Weekly Flylady Thread 27th 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!

Seeing as many of our children have half term this week I want little (and not so little!!) people helping!.. rewards listed..

Monday Mayhem ~ Living Room, Hall and 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.
• Binbag dance.. Get a binbag.. fill it and bin it!!!
• Ring someone you love, just to tell them you love them!!

Tremendous Tuesday ~ the Land of Spare Oom and the Kids Room of Doom!!
Level One
Clear the floor of clutter.. books on shelves.. toys in chests... Reward - 15-30 minutes on the pc/gameboy/Wii/PS whatever... you choose...;)
Level Two...
Change the bed sheets.. and the duvet cover if it needs it.
Dust the shelves. cupboards, light fittings etc
Wipe the paintwork.. skirtings door frames etc ... Reward - you choose a treat for later in the week.. a day out or trip to the cinema, a new book or magazine for example.. not too huge though as mummies are counting their pennies!
Level Three
Wash the windows
Find a bag of things you no longer need.. old toys, worn out clothes or things that you have got too big for!
Have a carrier bag each and fill it with rubbish.. see who can do it the fastest!!Reward - you get to choose what to have for dinner tonight..not a takeaway unless mummy says ok 

Extras!!! - 'cos I know you did all that lot super-duper fast!

• Take all the dirty laundry down to the basket
• Finish any homework ready for back to school next week!
• Clean out any pets that are a bit pongy!
• One for mum... or older offspring.. HHI...

• Bake a cake ready for Halloween/Samhain on Friday..

Wacky Wednesday - Kitchen and 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!!
Extras..
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.

Tantalising Thursday - Master Bedroom & 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!

~ 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 9th November.    You know the drill!!!!   

I will be sending out the card list on 11th November 2025 as you need to get them in the post by the 9th December so that everyone gets their cards in time for Christmas.

Natty68

Just read through last weeks thread, can those in the know please explain what the "sort receipe challenge" is? I am definitely interested in joining.. Plus it also means I'm accountable to post that way, and you all know how much I "love" to post at the moment...lol :P

weenancyinAmerica

Round - glad to hear Joey is doing better. Sounds like you and I have the same problems, high IQ but ADHD and autism symptoms too. One of my roommates has the autism and ADHD too. Plus her parents never made her do any chores so she doesn't do house cleaning - period. Makes it miserable around here for cleaning. I did manage to do the dishes, put water in the pool by turning on and off the water (sometimes I forget the turnoff part till almost too late), get my school homework done (taking Excel), and get a grocery list ready. I still have to go to the store, get the agenda ready for a meeting I am chairing tomorrow, and work on the guidebook for the group. That will be all the Flying I can get done today (except I have to do the dishes before we go to bed).

Narc0lepsy

Natty68 said:

Just read through last weeks thread, can those in the know please explain what the "sort receipe challenge" is? I am definitely interested in joining.. Plus it also means I'm accountable to post that way, and you all know how much I "love" to post at the moment...lol :P

A couple/several of us admitted to having lots of recipes scattered about on scraps of paper/between several books/handwritten almost obliterated with ingredients.................. so we are trying to improve matters.  I admit I haven't got all that far although my current attack on the situation is going through my large collection of Mr T magazines, from which I get a lot  of recipes, and cutting out those I will use hence saving space by recycling the rest of the magazine (space for more magazines?).

Not much in the way of flying to report today.
Sunny so  walked to church, remembering the milk (I was on refreshments duty).  That always racks up a nice lot of steps as it's just under half an hour depending how fast I walk.
Made a blackberry & apple crumble to take to the friend for an evening of opera video; he provides soup, rolls and coffee; I provided crumble and the overnight chocolate meringue thingies which I now put into small petit four cases and freeze as soon as I've made them (so I don't binge on them).
Did a bit more work on Wednesday's training presentation.
Various emails to friends.

Thanks for new lists.

ionafan

FLYLADY SECRET SANTA

If anyone else would like to join in, please PM me as soon as possible
but not later than midnight on Sunday 9th November
(deadline brought forward to allow for extra time to post second class).
Thank you

ionafan

Thank you for the new thread, Natty - and thanks for the prompt to water my houseplants.  I always forget what a difference the CH makes in drying out the plants quickly (but I can't survive without the extra warmth now).

I haven't done much today,  except that I have distributed the posters to various people at church, to display in their front windows, and also finished knitting another little snowman.  I'd love to get everything back in my bedroom, but the old bed is blocking the wardrobe and chest of drawers.  Here's hoping it will be collected on Friday.

