Weekly Flylady Thread 3rd August 2026

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, 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- 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!

Monday Marvels ~ Kitchen and Dining Room
Level One...Clear and wipe kitchen surfaces
Level Two...Sweep and mop floors
Sort & clean the fridge
Wipe dining table..put a nice vase of flowers on it to make it look pretty!!!
Level Three...Dust any extra furniture in dining area, checking for cobwebs on way round.
Wipe all your small appliances..toaster, kettle etc..
Wipe & declutter all the windows sills in these areas!!
Clean cupboard door fronts and fronts of appliances .. don't forget those kick boards..
Wipe door handles..
Check those washing machine filters and drawers for ickiness!! Tumble dryer, cooker hood and dishwasher filters need to be done too!!
Extra Mission : help yourself

• Wipe down the hob and oven, go on you know you want to!!!!
• Wipe down any tiles and shine those taps.. a toothbrush is great for cleaning away the gunk!
• 32 fling boogie..
• GO! buy yourself a treat.. you deserve it!
• Empty the bin.. wash it out.. and make it smell SWEET

Tuesday bluesday ~ Living Room, Hall and Stairs
Level One...
Vacuum through the living room, hall and stairs
Level Two...
Dusting, even if around everything
Remove clutter making sure stairs especially are safe
Clean windows and all glass.. including the tv screen
Clear the mantel and only put back the items which are supposed to be there.. and that doesn't include letters, keys or other treasure!
Level Three...
Open a drawer.. sort the junk within!
15 minutes sort of the junk on the landing!
Vacuum under furniture you can manage to move without hurting yourself
Extra Mission: Pick one or more of the following tasks –

• Name all the school garments!!
• Wipe down any paintwork that needs it.
• Binbag dance.. Get a binbag.. fill it and bin it!!!
• Wash any cushions, throws or curtains that need it

Wednesday warts ~ Bathroom and Study/Pc Area
Level One...
Clean floors in these rooms
Level Two...
Clean baths, toilets, don't forget the outside! and sinks.. shine the taps with a toothbrush
Clear any clutter from desk
Wipe laptop, house phone, sockets, switches and mouse etc
Level Three...
Wash your bathroom mats, nets, clean blind/curtains etc
Wipe down tiles in bathroom.. defragment your pc while doing this.
Empty and clean out all the upstairs bins!
Clean shower screen/curtain if you have one/if required
Pull out the pc desk and clean BEHIND AND UNDER it!!!!!!
Extra mission: Take your pick!

• Wipe the skirtings, door and window frames in these rooms
• Fling all those empty bottles and tubes
• replace any sponges, flannels, toiletries that need it
• Clean the outside of all cupboards in the bathroom

Thursday Throwout!!- Master Bedroom & Landing
Level One...
Check fire alarms are working..
Remove and wash bed linen and duvet covers.
Fling open the window and let in the rain/sunnyness
Level Two...
Dust surfaces & make sure no cobwebs..
Vacuum & turn mattress before replacing with fresh linen..
Air the duvet
15 minutes floordrobe clearance
Level Three...
Vacuum floors in bedroom and on landing
Sort through a cupboard and fling everything that is dead
Clear a hotspot.. or spend 15 minutes clearing one.
Extra tasks list, as usual choose one or more

• 32 fling boogie time, go on grab a bag and clear that clutter
• Clean all paintwork on the landing
• Clean windows in these rooms
• Clear out your spare linen.. all those holey sheets, manky duvet covers and stained pillow cases.. FLING!!

Friday Frenzy ~ those frightening kids rooms and spare rooms
Level One...
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Make an appointment for some ME-time.. hairdressers? manicure? night out with friends? .. whatever just do it!
Level Two..
Vacuum the floor
Dusting.. all those shelves and flat fluffy surfaces!! Don’t forget the light shade and curtain pole!!!
Strip beds, turn and vacuum mattresses!! and replace with fresh linen .. check if duvets need freshening up too!!
Level Three....
Clean 2 windows
Sort through a cupboard/chest of drawers and get the clothes out which are no longer wearable, too small or out of season!
Wipe any sticky marks off walls and doors
Extra Task List

• Find 5 things to ebay/freecycle
• Wipe the radiators, skirtings and window & door frames!
• Binbag dance!!! grab a binbag and fill it with stuff to leave the house.. rubbish or charity shop or to donate to a friend!

Jazee

Thanks for the list. I'll try to be in as much as I can this week.

Valli

Morning all

Thanks for the new list and thread.

Yesterday I began sorting out stuff for the stall at the crafters bazaar where we can sell anything crafty. I have dcided to be fairly ruthless - so both the DR and LR are currently messy. I have sorted buttons by colour and put into jars (apart from black/dark buttons) and also sorted some sets.

Fayolle

Morning all,

Thank you for the list. Towels have washed, bathroom s&s, kitchen surfaces are a work in progress. The DR is our remaining RoD, so is always a mental block for me. Level one should do it sufficiently.

Have a good day all x

roundtuit

Morning all xx

I'm up, taken my new meds, dressed, made my bed, turned over the calendars, swished and pegged out towels and tea towels, fed the birds, put out the recycling, taken my old meds, eaten breakfast and supped two brews.

I've also ordered birthday presents for DDil after DS sent me her wish list.

I remembered something else I've done, but I forgot what it was before I could write it down. Brain fog rules.

