about 2 st
Ionafan 1st 11lb 9lb (hope that's right!) Excellent work
donnajt 3 st
Rosemary7391
Mrs Chaos 16lb
Faete 2st
Natty 1st 7Ib {9lb lost}
Kazwookie 2st tbc
Honey Bear 5 kgs
Flymarketeers
FurryBeastOz
Pigpen
Valli
Mumof2
donnjt - £1k for hols
H2H (hovel to haven)
HoneyBear
Froddington
Roundtuit
Mumof2
FurryBeastOz
funfairprincess
Mrs Moneypenny
hex2
Fayolle
lynnejk
riotlady
donnajt - by Summer
Mrs Chaos
NattyMortgage Free as of 20.9.17Declutter challenge 2023, 2024 🏅 🏅⭐️⭐️
Declutter Challenge 2025
DH declutter challenge award 🏅⭐️0 -
In, I’ll be focusing on the kitchen as it’s too big a task to do bothOne day I might be more organised...........
GC: £200
Slinkies target 2018 - another 70lb off (half way to what the NHS says) so far 25lb0 -
Hi all
Ok, kitchen it is tomorrow then, I will do my best. Have run round with the duster and hoover and got all the laundry up to date today. I have a job to do first thing tomorrow at work which could be really challening so I am trying not to think about it. Need a good nights sleep!0 -
I'm in. Thank you for the lists, this week and last.
A deep clean challenge? Oh my! I'm in, let's see how we go...needed definitely, as I am guilty of one too many s&s rather than putting in an effort. Thank you for the inspiration. X0 -
Subscribing.
Thanks for the new threadDon't put it DOWN; put it AWAY"I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness" Emily Dickinson
Janice 1964-2016
Thank you Honey Bear0 -
Flying this week is directly related to whether I get any supply work this week or not. Evenings have to be for knitting until the baby blanket is done.
Have a good week.
WishOutstanding mortgage: £23,181 (December 19)
MFW 2020 Challenge Member #10 0/£23180 -
ty.. I'm reading..
No time for anything.. pukey bug been doing the rounds since the first week back to school.. and now we have all been struck down with Freshers Flu... gotta love living near the university.. every blinking year! I think I am dying!!
uniforms, hair wash and bed.. before I sneeze my head clean off!!
night night xxLB moment 10/06 Debt Free date 6/6/14Hope to be debt free until the day I dieMortgage-free Wannabee (05/08/30)6/6/14 £72,454.65 (5.65% int.)08/12/2023 £33602.00 (4.81% int.)0 -
Morning All,
I am in.... although I am so tired I could crawl back to bed. Dinner in SC, packed lunches made, need to go and make myself look presentable and wake kiddies.
YL - It's going well thanks lovely, thank you for asking xx
Best hurry on have lovely days all xxMFW
[STRIKE]Mortgage 8.2.15 - [/STRIKE][STRIKE]£171,064.64[/STRIKE] Mortgage 1.5.2018 - £99,980.45Aiming to be MF 1.10.20200 -
I'm in too...I've got my mojo back after a fashion.
Glad to hear you're enjoying your job ATB :T
Thank you for all your lovely birthday wishes - I had a great day and was thoroughly spoilt
OK....kitchen and dining room it is today...and breathe....0 -
Morning all. Thanks for the list.
I'm in, but first task of the day has to be finishing a presentation I have to give tomorrow.
Have a great day everyone.Spend less now, work less later.0
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