Weekly Flylady Thread 7th July 2025

Natty68

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

Ok here goes this week!

Mysterious Monday ~ Bathroom, Hall, Stairs and Study/PC Area
Level One...
DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS
Open windows to let in air
Wash and replace towels/flannels/bath mats with clean ones
Clean cobwebs
Level Two..
Clean bath/shower/sink and toilet - Don't forget to give those taps an extra shine!
Throw away any empty bottles
Straighten computer desk
Delete 50 emails..
Level Three...
Wash/vacuum floor
Clean window
Clean the windowsills
Clean medicine cabinet - throw away out of date medicines.
Put away any stray items in the hall and stairs - do you really need all that stuff cluttering up the stairs and hall/landing!!!
Extras..

• Wipe skirting boards up the stairs
• Check supplies of paper/printer cartridges/stamps and envelopes
• Throw away any pens that don't work
• Clean fingerprints off light switches and doors.

Twinkling Tuesday ~ Master bedroom and Landing
Level One..
Fling open windows to let air in especially as it's been hot and the room will be stuffy.
DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS
Clean Cobwebs
Check firealarms are working, change battery if necessary.
Remove and wash bed linen and duvet covers
Level Two..
Vacuum & turn mattress before replacing with fresh linen..
Clean under the bed
Polish furniture
Level Three...
Straighten/sort through make up
Throw away any empty/out of date bottles
Clean glass and mirrors - make them twinkle
15 minutes floordrobe clearance
Clear a hotspot ~ or spend 15 minutes clearing one.
Add a personal touch - flowers in a vase on a dresser, pretty bowl etc..
Extras:

• 36 fling boogie, go on grab a bag and clear that clutter
• HHI
• Clean windows in these rooms
• Clean light switch of hand prints or smudges
• Clean main light and any lampshades
• Clear the top of a bedside cupboard/chest of drawers or shelf

Wacky Wednesday ~ Those frightening kids rooms and spare rooms
Level One..
Open windows to air room
DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS
Clean cobwebs
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Straighten toy shelves
Level Two..
Polish furniture
Vacuum the floor
Dusting.. all those shelves and flat fluffy surfaces!! Don’t forget the light shade and curtain pole!!!
Strip beds, turn and vacuum mattresses!! and replace with fresh linen .. check if duvets need freshening up too!! Wash the curtains!
Level Three...
Sort out outgrown clothes and give to charity/neighbours/younger children.
Put away stray items
Clean fingerprints off light switches/doors/walls
Clean under the bed - I know it's scary but it does have to be done. You could even delegate to a little pink if you don't fancy doing it yourself.
Extras

• Clean windows
• Clean/scrub bath toys
• Wipe the radiators, skirtings and window & door frames!
• HHI
• Rearrange videos/games/books

Tantalising Thursday ~ Dining Room and Entance/Porch
Level One..
Open windows and let air in
Clean cobwebs
Dust windowsills and front door
Throw away any newspapers/magazines that aren't needed.
Level Two..
Put plants in shower & give them a good rinse. Remember to put them back before everyone has a shower in the morning - it might be a bit unnerving having to shower with a plant!!!
Clean and dust shiny things/mirror and glass
Clean lightswitches of hand prints or smudges
Level Three...
Move furniture, if safe to do so, and hoover underdeath
Clean and straighten any drawer
Add a personal touch to the table - pretty tablecloth, vase of summer flowers!!
Clean TV, other electricals and cabinets
Clean under sofa/chair cushions - lets see if you can find any money or even anything that you have lost recently 
Wipe down light fixtures - make those bulbs shine at night!
Extras

• Refill bird feeders
• DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS
• Throw away any dead plants
• HHI
• Binbag dance - Get a binbag... fill it and bin it!!
• Wash any cushions, throws etc that need it..

Flying Friday ~ Kitchen
Level One..
Open windows, let the air and blow those cobwebs away..
Wash knick-knacks/canisters
Mop/brush floor
Level Two..
Clean sink and draining board
Clean microwave inside and out
Empty fridge, clean shelves and doors and move any nearly out of date stuff to front to use up next.
Empty and clean rubbish bin
Level Three...
Clean under sink - throw away any manky looking bottles/rags etc..
Straighten drawers/cupboards
Clean fan/vent/hood filters
Clean pet dishes
Clean cupboard door fronts and fronts of appliances .. don't forget those kick boards..(only a few at a time!)
Extras

• DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS
• Check the smoke alarm - when was the last time you replaced the battery?
• Clean the hob
• Wipe down any tiles and shine those taps - make them twinkle!!
• 29 fling boogie - GO!!
• Buy yourself some flowers from the shop.. your reward for making the kitchen shine!

Jazee

Thanks Natty.  I will try my best this week. Just hoovering and dailies done today.

ionafan

Thanks Natty.  I hope you are making a good recovery xx

Not much flying done today.  Instead, a lot of ancestor-chasing - not mine this time, but a good friend's brother asked for help.

I think I forgot to say yesterday that I had dropped off 2 bags of unwanted items at the CS, and today I took some NT magazines to church and put them in the book swap box (I know there is somebody in the congregation who enjoys them, because she told me so!)

