Weekly Flylady Thread 13th October 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, reparing 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!

Magical Monday - Barnacled Bathroom and Sociable Study/Pc Area - 73 days till Christmas!
Level One...
Clean floors in these rooms (even if it is around the clutter)
Throw away all those empty bottles of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hairspray etc. I know they make the room look pretty but they are just cluttering up the place..!!
Level Two..
Clean baths, toilets and sinks
Remove and bin all those slivers of soap that you have been saving, do you really need them?
Clear any clutter from desk
Dust PC and desk and wipe off those cup rings!!
Wipe keyboard, house phone, sockets, switches and mouse etc
Level Three...
Clear clutter from floor
Wipe down tiles in bathroom.. defragment the pc while doing this (programs.. accessories..system tools.. defragment!.).. if you do the disc cleanup as well, clear all the cookies and temporary files too
Delete 10 links in your favourites which you no longer use or are dead!
Clean shower screen/curtain if you have one/if required
Clean/wash the brushes/dust box/filters on the vacuum cleaner!!!! .. make sure they are completely dry before using it though.. I don’t want anyone electrocuted!!
Change hand towels and flannels
Extra mission:
Pick whichever you want to attempt:

• Wipe the skirtings, door and window frames in these rooms
• Wash your bathroom mats, nets, clean blind/curtains etc
• Grab a binbag and fill it with stuff to leave the house.. rubbish or charity shop or to donate to a friend!
• Clean the radiators in these rooms
• Clean windows, hang up clean nets and draught-proof curtains
• Wipe sticky and dirty marks off the walls and doors.

Tantalising Tuesday ~ Masterful Master Bedroom & Loopy Landing
Level One...
Check fire alarms are working
Remove and wash bed linen.
Level Two...
Dust surfaces & make sure no cobwebs..
Vacuum mattress before replacing with fresh linen.. do you need that winter duvet yet?
15 minutes floordrobe clearance
Level Three....
Vacuum floors in bedroom and on landing
Sort one area of clothes or linen storage making sure only what should be in there is, anything that's had it's day or doesn't belong there is removed
Clear a hotspot., or spend 15 minutes clearing one.
Extra tasks list, as usual choose one or more

• 27 fling boogie time, time for that midweek fling, go on grab a bag and clear that clutter
• Put away those summer clothes from someones cupboard and get out the winter woollies.. Don’t store anything that is past its best! 
• Make a list of things you need to buy!!
• Clean windows in these rooms
• Check house for places where draughts are getting in.. doors, windows etc and see if there are ways to stop it!
• Clean out that airing cupboard!!!!!! get rid of those things you don't need.. use dead towels as cleaning cloths etc.. be ruthless!!!! you REALLY don't need that 'thing' you've saved for 10 years.. 'just in case'

Wishful Wednesday ~ those frightening kids rooms and spare rooms 
Level One...
Vacuum the floor, even if it's just where you can see
Level Two...
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Dusting.. all those shelves and flat fluffy surfaces!! Don’t forget the light shade and curtain pole!!!
Level Three....
Strip beds and replace with fresh linen .. check if duvets need freshening up too!!
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

• Wash a set of curtains, nets, duvet or throw
• Time for the Flylady Fling, in the toy box!!!! aim for 27.. if no toy box you’ll have to choose another area!
• 30 minutes ironing

Tantalising Thursday ~ Kooking Kitchen and Dancing Dining Room
Level One...
Clean floors
Level Two..
Clear and wipe kitchen surfaces
Sort fridge bringing what needs using soon to the front, clean out any spills or grots in there!
Wipe dining table.. (clean table cloth if necessary)
Level Three....
Dust any extra furniture in dining area, checking for cobwebs on way round
Wipe and replace all those small appliances.. kettle, toaster etc
Descale kettle and iron
Clean cupboard door fronts and fronts of appliances .. don't forget those kick boards..
Check those washing machine filters and drawers for ickiness!! Tumble dryer and dishwasher filters need to be done too!!
Extra Mission ~ Choose one or more of:

• Wipe window sills and clean windows in these rooms
• Wipe down any tiles and shine those taps.. a toothbrush is great for cleaning away the gunk!
• Clean oven if you didn't do it last week
• 30 minutes ironing.

Friday ~ Luscious Living Room, Handsome Hall Stupendous Stairs
Level One...
Vacuum floors and sofas
Level Two..
Dusting, even if around everything
Remove clutter making sure stairs especially are safe
Clean TV, other electricals and cabinets
Water any thirsty plants, wipe their poor neglected leaves!!
Level Three....
Wipe light switches, sockets (make sure they are not switched on!!) and banister
Clean any other glass like mirrors, pictures etc
Tidy shoes, coats and bags .. wash any that need washing in preparation for cold weather!! See if there are any that don't fit, past their best or just plain uncomfy which could leave the house!
Put up linings or winter curtains to keep out those draughts.
Extra Mission ~ Pick one or more of the following tasks

• Paperwork clearance.. spend 15 minutes minimum sorting through those piles of paper.
• Vacuum under furniture you can manage to move without hurting yourself
• Clean a window or two.
• Get yourself a bag or box, go around collecting things that are not in the place they should be, then put them back where they should be, or better still give them to their owners to put away themselves
• 30 minutes ironing
• Get those uniforms, games kits, coats and things in the wash which you will need on Monday

FRIDAY EXTRA - Don't forget your ME time this weekend, even if it's just a nice relaxing bath!!! Go on you deserve it

~ Flylady Christmas Card Swap ~

DO NOT POST ANY PERSONAL DETAILS HERE!!!!!!!!!