Hope that everyone has a good week, especially if you've got children or grandchildren off school.  I shall be using W as an extra pair of hands for making Christmas cookies on Saturday!

xxx

roundtuit

weenancyinAmerica said:

Round - glad to hear Joey is doing better. Sounds like you and I have the same problems, high IQ but ADHD and autism symptoms too. One of my roommates has the autism and ADHD too. Plus her parents never made her do any chores so she doesn't do house cleaning - period. Makes it miserable around here for cleaning. 

Thank you weenancy. 😘 And there's another 💡 and piece to the jigsaw puzzle. I was never allowed to do chores as I didn't do anything properly. Can you believe I used to beg to be allowed to iron 🤣. I was allowed to make a cake. Once! My bedroom used to magically clean itself- and anything that Mum didn't like would disappear (cue hoarding tendencies?)

When I moved out into my own flat I had to teach myself I guess. Never struck a match before - coal fire, it was January. I learned. I bought sausages and had to ask my neighbour how to cook them. No Google in those days. 

And so. At the grand old age of 65 I'm preparing to cook my first ever Christmas Dinner- DS and DDil have been invited. I've only cooked a roast Sunday lunch once - that was Easter Sunday, this year. 

So. Flying does not come naturally to me. Because I can't do it perfectly I'll avoid doing it at all. I'm learning that progress is good, perfection is not required. And I now have floor in every room. People laugh. But it's a thing!

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 five, completed Connections with two lives lost,  and I'm supping my first brew.

Have a good week. 
Rxx

Honey_Bear

Morning all.  Thanks for the threads Natty and Valli.

Natty, the Recipe Collection Challenge is my limp way of trying to end one area of chaos I'm permanently troubled by.  A couple of Flyldaides psoted about having endless piles of recipes and I realised I've got them scattered in various places and that if I Indexed them I'd have a chance of finding the one I want when I want it.  I said I'd Index my collection by the end of October but there's zero chance of that happening as I'm drowning here, so I've extended my deadline to the end of November.  It keeps me accountable if I make it a public challenge.  Narco is making progress, but as yet I'm not.  You're welcome to join in any time you want, and how you do it might give the rest of us some ideas about how we might be able to do it too, hence making posts.  For me, Indexing, for Narco, it's filleting her T3$c0 magazine collection.  

So far today I have started Operation Defrost the Freezer.  We have a few days when there's supposed to be no rain so I've wrapped all the freezer drawers in microfibre blankets and they're sitting on the sundeck, put the rest of the food in coolbags/boxes and put a washing up bowl of boiling water on the top shelf.  The freezer made the mistake of clanking while I was making the tea so it needs to be done.  

Off to see our carpet chap this morning as we have a patch of bald carpet on the stairs and that needs dealing with before it spreads.

Watched the final three episodes of Riot Women last night.  We're pretty sure there will be more than one series.  Brilliant stuff.

Fayolle

Morning all,
Thank you for the threads ladies.
Natty, my recipe collections - books, torn out recipes, magazines, scribbled down recipes, and don’t start me on the bookmarked ones on t'internet - have threatened to take over complete rooms. This year I vowed to get the recipe book part under control, which has meant that a couple (not enough) have left for the cs. 2 boxes of magazines have left the house. This is all very well, but the real issue are the folders and piles of torn out recipes. So now I have started to cull those. Like the others said, indexing will be key, so yesterday I started on 1 folder and grouped the recipes. Small steps but it’s a start. I have, however, committed the decluttering sin of finding a second lever arch file to store the final collection in, rather than culling to fit the one file. If I can get to 2 sorted files, it will be a massive step forward.
Today I have been enlisted to start on Operation Switch DD’s Room Around. This will take some time, not least because it will be worked around her other commitments. The challenge for me will be turning a blind eye to the inevitable clutter, and then hoping that everything turned out will end up with a home, along with all the Stuff that is currently languishing in the spare room. I will be in charge of removing spiders and cobwebs, especially from behind the wardrobe! 

roundtuit

I'm dressed.

I've fed the birds and put out the recycling.

I've phoned to order my repeat prescription.

I've phoned to book my car in for it's MOT next month.

I've taxed my car.

Rxx

Valli

well...

I've got a lot on this week.  Rashly agreed to the rescheduling of my hospital appointment to today which meant I COMPLETELY forgot I had booked the new Vallimobile in for its MOT; anyway, got there, but mine had to be done later, so walked round to Mr M where I had coffee, then a toastie and a free refill.  Car passed with flying colours.  I've got something on every day bar Friday.  Wednesday both the cat and I are having jabs; tomorrow I'm at a funeral and Thursday I'm visiting my friend.  I also want to transfer my organisng spreadsheets from my work laptop to my personal mac.  

Also stepdad has gone to stay with one his grandchildren so I've to go and feed his cat.  

Thanks for the new thread anyhoo