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Weekly Flylady Thread 30th March 2020
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Valli
Posts: 25,445 Forumite
Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread.
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.
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 Natty 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 content! (i.e. it should be on-topic)
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- that’s 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 former Flylady 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 stopping, 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!
Frog (or other amphibian) ~ google 'eat that frog'
Spoons ~ google 'but you don't look sick' and/or 'The Spoon Theory'.
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
ok Here goes this Week.
Manic Monday Kitchen/Dining Room
Level 1
Clear sides and wipe down - wipe small appliances
Replace what lives there, wiping as you go
Empty bin and clean it out too
Empty out caddies/storage jars or tins and wash them out.
Wipe sill, sockets, door handles and switches and anywhere fingers linger.
Clear and clean sink and accessories - don't forget those out-of-sight places - under plugs and under draining racks
Clean/polish table - wipe mats/change cloth
Check fruit and wash bowl
Throw away your manky dish cloth or sponge and replace with a new one!
Level 2
Wipe down all cupboard and drawer fronts, not forgetting handles and tops and bottom as well as fronts!
Clean hob
Clean microwave
Sort fridge and wipe seals; weave stuff that needs using up into your meal plan
Wash out shelves and baskets.
Dust dining area/room
Descale kettle if needed
Clean WM , TD and DW filters; remove WM detergent drawer and wash it out.
Level 3
Pick a cupboard or a drawer; empty it, clean it out and put back its contents tidily
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seat where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows in both rooms.
Go round the whole house wiping door handles, light switches and banisters - we WILL be germ-free!
EXTRAS
HHI
S&S bathroom
Meal plan for the week.
Go round the house and clean all sockets, switches and handles.
For those of you with children at home involve them. They can (for example)
feed pets
make beds
empty bins
take out rubbish
peg out washing
load and unload washer, dryer and DW
Tuesday - Master Bedroom/Boudoir
Level 1
Open windows,
Clear the floordrobe/chairdrobe
Strip the bed and leave to air
Take out the rubbish
Bedding in WM
Wipe all switches, handles, rails, light pulls etc.
Level 2 (after breakfast/a period of time)
Remake the bed with clean, fresh linen
Dust/clear bedside tables
Clean windows, frames and sills (and wipe the open frames to clear dust and debris)
Level 3
Vacuum any soft furnishings - don't forget the headboard if it's fabric!
Dust everywhere else; as you remove lotions and potions from dressing tables wipe them over with a damp cloth.
Minimise clutter/organise essentials.
Vacuum/mop floors
Extras
S&S kitchen
S&S bathrooms
Allocate stay-at-home children a job -
shoe polishing?
door handle wiping
trash removal?
Wipy Wednesday - Guest room/spare room/kids room
Level 1
Open windows
Clear the floordrobe/chairdrobe
Strip the bed and leave to air
Take out the rubbish
Bedding in WM
Level 2 (after breakfast/a period of time)
Dust bedframe
Remake the bed with clean, fresh linen
Dust/clear bedside tables if it's a guest room check bedside lamp is functional
Clean windows, frames and sills
Check the empty drawers and wardobes are fit for use with hangers etc
Level 3
Vacuum any soft furnishings - don't forget the headboard if it's fabric!
Dust everywhere else
Minimise clutter/organise essentials.
Vacuum/mop floors
Extras
S&S kitchen
S&S bathrooms
Wipe switches, handles, banisters etc
Thursday Thrills - Brighten that bathroom
Level 1
Fling open the windows
Clear the bins, remove empties
Flush the loo and squirt something down it to start the cleaning process
Fling the towels in the WM
Vacuum extractor cover and/or wipe
Clean windows and mirrors
Spray mould killer on grout and leave to take effect
Level 2
Clear lotions and potions from around bath and scrub inside and out.
Prod a brush down the plughole to remove the ratty tails
Polish the taps
Slug of bleach down the drain
Scrub the loo inside and out - and bleach it
Thoroughly clean bath taps and plugs - especially hair traps - and don't forget under the plug
Wipe shower head or soak in lemon juice to clear scum/scale
Wash shower curtain/wipe screens
Level 3
Scrub the sink
Polish the taps
Dust sills and shelves
Wipe anywhere fingers linger with a clean cloth or an anti-bac wipe - don't forget the loo roll holder!
Mop the floor
Polish mirrors
Extras
HHI
S&S kitchen
Make sure all switches and handles and any places fingers linger are wiped.
Get that Toots list out - can you tick anything off? Can your start nibbling at a big job?
Friday Flourish
- Living room, hall, stairs and porch
Level One
Declutter ALL the floors!!
Clear the mantle of junk
Fling any rubbbish
Straighten cushions, curtains and throws
Tidy coffee/side tables
Empty bin
Level Two
Vacuum/sweep all the floors.. stairs too!
Vacuum/sweep under furniture you can safely move!
