Weekly Flylady Thread 1 December 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
Marvellous Monday - Kitchen and Dining Room

Level 1
Open some windows for some fresh air and ventilation - especially bedrooms
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. 
Clear and clean sink and accessories - don't forget those out-of-sight places - under plugs and under draining racks and taps.
Clean/polish table - wipe mats/change cloth
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
Good slug of bleach down plugholes and in overflows
Clean cruet, salt and pepper, wipe any sauce bottles that are used on the table

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 - we don't want any spoiled Christmas Goodies
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 manky crevices

Level 3

Sort out the plastic storage - does everything have a lid?  Need to be ready for those Christmas leftovers!
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
If you haven't already, make a start on Christmas Cards and and December/Early January birthday cards, too 
Update spending/budget spreadsheets/notebooks - we don't want any nasty surprises
Check your emergency prep - ensure phones and power banks are charged, have some UHT milk in the cupboard, make sure torches have batteries and some cash to hand (see Prepper thread for further ideas!)

Terrific Tuesday

Bathrooms, cloak rooms and en suites

Level 1
Open windows - in all rooms to freshen everywhere and while beds air - even if only for 5 minutes
Remove towels and fling in WM 
Scrub Loo inside and out, slug some bleach or descaler down afterwards.  Pay special attention to under the rim.

Level 2
Clean out baths and/or showers
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins including taps - don't forget the out of sight bits!  Use a toothbrush to de-grot crevices

Level 3
sweep and mop or vacuum floor as appropriate
clean windows
polish mirrors
dust and polish where necessary
Chuck any lurking potions that are not being used/are old - empty, rinse and recycle if possible
Clean light pull

Extras

HHI
S&S kitchen
Binbag dance…let’s clear some clutter before the big man drops down the chimney…


Wednesday - hump day
Living room, hall, stairs and landing

Level 1
Open lots of windows and let that fresh air in while beds are airing
Deal with cut flowers and pot plants - top up water/wipe leaves/remove drooping or dead blooms
Wash out vases
Empty bins/ashtrays
Clear gibble
Plump and straighten cushions
Wipe sofas with leather wipes or vacuum - look for all those dust-catching crevices.  Lift seat cushions if you can and vacuum underneath
Wipe/dust coffee tables and leave tidy
Sort newspapers/magazines

Level 2
Clean windows and mirrors 
Vacuum floors - and use an edging tool to get into all the nooks and crannies - and stairs!
Move furniture to vacuum under it if you can.
Clean doormats

Level 3
Dust all round - don't forget sills, skirting boards, tops of curtain rails and/or battens and top and frame of door.
Check for cobwebs and eliminate!
Clean lightshades and lampshades; check all lighting is functioning as it should - vacuum fabric shades; wash glass shades 
Wipe lightbulbs (if cold)
Dust pictures/paintings on walls - and dust behind them too!
Stand in the doorway and look back into the room - is it clean?

Extras
S&s kitchen
s&s bathroom
HHI

Thursday Flight Plan

kids room/spare room/guest room - welcome those xmas guests

level 1
strip bed (if necessary) and leave to air
open windows
clear floordrobe/chair drobe
use long duster and roll round top of walls and light fittings to deweb

level 2
remake bed
dust sills, shelves and furniture
empty bins

level 3
clean windows
Dust skirtings
see to floor mop or vacuum
Check lighting and sockets fully functional - superwoman suggests sleeping in your guest room to ensure it's comfortable.  Add a box of tissues, a water glass and an extra blanket so that guests are comfortable.  And painkillers etc...

Extras
S&Skitcen
S&S bathroom

write or post some cards

Friday Flourish - your sanctuary - the boudoir 

Level 1

Open windows
Clear the floordrobe/chairdrobe
Strip the bed and leave to air
Take out the rubbish
Bedding in WM

Level 2 (after breakfast/a period of time)

Remake the bed with clean, fresh linen
Dust/clear bedside tables
Clean windows, frames and sills (and wipe the open frames to clear dust and debris)

Level 3

Vacuum any soft furnishings - don't forget the headboard if it's fabric!
Dust everywhere else; as you remove lotions and potions from dressing tables wipe them over with a damp cloth. Make sure perfumes are stored in their boxes or in dark drawers. Minimise clutter/organise essentials.
Vacuum/mop floors

Extras 

Wipe door handles/touch points - flu cases are increasing, apparently
HHI
Make sure whatever your tipple is there is some ready (chilling?)

Jazee

Morning all.  Hope you're all ok this morning.  Thanks for the list.

No flying was achieved yesterday as children were here.  They're back today as well so don't think I'll achieve a lot today either.  We're off to see Santa's reindeer later.  Undercover fortunately as it's another rainy day.

Have a great day everyone.

Valli

4 boxes of kitchen stuff sent to DD's BF's house *fling*

As this was 'clutter' in the office/spare bedroom I can get some clearing up done in here!  Woot! (More might be following it!)

Ordered repeat prescription early as I struggled to get one of the items last time and it falls due just before xmas.  

Showered etc so doing admin during my 'vertical half hour'.

Swim booked for later.  