If you are wanting to take part in this year's Flylady Christmas card swap please PM me your details!! .. MSE name (if you wish to disclose that), MSE user Id.. This is vital or you won't be included.. (just so I know you are really a flylady!!) and address to which you want the cards sending, or pop a quick comment on here to let me know you want to be added.. by midnight 14 November.    You know the drill!!!!   

I will be sending out the card list on 16th November 2025 as I need to get them in the post by the 9th December so that everyone gets their cards in time for Christmas.

ionafan

Thanks for starting the new thread, Natty.  Yes, please add me to the Flylady Christmas Card Swap list - my details are the same now as they were last year xx

Does anyone want to take part in a Flylady Secret Santa this year?  Last year it was touch-and-go whether we would have even the minimum number of people to make it work.  I am mindful that over the past 12 months costs for almost everything have continued to rise sharply, especially postage, and everyone is having to make economies.  However, if you do want to be a Secret Santa please PM me by midnight on Friday 14th November (same deadline as for the Card Swap!), and I shall be very happy to organise it.  

I have a full diary for the coming week, with an outing every day!  I can't imagine how I'm going to fit in everything I want/need to do, but I will make my own list and then make a big effort to get things crossed off it.  Fortunately I can claim a bye on barnacle scraping tomorrow, as that was done on Saturday

Hope everyone has a good, or at least better, week.  GWS wishes to Valli, Pollybear's DH, and anyone else who needs them xxx

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

Natty - please add me to your Flylady Christmas Card Swap list - name and address are the same as last year. And thank you for organising it 😘

It's a misty, murky morning here. I'm up, made my bed, taken my meds, turned over the calendars, changed Joey's seed and water, completed Strands with no hints,  completed Wordle in four, completed Connections with no lives lost,  and I'm supping my first brew. 

Usual Monday plans. P & S will be calling for coffee and a catch up this morning; visit Mr Al this afternoon; if the weather has improved I'll drop in at the car wash on my way to Mr Al; dailies to be done and I have Admin and shredding to do. 

Have a good week.
Rxx

eltee2

Morning all

Weather a bit meh again, the washing will have an extra spin, then hang all folorn-looking for a few hours, followed by a cosy TD.

Rest of today is usuals and the kitchen, plus shopping, HHG and HH sorting clothes for seasonal swapsies.

El

roundtuit

P & S are running late. I've fed the birds, put out the recycling, done the Admin and shredding. Ready for a coffee now but I'll wait for my visitors to arrive.

R xx

Valli

Morning all

early night last night and slept fairly well but I'm still uncomfortable and as I haven't eaten much I don't have lots of energy.

And I need to locate my reading glasses (in their case) and the other key for the old car I'm selling.  I haven't the energy to do a full search so I'll need to be clever and focus on likely areas.  It doesn't help that things are piled up out of the DR.

DW and WM x 1

Pollybear

Morning all (not had lunch yet so it's still morning for me).

Washing done, drizzled on, brought back in and spread round the house.   We went to local town and had a walk and coffee.

DGD1 still full of cold, DS still can't see properly after his cataract operation so he's had to ask GP for a sick note.

It's very worrying for me so goodness knows how he feels.

Hope everyone is OK and that Valli feels better soon x

eltee2

eltee2 said:

Morning all

Weather a bit meh again, the washing will have an extra spin✔️, then hang all folorn-looking for a few hours✔️, followed by a cosy TD✔️.

Rest of today is usuals✔️ and the kitchen✔️, plus shopping✔️, HHG✔️ and HH sorting clothes for seasonal swapsies.

El

When did the 'interesting' whatchamacallit appear? 🤷‍♀️

Anyhoo, kitchen mostly done - floor to be done after tea.  Just having this cuppa, then HH seasonal clothes sorting.

Also, just remembered some computery admin nonsense to sort out.

El

Fayolle

Afternoon all,
Sneaking in at the back after 10 days in sunny France.  I waved at HB on the way back and made sure the cabin was dusted down for her return on possibly the same ferry.
I have returned with a full on cold, so not a lot of sleep and even less motivation to do anything. The lists are piling up, along with the washing. DD joined us in France after her travelling adventures. Thankfully she had managed to get her washing done before flying out, otherwise I would be well and truly swamped. 

Autumn has well and truly arrived while I have been away - so many garden and allotment jobs, but no fun with a drippy nose so will have to wait. Today has been spent at the hospital with DD for a check up. And I have managed to get in a Mr M order for delivery tomorrow.
Eltee - I go away and there is a new button! Must have turned up at the end of last week x
Natty - yes please for the card swap, details all the same as last year x

Pollybear

I keep trying to click on interesting instead of thanks 

roundtuit

Pollybear me too. Didn't even realise until I was trying to work out what eltee was talking about! 

Rxx