Vacuum sofas
Clean mirrors
Level Three
Clean the window and door frames
Dust and polish furniture and ornaments
Water/wipe plants. Deal with any flowers.
Extras
Dust all the electricals.. carefully.. don't want any frazzled flybodies
Binbag dance around the house
HHI
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom
Allocate children a task - collecting laundry, filling/emptying DW for instance?
Wipe handles, switches, banister rails.
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.
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 Natty 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 content! (i.e. it should be on-topic)
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- that’s 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 former Flylady 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 stopping, 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!
Frog (or other amphibian) ~ google 'eat that frog'
Spoons ~ google 'but you don't look sick' and/or 'The Spoon Theory'.
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
ok Here goes this Week.
Manic Monday Kitchen/Dining Room
Level 1
Clear sides and wipe down - wipe small appliances
Replace what lives there, wiping as you go
Empty bin and clean it out too
Empty out caddies/storage jars or tins and wash them out.
Wipe sill, sockets, door handles and switches and anywhere fingers linger.
Clear and clean sink and accessories - don't forget those out-of-sight places - under plugs and under draining racks
Clean/polish table - wipe mats/change cloth
Check fruit and wash bowl
Throw away your manky dish cloth or sponge and replace with a new one!
Level 2
Wipe down all cupboard and drawer fronts, not forgetting handles and tops and bottom as well as fronts!
Clean hob
Clean microwave
Sort fridge and wipe seals; weave stuff that needs using up into your meal plan
Wash out shelves and baskets.
Dust dining area/room
Descale kettle if needed
Clean WM , TD and DW filters; remove WM detergent drawer and wash it out.
Level 3
Pick a cupboard or a drawer; empty it, clean it out and put back its contents tidily
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seat where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows in both rooms.
Go round the whole house wiping door handles, light switches and banisters - we WILL be germ-free!
EXTRAS
HHI
S&S bathroom
Meal plan for the week.
Go round the house and clean all sockets, switches and handles.
For those of you with children at home involve them. They can (for example)
feed pets
make beds
empty bins
take out rubbish
peg out washing
load and unload washer, dryer and DW
Tuesday - Master Bedroom/Boudoir
Level 1
Open windows,
Clear the floordrobe/chairdrobe
Strip the bed and leave to air
Take out the rubbish
Bedding in WM
Wipe all switches, handles, rails, light pulls etc.
Level 2 (after breakfast/a period of time)
Remake the bed with clean, fresh linen
Dust/clear bedside tables
Clean windows, frames and sills (and wipe the open frames to clear dust and debris)
Level 3
Vacuum any soft furnishings - don't forget the headboard if it's fabric!
Dust everywhere else; as you remove lotions and potions from dressing tables wipe them over with a damp cloth.
Minimise clutter/organise essentials.
Vacuum/mop floors
Extras
S&S kitchen
S&S bathrooms
Allocate stay-at-home children a job -
shoe polishing?
door handle wiping
trash removal?
Wipy Wednesday - Guest room/spare room/kids room
Level 1
Open windows
Clear the floordrobe/chairdrobe
Strip the bed and leave to air
Take out the rubbish
Bedding in WM
Level 2 (after breakfast/a period of time)
Dust bedframe
Remake the bed with clean, fresh linen
Dust/clear bedside tables if it's a guest room check bedside lamp is functional
Clean windows, frames and sills
Check the empty drawers and wardobes are fit for use with hangers etc
Level 3
Vacuum any soft furnishings - don't forget the headboard if it's fabric!
Dust everywhere else
Minimise clutter/organise essentials.
Vacuum/mop floors
Extras
S&S kitchen
S&S bathrooms
Wipe switches, handles, banisters etc
Thursday Thrills - Brighten that bathroom
Level 1
Fling open the windows
Clear the bins, remove empties
Flush the loo and squirt something down it to start the cleaning process
Fling the towels in the WM
Vacuum extractor cover and/or wipe
Clean windows and mirrors
Spray mould killer on grout and leave to take effect
Level 2
Clear lotions and potions from around bath and scrub inside and out.
Prod a brush down the plughole to remove the ratty tails
Polish the taps
Slug of bleach down the drain
Scrub the loo inside and out - and bleach it
Thoroughly clean bath taps and plugs - especially hair traps - and don't forget under the plug
Wipe shower head or soak in lemon juice to clear scum/scale
Wash shower curtain/wipe screens
Level 3
Scrub the sink
Polish the taps
Dust sills and shelves
Wipe anywhere fingers linger with a clean cloth or an anti-bac wipe - don't forget the loo roll holder!
Mop the floor
Polish mirrors
Extras
HHI
S&S kitchen
Make sure all switches and handles and any places fingers linger are wiped.
Get that Toots list out - can you tick anything off? Can your start nibbling at a big job?
