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Weekly Flylady Thread 23rd August 2021

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Natty68
Natty68 Posts: 3,465 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
edited 26 August 2021 at 9:11PM in Old style MoneySaving

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 to Valli for last week's thread


THESE LISTS ARE ONLY SUGGESTIONS AND NOT A MUST DO LIST, YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO POST AND FOLLOW YOUR OWN.
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'
WUDUPA ~ Washed up, dried up, put away
WUALTD ~ Washed up and left to dry
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!
Some of our abbreviations: DH- dear husband, OH- other half, KH/CF- affectionate term for ex husband or partner  DS/DD- dear son/daughter, DGC- dear grandchild, WM- washing machine, DW- dishwasher, LR/DR- living/dining room, RoD- room of doom, Mr S/A/T/M/L/Al- supermarkets Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi. You get the picture!

Any more questions I bet are answered in the wonderful welcome guide which was produced by our much loved Toots

Here goes this week:

Monday - Kitchen and Dining Room
Level One...

Sweep and mop the floor
Level Two...
Clear and wipe the worksurfaces
Clean the sink and slush the drain out
Level Three...
Give the hob a good wipe and the oven door a clean too
Wipe the door handles
Exterminate, exterminate get rid of those annoying hotspots
Extra Mission

  • Sort out the fridge/freezer/pantry and make a list of things to use up this week
  • Sort out the cupboard 
  • under the sink, give it a good wipe out
  • Meal plan for the week


Tuesday - Living Room and study
Level One..
Tidy up, put things away, straighten those piles - there better already!!!
Level Two...
Hoover the floors
Dust electricals, screens etc
Polish the furniture.
Do one bit of paperwork
Level Three...
Hoover/wipe the sofas
Wipe the skirtings/lightshades and bulbs
Time to deal with something else on your desk or sort out the drawers
Extra Mission:
  • Wash your door sausage or make one if you need it
  • Check kids pencil cases ready for the return for school, no kids sort your own stationery, think about planner/diary for next year if you like a 16 month one
Wednesday - Bathroom/downstairs toilet/Hall, Stairs, Landing
Level One....

Clean the toilets and sinks, shine those taps
Level Two...
ME TIME - newbies this is a very important part of being a flylady You could soak you feet and paint your nails, read a magazine, chat with a friend, have a cuppa - anything but you must not skip t his task
Level Three...
Clear the floors and hoover and mop them, right into the manky corners
Test your smoke alarms, hoover them out inside
Clean the bath and/or shower - descale the head if required
Shine those mirrors and windows
Extra mission:
  • Who needs new toothbrushes/cotton wool/sponges etc?
  • Change pet bedding


Thursday - Choose a bedroom

Level One...

Remove and wash bed linen and duvet covers.
Level Two..
Clear and clean the bedside table/dressing table
Hoover the floor
Do your rings need a clean? I soak mine in a ramekin of warm water with a dash of washing up liquid and gently brush with an old toothbrush.
Level Three..
What's lurking under the bed, drag it all out, hoover right to the back. Found any treasurers or trash?
Extra mission:
  • Sort any piles of magazines, catalogues etc, any you can pass on or recycle?
  • Get out winter boots/shoes do they need reheeling/polishing/replacing?
Friday Rooms of DoomsLevel One..Eat a frog or at least take a big bite from itLevel Two..Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etcVacuum the floorClean the windowLevel Three..The cupboard/drawer/pile you have been meaning to deal with forever, the time hascome to tackle it!Not got a pile, then your surfaces should be nice and clear for a good dusting.Extra MissionCatch up on something you missed earlier in the week or do something you've beenmeaning to?


Mortgage Free as of 20.9.17
Declutter challenge 2023, 2024 🏅 🏅⭐️⭐️
Declutter Challenge 2025
DH declutter challenge award 🏅⭐️
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