Weekly Flylady Thread w/c Monday 23 March 2026

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!

Useful abbreviations

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 bear in mind that was written some time ago by a much loved Flylady RIP and Pigpen no longer writes the first post or throws fluffy mules.

Monday kitchen and DR

Level 1

Empty Bins and wash out

remove table cloth - wash 

Clearsides and wipe down, wipe everything that lives there

wipe table and chairs - dont forget legs and stretchers

clear and clean sink - and bleach the drain.  Don’t forget the plug, too

Level 2

wipe down cupboard and drawer fronts, tops, bottom and sides of doors, too

wipe appliances and clear filters

clean splashbacks

Level 3

clean utility area/room

clean windows and door glass 

clean catflap

deal with floor - sweep, vacuum, mop

Extras

s&s bathrooms

HHI

Empty cutlery drawer/caddies and wash and wipe

Some schools break up for Easter this week - make sure PE kits come home for washing and checkiing.

Tuesday Twinklies - Living Room, hall, stairs and landing

Leve 1

clear and clean all floors

bash mats to didlodge dust and replace

empty bins

clear the hotspot in the hallway

level 2

clean windows

wipe inside of front door, door edges and frame.

check light fttings and corners for cobwebs

clear coffee/side tables

Level 3

Clean all seating and rotate cushions if you can to ensure even wear

dust flat surfaces and things thereon

Extras

HHI

S&S kitchen

S&S bathrooms

Windy Wednesday

Since the weather forecast is meh lets go for cosy and clean the boudoir

level 1

Strip bed - and leave to air for as long as you can

Open windows

Clear floordrobe/chairdrobe

Empty Bin

level 2

Dust/vacuum headboard and/or bedframe and mattress

Flip mattress if you are able to and if necessary

Remake bed

Check all lighting is fully functiona

level 3

Dust and wipe - all flat surfaces and sticky pots (lotions and potions) and electricals - hairdryers etc can get yucky quickly

vacuum hairdryer air inlet

Polish mirrors - while you're at it you may as well clean the windows

Vacuum/sweep/mop floor

Extras

S&S kitchen

S&S bathroom

the sun isn't shining so clean some windows!

Thursday's list - bathrooms, cloakrooms, en suites

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 - don't forget the out of sight bits!

Clean extractor fan and/or check window frame - if set slightly open it may well be a horrific dust trap

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 shower curtains (if any) and put outside to blow dry - possibly!

HHI

S&S 

Friday at last…Kids room/spare room/guest room

Level one

Open widows

Strip bed (if needed)

Remove rubbish

Deal with flowers/plants

Remake aired bed

Level 2

Clean window

Dust level surfaces

Check lighting functional

Level 3

Dust skirtings

Wipe mirrors

Vacuum floor

ionafan

Thanks for the new thread, Valli. I am ahead of myself for this week as I emptied and cleaned the cutlery drawer yesterday!

Very sorry to hear that Pops has been back in hospital, round. I hope he recovers quickly so that your stress levels go down too.

Fayolle, your DD is managing her medical needs very sensibly. I won't say "Don't worry about her" because I know I would if she were my DD, but please do bear in mind what my son told me about his very independent sister who rarely contacted me when she was at uni: " With D, no news is good news."

MMM, I have lambing envy. I've seen several being born but never managed to get hands-on.

I'm still writing up the FH research - deadline Wednesday morning, and I must allow a couple of hours to draw the rather complicated family tree. I've done another big chunk of typing up records ,today despite church and an outing with Rosie this afternoon. I took her to a nearby NT property where we met up with my old teaching colleague S (the one whose husband died just before Christmas) and we walked through the woods and halfway round the lake, finishing up at the café (of course) with a cuppa but NO cake!!!! L the dog walker is away for a long weekend so I also have to walk Rosie again tomorrow. I've cancelled joining the u3a wildlife group for a walk round a local nature reserve (dogs not welcome in the group) - and will probably just take Rosie to the Covert instead - but I made doubly sure that the Old Wives' coffee and cake stayed firmly in my diary. Priorities… 😉

In flying, this weekend I have PUPA in my bedroom and the LR, S&S'd the kitchen and bathroom, FUPA laundry, cleaned a bit more gunge off the hob, and thrown out some dead cut flowers. That'll have to do. It's not worth tidying the study until after the FH papers have gone.