DH is supposed to be tidying his man-cave this evening, to make room for the computer man to come and collect his behemoth of a computer tomorrow and copy all the info over to one in a smaller case.  I'd better go and see how he's getting on before I go to bed.

Hope everyone has a good week - not too hot/cold/wet/dry xxx

Valli

study??!

Air in Valliland is blue…

And I’ve been working on it today but it is the departure lounge for a lot of stuff and i’m currently boarding flight to CS…2 ‘aircraft’, RCN archive (awaiting news from control tower), old moo cow (awaiting passport) and ebay…which, by the ways it is going Ryanair are dealing with.  In 1st class lounge, and inno hurry to depart, is a bag for sis.  There’s also lost luggage…ie stuff that has been hanging around for a while

argh

DD did bathroom today so that’s something. 

Narc0lepsy

Really need to get a wiggle on this week.     Had a good few days away last week and have hols coming up in a fortnight with a visit to Mum in between.

Jazee

Morning all.

Wordle in four, one line on connections, strands with no hints.

About to prep house ready for arrival of DD and kiddies later.  After I've had my shower I'll walk Poppet and see if there's time for flying.

Have a great day everyone.

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

I got up at 5.55 am. Its a lovely morning. I've made my bed,  washed towels/ tea towels and pegged them out, completed Strands with no hints,  completed Wordle in five, only managed one line in Connections, turned over the calendars,  taken my meds,  eaten breakfast and I'm supping Brew 2. 

Wonderfully fresh outside. Plans today include visiting Mr Al, and a physio appointment on the phone (?) at 10.10am. 

Love to all.
Rxx

kazwookie

Thank you for the thread

2 x wm out on whirly double pegge, windy here.

Bins done, one bin soaking in bleach, it stinks

Floors washed

Carpets hoovered

Loads of other small boring stuff done

Bed changed

OH gone to gym as it seems the hoover is making too much noise.

We have bil plus one for the weekend, so OH needs to sort out the spare bedroom as it is his dumping ground, once sorted I can clean it. I've told him not to leave it to the last minute, I've been told it will be done this, afternoon. watch this post.

Walking is on target for week 1 and my 1 million step event.

MinnieMousesMummy

Good morning, a slightly later post from me this morning, as I decided to have a lazy morning.

It's nice and sunny here today, although a little windy, but I think I'll sit in the patio area and do some of my list today

My list for today
Put the bins out for collection
Go over to the stables and check on the horse
Do paid stuff
Check banking and update d/d's
Phone the farrier regarding getting the horse's feet checked
Add receipts from yesterday to the account so I get loyalty points
HH sorting out coursework as I have small piles in various locations which need to be sorted out, filed and stored away
Wipe down the kitchen surfaces
Make packing lists for next week, as we go on a holiday next Monday for a week
Sweep the kitchen floor
Cobweb dust downstairs
Pop to the country store as I need to get a couple of things that I forgot last week
Order embroidered school uniform so I get it in time for August
Bring the bins back in once they have been emptied
Take DD to the stables so she can ride her horse and do the required tasks whilst there. 

I think that's everything I need to get done today. I hope everyone has a lovely Monday. 

ionafan

Morning (just) all.

This morning I have been bossing DH about, to carve a pathway through his man-cave.  I did help him by picking things up off the floor (which he finds very difficult) and carrying bags of rubbish out to the bin or recycling.  You wouldn't believe the things I've found...  We had cleared a way through just as the computer man arrived to pick up the behemoth.  Apparently the new one is not going to be much smaller, and DH says he has also ordered a larger monitor  - what a waste of £££ !  The floor has not been cleaned yet, so that will be another job for me tomorrow.  

Part of making the clearway also involved me chopping back the perennial sweet peas and various other plants that were overgrowing the front path, so that's looking a bit tidier.

Meanwhile I have also washed DH's better winter jacket and a separate load consisting of my trainers, scarves and woolly hat.  I didn't even shower earlier - just threw on yesterday's clothes - so will do that as soon as Rosie has gone out for her walk with L, who is running late today.  Then I can wash the clothes I'm wearing, as well as what's in my clothes bin.  DH prefers me to wash his things on a Tuesday, as that's the day he changes his PJs; it's also the day he goes to SW, so there must be some sort of logic behind his stubbornness!

xxx

Fayolle

Afternoon all,
Thank you for the lists.
I lost yesterday to some sort of 24 hour bug. DH also felt rough but as we hadn’t eaten the same food (apart from a cheese sandwich for Saturday lunch), I am ruling out something dodgy when we went out on Friday or Saturday. DH obviously still feels rough, much worse than I ever could, and is being generally pathetic. I have sent him back to bed so that I don’t have to look at his patheticness. I’m not known for my sympathetic approach to nursing…
I got out of the house first thing to the allotment, reckoning that the fresh air would do me good.  Dug half a row of potatoes and picked some courgettes. Towels have been washed and yesterday’s load that didn’t get done is now swirling. Recycling has been collected, bins retrieved, and the garden waste bin filled for tomorrow. Other flying will be put on hold as it disturbs DH 🤬.