Friday Flourish
- Living room, hall, stairs and porch
Level One
Declutter ALL the floors!!
Clear the mantle of junk
Fling any rubbbish
Straighten cushions, curtains and throws
Tidy coffee/side tables
Empty bin
Level Two
Vacuum/sweep all the floors.. stairs too!
Vacuum/sweep under furniture you can safely move!
Vacuum sofas
Clean mirrors
Level Three
Clean the window and door frames
Dust and polish furniture and ornaments
Water/wipe plants. Deal with any flowers.
Extras
Dust all the electricals.. carefully.. don't want any frazzled flybodies
Binbag dance around the house
HHI
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom
Allocate children a task - collecting laundry, filling/emptying DW for instance?
Wipe handles, switches, banister rails.
Don'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 Bear
Janice 1964-2016Thank you Honey Bear
16
Comments
-
I am well and truly in, thank you for the lists ladies. About to put the children to bed, I can already hear the cries of ‘but it’s still daytime outside mummmmeeeeeee....’
Wine poured for after bedtime has been accomplished, accompanied by Harry Potter (easy, switch off your brain, viewing) and a chocolate muffin. See you all in the morning xx17 -
I'm in. Thank you for the lists Valli and Natty xx
Cider and James Bond at 8pm chez Round asb xx
Rxx
IT ONLY TAKES SMALL DAILY ACTIONSFOR MAGIC TO HAPPENRosemary Ikpeme
17 -
Thanks for the list. I'm in and really must catch up on paperwork tomorrow.Spend less now, work less later.16
-
Thank you for all the lists, I'm in of a sort.
Breast Cancer Now 100 miles October 2022 100 / 100miles
D- Day 80km June 2024 80/80km (10.06.24 all done)
Diabetic UK 1 million steps July 2024 to complete by end Sept 2024. 1,001,066/ 1,000,000 (20.09.24 all done)
Breast Cancer Now 100 miles 1st May 2025 (18.05.2025 all done)
Diabetic UK 1 million steps July 2025 to complete by end Sept 2025. 114,256/1,000,000Sun, Sea17 -
Thank you for the lists Natty & Valli. 💜
I’m in, I must get organised, we are starting out 3rd week of lockdown & I think my guag has been locked down as well! 😢. I am going to go & sort the kitchen & prepare my overnight oats so that tomorrow I can start as a I mean to go on! 😁
'Money and good health is coming easily to Flypeople'16 -
TY for Fred..
I am just about keeping up with the kitchen S&Sing..
This house.. honestly.. I NEED everyone to go away for a few days.. can they all self isolate anywhere but here??
DS1 thinks my front door is a turnstile.. honestly he is like a jack-in-the-box with a dodgy lid.. popping up every 2 bloody minutes.. he was HUGGING a Romanian gypsy earlier.. hugging her.. in the street.. For the love of all things holy how I didn't douse him in hand gel and set him alight I have no idea.. he has a 'stand in' job as the restaurant has now closed.. in an off licence.. I told him if he doesn't bring me a big bottle of vodka and a couple of lemonades he is NOT setting foot back in here.. he is going to kill us all.. I'm actually not anxious or worried or even vaguely concerned... but he will be the death of us!
Boog coughed.. so that was banned forthwith!! No sickies allowed there... flipping diabetics making me look at them..
Twinkle coughed... I dosed her with everything, wrapped her in cotton wool and sent her to Narnia... no germs thank you!
We need a heat waveDW has been on..blocked bog partially cleared.. it needs a proper clean waaaay down the pipesLB 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.)16 -
Morning all
Thanks for the new thread, I’m in. WFH as usual this week but will follow along where I can. I slept a little better last night but still pretty tired. I shall shower and dress to get myself moving followed by breakfast and dailies before work.
Have a good day all x15 -
Morning all,
I slept fitfully again last night; lots of very odd dreams which has been par for the course these past few days. I set my alarm this morning as I do not want to get into the habit of laying in bed. We will walk the dog shortly, then get on with a bit of work, their reading books arrived yesterday. Lunch today will be a random one yet again, dinner is gammon, chips and beans.Back later on, have lovely days all x17 -
How is everyone? Well, there's no excuse about not having enough time so after a week of aimlessly cleaning here and there I thought I'd come back and get my flylady friends to keep me in check! So, if it's ok...I'm in xx17
-
Morning, hi Mudbath. Another here who slept badly last night. Generally feeling a bit anxious and unsettled at the minute, but I guess that's true of most of us. DS is at hospital this afternoon, really hoping he gets his Picc line taken out, then we might not have to go back for a while (going to hospital is scary right now). I will go with him but stay in the car. Paid stuff to do, stew and dumplings for tea (I will have squash and butterbean casserole out of the freezer I think). Did a bit of a charge around with hoover and duster last night so things not looking too bad, some washing to hang out. Have a good Monday all, will catch up with you later x18
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