Weekly Flylady Thread 26 January 2026

Valli

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

ok Here goes this Week.


Manic Monday Kitchen/dining room

Level 1

Clear sides and wipe down - wipe small appliances
Replace what lives there, wiping as you go
Empty bin and clean it out too
Wipe sill, sockets, door handles and switches - places where sticky fingers leave marks
Clear and clean sink and accessories - don't forget those out-of-sight places - under plugs and under draining racks
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 OR put it in the wash for a HOT wash 

Level 2

Wipe down all cupboard and drawer fronts, 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
Wash out shelves and baskets.
Dust dining area/room
Descale kettle if needed
Clean WM , TD and DW filters; remove WM detergent drawer and wash it out.

Level 3

Pick a cupboard or a drawer; empty it, clean it out and put back its contents tidily - discard anything that's living in there rent-free (ie not actually being used)
Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean windows in both rooms.


Extras

Dig out your Toots list and update.
Update budget notebooks/spreadsheets.
It'll soon be February - do you need any birthday cards? Valentine cards?
S&S bathroom
Check smoke and CO detectors are fully functioning
Daily task - make beds - lets have some windows open to air the rooms and beds too


My mates are coming round this weekend so the lists are based on having the house spick and span for them so ...

Twinkly Tuesday Living room, hall, stairs & landing

Level 1
Deal with cut flowers and pot plants - top up water/wipe leaves/remove drooping or dead blooms
Empty bins/ashtrays
If you have a woodburner/real fire attend to that first - and lay fire for lighting
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

Level 2
Clean windows and mirrors 
Vacuum floors - and use an edging tool to get into all the nooks and crannies - and stairs!
Clean doormats
Dust/wipe electricals - use a just-damp cloth.  Don't forget the remote controllers!

Level 3
Dust all round - don't forget sills, skirting boards, tops of curtain rails and/or battens and top and frame of door.
Wipe door handles, banisters, light switches and sockets - and the bits of the door where people hold to close it.
Check for cobwebs and eliminate!
Clean lightshades and lampshades; check all lighting is functioning as it should 
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


Woeful Wednesday Bathrooms, cloak rooms and en suites

Level 1
Open window
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.
Dust anywhere that needs dusting - wipe any 'on display' bottles down 

Level 2
Clean out baths and/or showers
Clean shower heads and hoses
Clean handbasins including taps

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
Clean light pull

Extras
Wash showercurtains (if any) and put outside to blow dry if fine - check forecast!
HHI
S&S kitchen

Thursday - a bedroom in which you don't sleep or study/office


level 1
open windows
strip bed
clear floordrobe and chairdrobe
empty bin

level 2
make bed with fresh bedding
dust and clear desk
clean bedside tables or tidy loose cables
vacuum/sweep/mop floor


level 3
clean windows
dust all round

extras
S&S bathroom
S&S kitchen
Wash your make up brushes/applicators (shampoo/shower gel/washing up liquid) rinse VERY well. Shake off excess wet and put in a warm/airy place (indoors or out) to dry.
Hairbrushes and combs might also benefit too.  Ionafan not you obvs

Froday Flourish - the boudoir

Level 1
 
open windows
strip bed
clear floordrobe and chairdrobe
empty bin
dust/wipe/vacuum bedframe/headboard

level 2
make bed with fresh bedding
clean bedside tables
vacuum/sweep/mop floor

Level 3
clean windows
dust all round
polish mirrors

extras
S&S bathroom
S&S kitchen

ionafan

Thank you for doing this week's list, Valli x
I'll be in as much as I ever am.  I've already bought the family birthday cards I need for February and March, so I'm actually ahead

This morning I am off to the local park at 10.00 to meet up with other members of the u3a Wildlife group, for a gentle wander round looking at the waterfowl and signs of Spring.  I think I can just about manage that.

Hopefully, before I go, I can box up some stew for the freezer.  I turned on the SC at about 2.30 yesterday afternoon, and just as I was about to drop off to sleep at midnight I remembered that I had forgotten to turn it off, so had to go downstairs and do it.  It is very well cooked, but not burnt!

I'm sure our local birds know when the RSPB Birdwatch takes place   The bluetits were all in hiding over the weekend, whereas there are lots of them flitting around this morning.  (The weather may also have had something to do with it - it's much less windy here today, but the storm will be bringing quite a lot of rain later and we have strong gusty winds forecast for tonight.)

My hopes for this week include making more progress with both my own photo sorting and a friend's family tree.   A little progress was made on both last week.   Rosie has been shedding fluff over the study floor so I shall have to bring the Dy$0n upstairs at some point, which will spur me on to proper flying.

Hope everyone has a good - or at least better - week.  Stay safe! xxx

Fayolle

Morning all,
Thank you for the lists, I will be in.
More hugs to all struggling and GWS wishes to all poorlies.
I have remarkably managed to tick a couple of extras off the list - yesterday I indulged in some time in the craft / spare room so that I have the cards needed for February, and all the smoke etc alarms were tested yesterday evening. Just the kitchen and dining room to go then…
DH has already left for the big town to take his car into the garage, as it is randomly unlocking itself and turning on the lights! I half expect it to take itself off on a little road trip! I am on call for picking him up as I very much doubt that it will get looked at today, and we can’t have it unlocked and getting a flat battery here. DD is due to fly home later today after spending her birthday weekend away. 

