Weekly Flylady Thread 30 June 2025

Valli

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

Marvellous Monday - Kitchen and Dining Room IF YOU'RE NOT TOO HOT

Level 1
Open some windows (not just in the kitchen!) for some fresh air 
Check fruit bowl - add to washing up if necessary!
Wash up, dry up and put away (or remove all pots to DW) 
Clear sides and wipe down - wipe small appliances and caddies etc.  Don't forget the splashbacks or tiles!  
Empty bin and clean it out too - put it outside to dry in the sunshine.
Clear and clean sink and accessories - don't forget those out-of-sight places - under plugs and under draining racks - and shine those taps - or clean them!
Glug some bleach down the plugholes.
Clean/polish table - wipe mats/change cloth - don't forget the legs and places where sticky fingers can reach.
Throw away your manky dish cloth or sponge and replace with a new one!  Put out a new hand towel and a new tea towel too
Pop a jug of water in the fridge to chill for refreshing drinks if you have room.  I keep my water bottle (one of those metal flasks) in there once it's clean so I can take a chilled drink with me to bed


Level 2
Wipe down all cupboard and drawer fronts inside and out, 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; update shopping list as appropriate, wash shelves etc and check running temperature - make sure air can circulate so food stays cool - and safe 
Dust dining area/room


Level 3

Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Clean window and sill
replace fly trap stickers if you use them

EXTRAS

HHI 
S&S bathroom 
Check smoke alarms are all fully operational - contact local fire station and they will send a hunky fireman expert  Check CO (carbon monoxide) alarm too
Month end imminent - get financial spreadsheets (and any other planning spreadsheets) up to date.  
Do you need any birthday/greetings cards for July? - make a list... (we get July off in our family!)
And get that boiler service/chimney sweep booked in.  

Tuesday -  The Lounge, Hallway, stairs and landing

Level 1
Deal with cut flowers and pot plants - top up water/wipe leaves/remove drooping or dead blooms.  Why not treat your pot plants to a shower?
Empty bins/ashtrays
Clear gibble
Plump and straighten cushions
Wipe sofas with leather wipes or vacuum - look for all those dust-catching crevices.  Lift seat cushions if you can and vacuum underneath
Wipe/dust coffee tables and leave tidy
Wipe sticky coasters

Level 2
Clean windows and mirrors 
Vacuum floors - and use an edging tool to get into all the nooks and crannies - and stairs!
Clean doormats
Dust/wipe electricals - use a just-damp cloth.  Don't forget the remote controllers!

Level 3
Dust all round - don't forget sills, skirting boards, tops of curtain rails and/or battens and top and frame of door.
Wipe door handles, banisters, light switches and sockets - and the bits of the door where people hold to close it.
Check for cobwebs and eliminate!
Clean lightshades and lampshades; check all lighting is functioning as it should 
Wipe lightbulbs (if cold)
Dust pictures/paintings on walls - and dust behind them too!
Stand in the doorway and look back into the room - is it clean?

Extras
S&s kitchen
s&s bathroom
HHI
Check smoke alarm batteries...beginning of the month!

Wipy Wednesday
Bathrooms, cloak rooms and en suites

Level 1
Open window
Remove towels and bathmats and fling in WM
Scrub loo inside and out, glug some bleach round bowl

Level 2
Clean out baths and/or showers
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins

Level 3
sweep and mop or vacuum floor as appropriate
clean windows
shine mirrors and shower screens
dust and polish where necessary

Extras
Allocate any children at home a task (shoe polishing perhaps - see below)
HHI
S&S kitchen
Check shoes - throw, resole.reheel; polish; donate

Thursday chores… it’s a little bit cooler so let’s play catch pik’n’mix …pick and choose…no rooms just jobs

the selection:

Clean as many windows as you like
Vacuum all carpeted floors downstairs
Vacuum all carpeted floors upstairs
Sweep hard floors then mop
Get a winter coat or two washed and on the line
S&S bathroom
S&S kitchen
bleach plugholes, overflows and toilets
Can any doormats be washed?
If you use a mop & bucket use the dirty water to rinse out a dustbin, if it’s empty
15 minutes in the garden dead heading roses/pansies/petunias etc will get you a second flowering
Waggle a duster on a stick into corners and round coving
Check fruit bowl - we don’t want fruit flies
Wipe door handles, light switches and banister rails
Straighten rooms 
Bin bag dance

Friday finale

Blooming boudoir

Strip bed and leave to air

Flip mattress

let the dust settle…

re make bed

dust all round … don’t forget vertical surfaces too and bedhead
Wipe all lotions and potions
Vacuum 

if you did window yesterday you’re off the hook today!

Narc0lepsy

thanks for thread.
Fayolle thank you for thinking of me. I'm fine, just trying to work out an effective lifestyle around the heat!! 
I have been lurking of late so congrats, commiserations and welcome just about covers all the things I haven't got round to commenting on...........

Flying is basic and sporadic, but happens.       Still trying to do some gardening an hour or so before my usual getting out of bed time to avoid the heat - means I can flake out with a book in the coolest place I can find without feeling quite so guilty.  Lots of young birds, dragonflies, newts etc to watch in my garden.
My study is still the room of doom and not fully converted to a retirement hobby room, although I'm still intermittently trying. The second RoD is the garage, which still contains a lot of Mum's photo albums and the china I adopted but all still needs sorting.

