Weekly Flylady Thread 4th August 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!

Monday Marvels ~ Kitchen and Dining Room
Level One...
Clear and wipe kitchen surfaces
Level Two...
Sweep and mop floors
Sort & clean the fridge
Wipe dining table..put a nice vase of flowers on it to make it look pretty!!!
Level Three...
Dust any extra furniture in dining area, checking for cobwebs on way round.
Wipe all your small appliances..toaster, kettle etc..
Wipe & declutter all the windows sills in these areas!!
Clean cupboard door fronts and fronts of appliances .. don't forget those kick boards..
Wipe door handles..
Check those washing machine filters and drawers for ickiness!! Tumble dryer, cooker hood and dishwasher filters need to be done too!!

Extra Mission : help yourself

• Wipe down the hob and oven, go on you know you want to!!!!
• Wipe down any tiles and shine those taps.. a toothbrush is great for cleaning away the gunk!
• 32 fling boogie..
• GO! buy yourself a treat.. you deserve it!
• Empty the bin.. wash it out.. and make it smell SWEET

Tuesday bluesday ~ Living Room, Hall and Stairs
Level One...
Vacuum through the living room, hall and stairs
Level Two...
Dusting, even if around everything
Remove clutter making sure stairs especially are safe
Clean windows and all glass.. including the tv screen
Clear the mantel and only put back the items which are supposed to be there.. and that doesn't include letters, keys or other treasure!
Level Three...
Open a drawer.. sort the junk within!
15 minutes sort of the junk on the landing!
Vacuum under furniture you can manage to move without hurting yourself
Extra Mission: Pick one or more of the following tasks –

• Name all the school garments!!
• Wipe down any paintwork that needs it.
• Binbag dance.. Get a binbag.. fill it and bin it!!!
• Wash any cushions, throws or curtains that need it

Wednesday warts ~ Bathroom and Study/Pc Area
Level One...
Clean floors in these rooms
Level Two...
Clean baths, toilets, don't forget the outside! and sinks.. shine the taps with a toothbrush
Clear any clutter from desk
Polish the monitor drag out the pc case and dust the top and back!
Wipe keyboard, house phone, sockets, switches and mouse etc
Level Three...
Wash your bathroom mats, nets, clean blind/curtains etc
Wipe down tiles in bathroom.. defragment your pc while doing this.
Empty and clean out all the upstairs bins!
Clean shower screen/curtain if you have one/if required
Pull out the pc desk and clean BEHIND AND UNDER it!!!!!!
Extra mission: Take your pick!

• Wipe the skirtings, door and window frames in these rooms
• Fling all those empty bottles and tubes
• replace any sponges, flannels, toiletries that need it
• Clean the outside of all cupboards in the bathroom

Thursday Throwout!!- Master Bedroom & Landing
Level One...
Check fire alarms are working..(I only found out mine was a wired fire alarm not that long ago, didn't even know you could get them like that. You learn something new every day )
Remove and wash bed linen and duvet covers.
Fling open the window and let in the rain/sunnyness
Level Two...
Dust surfaces & make sure no cobwebs..
Vacuum & turn mattress before replacing with fresh linen..
Air the duvet
15 minutes floordrobe clearance
Level Three...
Vacuum floors in bedroom and on landing
Sort through a cupboard and fling everything that is dead
Clear a hotspot.. or spend 15 minutes clearing one.
Extra tasks list, as usual choose one or more

• 32 fling boogie time, go on grab a bag and clear that clutter
• Clean all paintwork on the landing
• Clean windows in these rooms
• Clear out your spare linen.. all those holey sheets, manky duvet covers and stained pillow cases.. FLING!!

Friday Frenzy ~ those frightening kids rooms and spare rooms
Level One...
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Make an appointment for some ME-time.. hairdressers? manicure? night out with friends? .. whatever just do it!
Level Two..
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!!
Level Three....
Clean 2 windows
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

• Find 5 things to ebay/freecycle
• Wipe the radiators, skirtings and window & door frames!
• Binbag dance!!! grab a binbag and fill it with stuff to leave the house.. rubbish or charity shop or to donate to a friend!

Jazee

Thanks for the list.  I'll most likely be flying on Tuesday.  I'm back to work tomorrow plus family are visiting.

ionafan

Thank you Natty.  I shall fly intermittently this week - I've realised just how much unfinished decluttering I've been putting off since we came back from holiday, as well as other unresolved jobs, and the timewasting needs to stop right now!

Happy birthday to MrN.  I'm very sorry to hear about your BD, Narc0, and I  sympathise with you regarding shoulder pain - only being able to use one arm is so frustrating.

Yesterday morning I made chocolate brownies and scones for the first time for weeks, to take with us on our picnic.  K, W and M all enjoyed them very much.  I was careful about eating only the smallest scone, but then I blew it with the brownies: reawakening my sugar addiction was clearly a mistake, as I ate two.  I've given the rest of the scones to K, and the remaining brownies are carefully boxed up and out of sight in the freezer.  J the gardener is due here on Tuesday and will probably eat at least 2 of them for me

I cluttered the house up this morning by buying something off the bric-a-brac stall that the Mothers' Union ladies had set up at church.  I had vowed not to buy anything, but a single soup/pasta bowl with a  painted  flower design in my favourite colours caught my eye, and as now I only have 5 plain white ones due to a breakage, I thought it not unreasonable to make up the six and use the flowery one myself. 