MinnieMousesMummy

Morning all, another cold but dry start to the day here

My list for today
Do paid stuff
Do the required uni work
Sort through ink cartridges and package up empty ones
Check banking and dds
Do some festive shopping
Sort through the cupboard and look into trading some cds/dvds as we never use them
Load the DW and switch it on
Take the dog for a long walk
Empty the living room bin
Dust the living room
If you haven't already, make a start on Christmas Cards and December/Early January birthday cards, too 
Update spending/budget spreadsheets/notebooks - we don't want any nasty surprises
Take DD to the stables so she can feed and check on her pony

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

Fayolle

 Morning all
Thank you for the lists. I’ll do my best, although kitchen list avoidance is my speciality.  Having said that, I have been picking bits off today’s list and it turns out it isn’t all so onerous after all.
Up early (for me) as the plumber came early - radiator off, last of the wallpaper being removed as I type (not by me, in case you think I am multi tasking), builder due to start tomorrow. This is going to be an upheaval - hall, stairs and landing, but so long overdue.
Yesterday, DD and I went to a local small traders Christmas fair. So many talented crafts people running their small businesses, and well attended.  Busy, but not heaving. Today I need to sort through the Christmas present box again, to check in what was purchased yesterday. 

Wm has just finished twirling, the next load is queuing. I have turned out a shelf of candles from the utility room. My thought is to use one a day in the lead up to Christmas. Not sure if this is feasible, but I will see how I go. Some may take the short cut to the bin, which will declutter anyway. Day 1 today. 

Coffee time if anyone cares to join me. 

eltee2

Morning all

 thank you for hugs &  condolences, family sorting J's funeral.  He had arrangements/wishes in place so lightens the admin load for OH & his brothers. 

Was hoping to get a shedload of laundry done today but WM has developed an electrical glitch so we need to get someone in to see if it's worth fixing.

Pleased to see kitchen & DR on the list so will crack on with that.  

El

Blackcats

We went food shopping today so that was a good opportunity to clean and organise the fridge.
i also had a quick whizz through the cupboard where we keep tins and jars.  We are well stocked up with essentials so that should help with supermarket spends in December.  

We did a bit more tweaking of the Christmas lights and decorations.
i'm going to do some more sewing up of my knitting.  It's nearly finished now - thankfully.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

I am on countdown to family arriving on Thursday.  Full day at the paid stuff then called to see Dad as it's his birthday.  Home to get clean washing put away, do some essential ironing, help DH make a big lasagne to go in the freezer for Friday evening and clean the kitchen.

Tomorrow I must take 3 bags to the charity shop and two returns to the Post Office to get them all out of the house.  I also need to also buy my niece a voucher.  We want to get the tree up tomorrow and I have my yoga class.

Busy busy, I feel the need for more lists. 

Honey_Bear

I'll catch up as soon as I can deal with the costume-making issues that are taking up every scintilla of my brain.  Belovéd bought fabric from the Scrapstore for them and I'm struggling with the first one, which is the heaviest of them and I could do with some MSE Flylady Hive Mind input.  

I think it's upholstery fabric!  It's clearly been folded for quite some time and there are some stubborn fold marks I can't just iron out.  I've tried setting it on a hotter setting and realised it wasn't cotton because the iron was trying to sort of stick to the fabric, so there's probably something in it that's manmade.  Does anyone know how to iron out fabric folds in these circumstances?  Would putting the iron on a steam setting be a good or a bad idea?  Would using an iron cloth help?  Should the iron cloth be damp or dry?  

Yes I can use a scrap to test but someone may just know the right answer so I thought I'd ask.  

Fayolle

Morning all,
Awake for many hours, up early, builders are here, bashing away at the plaster. Tbh, not too much bashing as a lot of it falls down, as with lots of things in this house.
Yesterday was mainly lost to dealing with HMRC on DD’s behalf. After 40 minutes on hold, I spoke to the most helpful person, and hopefully the situation is resolved. It did help that, thanks to previous working life, I had some idea what I was asking for and why, which made the conversation so much easier for both of us. 
Bedding changed, washed and now hanging outside in the sun. WUDUPA everything that was queuing for the (clean) dw, and dw emptied.  I probably should be making a foray to the allotment, but I wasn’t feeling that first thing, so I’m not in the mindset. I am definitely a morning person, it’s all downhill after lunchtime. DH is out this evening, so I am hoping to persuade DD to watch a film whilst eating something dived out of the freezer, which will in turn free up some space.

HB, I am no expert, I suspect Iona is your woman. I would try ironing on the reverse with a damp cloth between the material and iron. Even a spray bottle of water for the stubborn folds might help. I take my hat off to you for taking up the challenge that Belovéd has offered you. Bonne chance! 

Valli

@Honey_Bear I don't KNOW the right answer but I'd try a damp cloth with the iron.  

Loft ladder installed.  I'm resisting the temptation to go up there, there's no-one else in the house.  What I will do is stack the stuff I want to send up ready for when DD comes home.

Rabbit hutch emptied and, hopefully drying out.  Understory shovelled clean, as it dries I will sweep etc.

Washing on line.