To Do Today List

• WUDUPA
• Sassy's seed and water
• Clean out Sassy
• P & S calling for coffee
• Write August birthday cards
• Wrap DB's birthday present
• WRITE A LIST

And breathe.

Have a good week my lovelies 💗

Rxx

ionafan

I had a lovely time yesterday morning, cuddling my new godson. The cake that I had made for his christening went down very well, leaving only a few crumbs to bring home. No tempting leftovers, although I do have a full carton of single cream in the fridge…

Thank you Natty for this week's list. Having said on Friday(?) that I was happy to let things be for the time being, I looked at the LR in daylight yesterday and realised that Rosie was going out and rolling on the dry lawn, then bringing bits of moss and dry grass in on her long coat and depositing them on the carpet, from where they get carried onto the vinolay, so the floors are really messy. The fact that I did a lot of baking over the weekend doesn't help. Anyway, I will do what flying I can, a bit each day. This week should be much quieter than last.

Here are my achievements so far today:

• FUPA clean washing
• remembered to take my tablets
• sent Rosie off for her walk with L
• ate breakfast (prepared by DH)
• evicted 2 spiders from the kitchen
• arranged with DH to keep Thursday free for a day out
• loaded the breakfast things into the DW
• wiped the work surfaces
• washed and cut up 1kg apricots, bought a week ago at 30% off, for jam making: they were still firm and there was very little waste. Now simmering in the SC
• wiped the work surfaces again
• carried the hoover-type-stick-thingy upstairs, with the intention of using it
• welcomed a very happy Rosie back from her walk
• have done daily online jigsaws, Wordle (in 4) and Connections (only one line)

Onwards and upwards! Hope everyone has a good week xxx

Blackcats

thank you for today's list Natty. I'm glad it's the kitchen and dining room today and the list seems eminently doable so I shall finish off my cuppa and give serious consideration to making a start on it😇

As it's the start of the month I've given the cat his flea tablet. It's mashed up in his lickety lick gunk so he slurps it up with gusto. Meter reading done and submitted. Freezer inventory to be done and hopefully some meals can be concocted from its contents. I know there's a solitary maggy-num in there and I know it's helpful if I eat it so it doesn't need to go on the inventory.

ionafan

Late last night we realised that all of the upstairs lights and some downstairs weren't working. I have just squeezed my way, bent double, into the cupboard under the stairs to reach the fuse box, which is located in the furthest area under the half-landing (which has just enough headroom for me to hang up my winter coat without it touching the floor - and I'm only just over 5ft tall). A flick of the one switch that was pointing down while all the rest were pointing up, and the lights are now restored - except for the one on the landing which has apparently blown - but of course my back is complaining about the contortions. A good excuse to sit down with a cuppa!

I shall ask DS1 to call round and replace the blown bulb. Neither I nor DH is safe on stepladders, or even carrying one upstairs.

Narc0lepsy

Thanks for the lists though I'm definitely doing my own thing this week.

• visit to sick friend was sad but peaceful and her daughter seemed to appreciate us. We were glad we'd done so as she passed overnight.
• journey to Dorset went quite well. Mum seems ok (apart from having to remember that one arm is in a sling and shouldn't be used), seemed on the quiet side but made sense when she did talk so that's good enough for me. After the fiasco getting her to A&E, at least she has a prompt appt for the orthopaedics at the fracture clinic this Wednesday, which DB has offered to take her to.
• Got back pretty exhausted on Saturday although I'd had a lovely sea swim while I was away.
• Sunday was church then preparing for BIL's arrival later today. House flown round although I'll admit Mr N did the lion's share as I was watering plants, arranging flowers and planning menus. The men had taken away the old shed, laid hardcore for the new one and removed the rest of the dead tree I'd started chopping. Went to BQ in the afternoon and bought shed paint. Had the first of my home-grown baby aubergines with dinner; lovely.
• Mr N's birthday today. I put the breadmaker on, checked plants, cut a few for a friend and took up his cards with a cuppa. Then we both went to the gym (separately).
• He dropped off a card to the bereaved daughters while I took flowers and card to my somtime-swimming buddy who has recently moved house and is also due a cataract op tomorrow.
• Came home to find garden men almost finished laying slabs for the shed base.
• Made Mr N's birthday cake.
• Sent messages to/from catering co. and church family about the Turkish meal I've rashly agreed to coordinate - there are now 17 of us going and I need to check courses and organise deposits.
• I'm sure various other flying has gone on but don't ask me what. We've got to do car tetris later as gardening lorry is on our drive plus mine (charged yesterday) and Mr N's; BIL will need to get in first in order to charge his.

Pollybear

Evening. I did one washload today, only a small one but I just wanted to empty the basket because some forecasts say rain tomorrow. And some don't.

Dusted and vacuumed through downstairs. Took DD1's dog out for one long, one medium and two short walks through the day - the longest one at 5.30 while it was lovely and cool.

Tomorrow I have three grandchildren coming for the day which is obviously why it might rain. We're going out for lunch but until the afternoon comes and I know what the weather is actually doing I have no further plans. If it doesn't rain I'm going to be dropped off at the park with them and walk home after while DH goes home to see to the dog and then have a sleep.

Blackcats

freezer inventory done and solitary maggy num dutifully dealt with..

Dishwasher unloaded and reloaded. Fruit bowl sorted and washed. Tea making zone cleaned. Kitchen window sills cleaned.