It's already Monday and I need some sleep. G'night all. I hope everyone has a good/better week ahead xxx

roundtuit

Morning all xx

I'm up, made my bed, taken my meds, turned over the calendars, got weighed, completed the nyt puzzles, eaten breakfast and supped two brews. WM is swishing towels and tea towels.

The scales have suddenly caught up with my extreme calorie intake of the past few weeks / months. I need to find another way to deal with stress.

I empty the bins on a Saturday. I don't have a table cloth, a cat flap, or PE kits to deal with. I never iron. (I wash carefully 😉). So I'll pledge to clean my sink and wash the WM dispenser drawer today. That's one thing on Valli's list, and one thing on my own list. It's a plan.

Have a good week.

Rxx

Valli

Morning all

DE & WM x 1

need to empty DW and get the last of the Sunday roast pots in there. Will peg out washing too but I fear that might be the end of it all; I'm having my hair cut then I have the funeral of the partner of a friend, who died in tragic circumstances and which made the news; although, no doubt, it will be packed I am going to support her.

At some point I will drop off an ebay sale.

I also have a heap for the CS so need to move that downstairs.

First post now updated.

Fayolle

Morning all,

Thank you for the list. It’s bin day here tomorrow so bin emptying it is. And the sink is desperate for a clean. I read Valli’s post and remembered that I had loaded the wm…it always helps to then switch it on 🤦‍♀️. Towels are now swishing. I weighed in this morning - it is a good job that Babs doesn’t live here, Round, she would be in full flow.

I have dropped DH at the station for a day out with his friends. I will pick him up this evening. For some reason the day return ticket restrictions now mean that you can’t come back until after 7pm, not even on an afternoon train. Crazy. This means that my excuses for not flying are very thin. I’ll make a coffee first, if anyone cares to join me.

eltee2

Morning all

My downstairs area is in need of a good sort out, so today's list is just right. I don't have cat-flaps or PE kits to sort out either, although I misread Round's post as 'cloth caps' and had to go back and re-read the list! Think I'll join Fayolle in a reviving ☕️ - make it a strong one please

El

roundtuit

I'm always ready for a coffee Fayolle. Cheers ☕

I've pegged out the towels and tea towels. I've fed the birds and put out the recycling. And I've made myself a note to bring in the washing later.

Right. WM dispenser drawer next.

Rxx

ionafan

WULTD

I have a mug of coffee in front of me, Fayolle 😀

eltee2

Afternoon all

Operation Get-Kitchen-and-LR/DR-into-a-visitor-worthy-state has begun (said visitor due 11o'clock on Wednesday)

Today

✔️Opened windows

✔️Aired & remade bed

✔️Exercises

✔️Went for a walk

✔️Emptied, cleaned & refilled fridge, took out the shelves, door thingys, salad bit at the bottom, the lot!

✔️chucked out manky stuff (quarter of a tomato, half an onion & the browning nub of a gem lettuce)

✔️PUPA

✔️Got something for tea out of freezer, from stash of HM meals (Mousakka, yum😋)

✔️Cleaned dining table, chairs, placemats & put on a clean tablecloth

✔️Pots to DW

Will S&S kitchen after tea, along with another DW load

Have been using up my free sample skincare stuff (D3rm@!0g!c@). Finding some nice bits I will save up my pennies for. Still have 14 sachets & 11 teeny bottles/tubes to get through

EL

eltee2

Oooh, and I emptied & washed out the bins!

Fayolle

Good afternoon,

If it hadn’t been for the lists and for HB showing us that we had to start to motivate, I would not have done half of that achieved today. So thank you.

Kitchen and DR cleaned - floors swept, surfaces wiped / dusted, door fronts cleaned, coffee drips wiped. I even emptied and cleaned the bin! This is DH’s job so I don’t usually get involved. And boy did it show. It was minging. And now is sparkling.

Ensuite and bathroom given a s&s. Downstairs toilet given a good clean. Brandishing the vinegar bottle and a cloth, I cleaned all the mirrors, including the new one in the hall that I keep forgetting. Then for some reason I cleaned the spare room windows. I am hoping this gives me credit for a day later in the week when I will no doubt fall off the wagon 😉.

After all that activity, I spent an hour outside, potting up the last of the tomato babies and removing another bucketful of sticky weed and celandines (I think) from the spring garden. Alright, it is just a patch under a tree where I have a few bulbs. But spring garden sounds so much fancier. I have just rounded off the day with HH admin. Off now to polish my halo….