This week will also be off piste as most of it is planned:
Monday: go to Mr N's gym with him as we are taking friends to lunch immediately afterwards.  I've got 3 webinars to catch up on so I've gathered together laptop, passwords, location of webinar recordings and notebook so I can skulk in the cafe while he's in the gym. That will be several things off my to-do list.       In the afternoon I need to start preparing for the couple of days away with friends we have Wed-Fri.   Evening is zumba. In between that lot there will be watering and whatever flying I can manage.
Tuesday starts with gym swim then straight to voluntary work till 4pm.   IF, and it is a big if, I feel I'm packed and ready for hol on Wed, I will allow myself to do a lake swim after work.      There will be much consulting of the weather forecast to decide whether there is heat to be beaten i.e. do we need to leave early on Wed am for a 3ish hour journey. 

Have a good week all and take care in the heat. 

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

I'm up, made my bed,  taken my meds,  turned over the calendars,  completed Strands with no hints, completed Wordle in six eeek, only managed two lines on Connections,  and I've supped a brew. 

I'm meeting L for brunch at the posh farm shop cafe this morning. Swapped it from the afternoon tea and cake originally planned when I saw the forecast. 

I'll feed the birds, refill the bird bath  and hedgehog's dish, and put out the recycling. WUDUPA can wait until the sun is off the kitchen window. 

Stay hydrated. Take care.
Rxx

kazwookie

Wm is on

Bed stripped and remade

Large bin back, been emptied, left half way down the road.

Cats fed, they have wandered off.

Blood test day, I'll turn up, let them get on with it, fingers cross they get the results correct this time!!!!

Fayolle

Morning all,
Wm is twirling the towels. Obviously now I have found the new ones that I have bought for the utility room and thought that I had already washed…
I have no plans for the day, which is making me restless. I know that my tax return is waiting, but funnily enough it isn’t calling loud enough for me to take notice. It is forecast to be way too hot to make an allotment visit both sensible or productive. I have the last seam to sew on my dressmaking toile, so I may rouse myself to do that once the sun has moved off the back of the house.

As I hate to disappoint you, I will unsurprisingly be taking the easy way out of today’s thread. Unless I am seized by an urge of hot weather flying. Stranger things have, of course, happened.

MinnieMousesMummy

Morning, I'm still feeling rather groggy with this cold/flu bug. 

My list for today
Get the kids to school
Go to the stables - sort out the field, turn the horse out to the field. 
Do paid stuff
Look into activities to do whilst on holiday in a couple of weeks
Go to the post office and post documents
Revise for tomorrow's exam (Higher English tomorrow)
Delete 50 emails from personal inbox
Go to DS's leaving concert at school, he finishes primary school this week. 
Laundry x 1 (towels)
Take the dog for a walk
Take DD to the yard to deal with the horse
Check banking as a lot of D/D are due out tomorrow
Remind DH to have a look at my car and book the MOT

I think that's everything I need to tackle today. I hope everyone has a lovely Monday/week. Hugs to those who want/need them. 

Pollybear

Morning all.   I have dusted, polished and vacuumed through downstairs and washed the kitchen floor.  There, that's the flying out of the way.    Had toothache all weekend, the tooth I had filled a year ago which has been grumbling ever since even though an xray in March showed nothing.   Got an appointment for tomorrow morning and I'm hoping they will agree to take it out.  It's right at the back and so it shouldn't show and I'm tired of it nagging at me.   Nagging I could cope with but full on toothache is too much.

We've been out for a walk and then had coffee and got some more fruit etc.   Getting very hot now.  My washing has all dried.   Mind you it's been on the line since 4am.   The tooth woke me up at 2.30, presumably when the painkillers wore off.....

HelenaPinky

Hi everyone, what a warm one today. My kitchen is the hottest room in the house so I've mostly stayed out of it today except to pack and unpack the dishwasher, fold the washing and swipe the surfaces. 
WM on this morning and hung out before work (worked from home today, rare for a Monday but 5th floor office gets v v hot so I swapped a day).

I mostly sheltered in the coolest room but after work I did a five minute (with a timer) tidy and vacuum in each of: porch, landing (bannister is flat and wide so becomes a hotspot), DD room, my bedroom and lounge. Swipe in bathroom sink. 
Brought washing in but that's me done and sat in front of fan for a bit as the decking is scorching underfoot. 

HP
Edited to add: Wordle in 5 and it's the first time (or maybe second) I've done it since my Dad died 18 months ago. He was the only other person I knew who did it so this is the first time I've compared scores with anyone - thanks!

Valli

I'm very impressed that people have actually flown - far too hot, though I have dried towels on the line and emptied the DW.

YORKSHIRELASS

I have run the cordless hoover around downstairs and done a load of washing.  DS is here with a lot of "stuff" so it's pointless trying to Fly properly until he leaves, plus it's been a tad warm.

The paid stuff is still quiet, I am making the most of it.  

ionafan

Today I have
- done WMx5 and (unsurprisingly) got it all dry outside
- watered all the outside pots
- been to see our NNDN to thank her for watering our pots while we were on holiday, only to find that she hadn't realised we were away!
- sent holiday snaps to DH's cousin, in retaliation return for her sending some to us
- dealt with other emails
- kept opening or closing curtains, blinds and windows on the different sides of the house, depending on where the sun was, in an effort to keep the place cool.  It worked to some extent, but it really has been twot for me and Rosie, and I spent most of the afternoon asleep because I had absolutely no energy to do anything else.

Tomorrow we are going to a funeral in the city where we used to live.  We had intended to go by train, but now I think we shall do better in the air-conditioned car.  Rosie's dogwalker L has kindly said she will look after Rosie all day at her house.  L has a house rabbit which has its own dog-proof bedroom - Bunny loves all dogs and Rosie loves Bunny so both of them will be happy.

Keep cool if you can xxx