Love, hugs, sticks and spoons to all x

MinnieMousesMummy

Morning all, It's another very damp day here this morning. @Valli thank you for the new thread. 

My list for today
Attend uni lectures
Do paid stuff
Do the required work on my uni assignment
Clean the sofa as DD spilt juice on it last night
S&S kitchen
Attend the parent meeting at school
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. 

roundtuit

Morning xx 

Feeling a bit down so I've distracted myself with basic flying.

I've made the bed, fed the birds, put out the recycling, done a laundry shuffle, set towels and tea towels swishing, DUPA the pots that were LTD on Saturday, and WUDUPA the pots that had accumulated since Saturday. 

I completed the nyt puzzles before I got up. Completed Strands with two hints (for the same word- never heard of it!), completed Wordle in four, completed Connections with two lives lost (easily solved the purple line first, then the yellow, last two were down to guesswork!).

I'm washed and dressed, taken my meds, turned over the calendars, eaten breakfast and supped two brews. Read a couple of chapters of my book.

I'm going to clean the kitchen sink next. Then hopefully P & S will arrive for a coffee.

Hope you are all well.

Rxx

MadamMim2013

Morning everyone 👋🏼 
Thanks @Valli for the lists this week, I will do my best to follow even if I forget to post 🫣

@ionafan my mum loves doing the birdwatching and funnily enough she says that she thinks they know when she’s counting as they all go into hiding.. well except Percy the rather stout Pigeon..he’s always about 🤣
Bird feeders were cleaned and refilled over the weekend so perhaps it’ll have been better, will enquire shortly.

Kitchen s/s and 3 x washing done.. some on airer and 1 lg lot in tumble.. 1 load already packed away 😇

Cuppa and admin for 20 mins 🤓

roundtuit

Kitchen sink cleaned.

Towels and tea towels finished swishing and they're draped on the radiator and the airer.

P & S have been for coffee.

Fish fingers with tartare sauce sandwiches for lunch. Nom nom. They are cooking as I type 😊

Rxx 

Honey_Bear

(((Hugs))) Round.  It's hard when they go, and it's the price we pay for having them while we do.  I'm amazed at how well I remember them all, and there are quite a few I'd have back in a heartbeat.

Dog walked, second load of yoghurt draining in the fridge with everything washed up and ready to be put away, dry laundry folded and put away.

The DVLA has wished me a happy big birthday (well, sort of) and asked me to fill in a form so that I can carry on driving in a few week's time.  Pleased to say that was relatively simple, so it's done.  I keep a few passport photos lying around because they are always needed for something, and today was just such a day.

Now tackling some urgent paperwork while Belovéd is dealing with the car that won't start with the help of a mechanic, and then I'll crack on with the kitchen.  There has been dusta-onna-stick action in the bedroom because we spied some high up cobwebs.  Anyone heard from Lamewolf lately?  I hope she's okay.

eltee2

Afternoon all

WM x2 done, TD is on, filled with that which can be TDd and the rest hanging up in the garage.

Been for a longer walk today, around 20 minutes and aiming for 30 mins by the end of the week.

Usuals done - am now working my way through Levels 1, 2 & 3 from the list. 

Do it now jobs...DONE!
✔️Request mum's prescription (new ordering system, ugh!🤦🏼‍♀️)
✔️Query mystery NHS reminder text 🤷🏼‍♀️ finally sorted it - been phoning, kept getting to number 1 in queue then getting cut off!! 😤🤬

Small, important (but not urgent) jobs of the week (SI(BNU)JOTW)
Book appointments for...
• Feet
• Hair
• Eyebrows

OH has fixed/replaced the broken sneck on the back gate and is now circling around the broken bathroom window handle with bits of new handle in his hand - giving it two coats of looking at I think.  Once he's finished, that'll be 3 things done from his small job list 😃

El

Pollybear

Afternoon all.   One washload done this morning and most of it dry.   Dusted and vacuumed right through downstairs.  From the sound of the grit going up the vacuum you'd think I was vacuuming a gravel path!

Went out with DH earlier.  We had a coffee and a walk round the supermarket but it was a bit chilly for him to want to walk.  He's not feeling too good.  But it was nice to get out for an hour.  Bought some more daffodils which always make me smile.

It took me years to get over our last dog dying Round so I do sympathise x

Hope everyone's OK.

Blackcats

Roundtuit - I was sorry to read about Joey.  It's so hard to lose a beloved pet.  I hope you are being gentle with yourself.

A few odds and end achieved today including taking 3 parcels to the PO.  My ama zon refund is already showing.  The other 2 are vin ted sales so 2 items leaving the house and a few £'s coming in.
i organised my gym/swimming bag which was getting cluttered up with unnecessary or duplicate things.  Tidied my handbag too and threw away old shopping lists and some sweet wrappers that somehow found their way into my bag 🤷‍♀️

wiped down the toaster and cleaned out the crumb tray after we'd made some toast for lunch.
thoroughly cleaned the cat's fine dining area of the kitchen and topped up his dreamies tub
checked and cleaned the fruit bowl 
checked and cleaned the veg drawers in the fridge - so much lettuce!
will mop the floor after I've finished my hot chocolate