Weekly Flylady Thread 3 November 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

PLEASE REMEMBER YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO A COMPLETE LIST EVERY DAY!

Marvellous Monday - Kitchen and Dining Room

Level 1
Open some windows for some fresh air 
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!
Replace what lives there, wiping as you go
Empty bin and clean it out too - put it outside to dry in the sunshine, if you can.
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.
Clean chairs/stools - and don't forget legs and rails!
Check fruit and wash bowl
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

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 
Dust dining area/room
Descale kettle if needed
Clean WM , TD and DW filters; remove WM detergent drawer and wash it out.
Wipe inside of washer drawer and DW door paying particular attention to crevices.  Leaving the door ajar will stop it smelling whiffy - open the detergent drawer, too.

Level 3

Choose a drawer, shelf or cupboard for special attention.  Empty, clean out, replace what is needed or useful and fling what is unused and/or out of date
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows in both rooms.

EXTRAS

HHI
S&S bathroom
Freezer inventory - time to use up what you can - add to meal plan!  If you're cooking however - do an easy freezer meal - eg cottage pie or lasagne so you're covered when your at the kids concert or the carol service.

ionafan

Thank you Valli x 

I will be in as much as possible this week, but it's going to be a busy one.
DH has a minor procedure scheduled for first thing tomorrow - he needs to be at the horse piddle for 7.30.  I shall take him there and come straight back, even though he is likely to be first on the list (the vascular surgeon said that he gets the little jobs out of the way first) because I am expecting my new bed to be delivered.  The big question is, at what time? and, since I haven't had any sort of notification yet, is it actually going to be tomorrow anyway???  I certainly hope so, as I shall have to vacate this room for DGD1+2 on Wednesday for one night, and I don't want to have to sleep on my old mattress on the floor, because I find it extremely hard to get down to and up from ground level!!!

Nice to see you back, MMM x

Hope Poppet was OK with the fireworks this evening, Jazee x
  
Rosie seems to have coped better tonight, though there were some very loud bangs nearby while we were glued to the Strictly results show.  Fortunately we had managed to have a good walk in sunshine this afternoon, with no bird scarers to add to her fears.

I have put a few more things back into my bedroom, pinned up the lining of the one new curtain that I have hemmed so far,  and also sorted my bag for the Knit & Natter on Tuesday.

Have a good week, everyone xxx 

ionafan

***LAST-BUT-ONE REMINDER*** for the 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

Jazee

Thanks for the list.  DH is going to do the freezer inventory.

Morning all.  Hope you're all ok this morning and that DHs procedure goes well Iona.  I got stuck at floor level at the party yesterday which was a little embarrassing so I hope your mattress turns up!

DD is here as usual for Monday with her two today so not a lot of flying will get done.  I need to prepare their stuff, get dressed then drop the car at the garage for MOT and service.  I'll walk back with Poppet who was not bothered by fireworks last night. Yay...

Have a great day everyone.

Honey_Bear

Thanks for the lists Natty and Valli.

Welcome back MMM.

I hope Mr Ionafan's procedure goes smoothly and the antibiotics are doing their wonderous work to heal him.  It's a relief to know I'm not the only one who has trouble getting up off the floor.

Belovéd is helping more around the house so I have hopes that this time my meltdown will produce some longer term results.  I'm not sure it will because we've been here before, albeit without a list of simple idiot proof Do It Please jobs.

The bathroom heated towel rail fell off the wall last night so we need the plumber to come and sort that out this week if he can fit us in because it's part of the central heating system.  

roundtuit

Morning all xx 

I struggled to get up from J's sofa yesterday. I've not sat on it before so didn't realise how low it was! I now know why old people rock backwards to gain momentum to be able to get up. It works! That's me. I am now officially 'old people'. And coincidentally 😉 I'm back to calorie counting 🤣

I'm up, made my bed,  got weighed,  taken my meds, turned over the calendars, changed Joey's seed and water,  completed Strands with one hint, completed Wordle in four, completed Connections with no lives lost, WM is swishing towels and tea towels,  and I'm supping my first brew. 

I'm home alone with Joey today after a lot of peopling over the weekend. Time to recharge my batteries. 🙃

Priorities today are to clean out Joey and to WUDUPA. 

Healing vibes to Mriona. I hope all goes well.

Love to all. Have a good week.
Rxx

Fayolle

Morning all,
Thank you for the lists.
Yesterday I squatted down to pick some chard. Usually I bend over to avoid getting stuck at ground level in public, although I convince myself that I do it for flexibility. Whoops - frame wouldn’t have been strong enough to drag me up, so it was hands on wellies and heave. Trouble was, the wellies were rather covered with mud and matured 💩…
Today, DD and I have a day out in the big town planned, when she surfaces that is. It may per chance involve a trip to the fabric shop. Not that I need any of course, just looking 🙄.
Wm x2 nearly done. It is really warm out but mizzling, so the towels are going to be treated to a turn in the td. Clean washing sorted, the ironing pile that was banished yesterday has been rebuilt.

babs

Hi All, I am jumping back into flying as my house needs overhauling and I have been procrastinating a lot lately! Looking forward to all your chatter! 

Valli

Morning all

Up at sparrow fart to do a half hour stint at the vol job.  Back home now, breakfasted, put the pots DD washed last night away and have WUALTD and am girding my loins to hit the kitchen.

I also want to continue the excellent clearing of the office.  I have a box of surplus Order of service cards from mum's funeral - these can be recycled but first I have offered them on the family whats app to see if anyone wants them.  2 x 'no thank you' so far.  

Connections - 2 lives lost.  Not done wordle yet - I'm stuck.  Strands was easy and I've now discovered pips!

ETS

Welcome Babs

Hope Mr Ionafan is now in recovery and that it went well.

roundtuit

Pots have been WULTD 

My gardener has been and given the grass a last mow before he signs off for the winter.

WM is on a 95° wash with nothing in it. I'm assuming that will clean it to some degree. I thought about putting vinegar or bleach in the drum but decided against it. First do no harm 😉

Welcome babs x

Coffee now. Join me?
Rxx