I'd better do some meal planning before I forget.

Hope everyone has a good week xxx

Valli

DW and WM locked and loaded.  WUALTD too, and did HHI.  Had washing out today because we didn’t get the forecast rain.  Sewn up the baby jacket I knitted, just needs buttons now, and picked up the WIP I abandoned to knit the baby jacket.  Read pattern and my notes about 3 times to reacquaint myself with where I was.   I’ve now finished the left side, having split for the neck and have started the right side, it’s actually almost finished really, as the jumper is short sleeved.  Have promised DD i’ll do the kitchen floor tomorrow, in truth the bathroom and kitchen are ready for a clean and the laundry basket is full.  So thanks for the list Natty…there every chance it’ll get completed!

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

I'm up, made my bed, taken my meds, turned over the calendars, got weighed,  and supped a brew. 

I got the towels and tea towels pegged out and dried yesterday as the forecast rain didn't arrive here either. Its mizzling this morning. Rain before 7, fine before 11? 🤷‍♀️

The man is coming to service the gas boiler some time this morning. P & S are calling for coffee. And this afternoon J is bringing Katie budgie over to stay for a couple days while J decorates. In between I need to get the dailies done, and visit Mr Al. 

Have a good week.
Rxx

Fayolle

Morning all,
Thank you for the lists x I love it when level 1 is a one liner, as it gives me a higher chance of achievement, given my current level of slothdom and general cba-ness.
Towels are in the wm. I am ignoring any forecast of rain, as it seems to skirt around us. Let’s see how wrong I can be.
I need to meal plan, as it is all getting a bit random. There needs to be a serious spinach / chard meal in the mix. The beans got their turn last night. The freezer is full - ooh must get the bag of flour out that I put in there yesterday.
I hope Katie the Budgie enjoys her short break at her luxury hideaway.
Have a good day all x

roundtuit

Im showered and dressed. Fed the birds. Written my shopping list. Cleared a space for Katie Budgie's cage and dusted said space. 

Raining steadily here. 

Rxx

MinnieMousesMummy

Morning all, 

This morning got off to a fantastic start, as I woke up to an email from the university confirming my place on my PGDE course, despite missing my grade by one mark. 

My list for today
Go over to the stables to feed and check on the horse
Do paid stuff
Check banking and direct debits
Phone the vet to pay the bill from last week
Declutter 50 emails from my inbox
Cobweb dust downstairs
Sort out the diary with academic commitments now, I know what I am doing Work in Progress
Do some more work on decorating DS's bedroom
Clear the clutter from the top of the drawers in the bedroom
HHI
Sort through the drawers in the master bedroom
Take DD over to the horse so she can feed and groom him

I think that is everything that I need to tackle today. I hope everyone has a lovely Monday/week. 

ionafan

Great news MMM 😍. Enjoy your course!

Fayolle, it hadnt sunk into my aged brain that Level 1 was a one-liner, but I have done it, and it has been a delight to tick it off 😜

I need to take my computer back to the shop this morning, as it is having connection problems which are almost certainly the fault of the mains lead “kettle” plug.  DH had no idea what I meant by kettle plug, but the lady engineer at the shop knew exactly what I meant.  Is it an age thing, or is it sexist to suggest that men are unobservant?

Rosie is sulking because of the drizzle, but it’s almost stopped now and L will soon be here to take her out.

See you later, as they say round here,
xxx

eltee2

Morning all

Did a post, then it vanished - doh!  

A BIG stick winging its way to Narc0 and a hug if wanted 

Well done MMM

The plan was going to be 'the usuals, plus at least level 1'  - I hadn't spotted level 1 was a one liner until Fayolle mentioned it 🙃 hurrah!  I might even get to level 2.  After this coffee of course ☕️

El

kazwookie

Found you all    

Don't really know where I am, I think I have been round bit myself in the bum and gone again!. (bascially my laptop died, it is mended now, I never  relised how much I used it for day to day)

So I have cleaned out all the kitchen draws one at a time, dumped the rubbish, paired stuff up, clean the draw and plastic holders etc and put all back, I can find stuff now, and have loads of tea towels etc that had got stuck under things.

Chest of drawers in bedroom also got the same treatment.

All heavy stuff got moved out, hoovered under, skirting boards cleaned and put back

Garden got weeded and lawns cut as well.

Just under half way with my walking, and nearly 40lbs gone as well!! not all due to my walking, area is full of moaning holiday makers, it seems the smell from the horses in the local area is causing them a problem, if you are in the country and there are horses / farm type animals you are going to get certain type of smells.  

(it MUST stay off this time) my bmi is hovering on 'normal'

Thank you for the thread.