Weekly Flylady Thread 12th October 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!!
Frog (or other amphibian) ~ google 'eat that frog'
Spoons ~ google 'but you don't look sick' and/or 'The Spoon Theory'.

Click here to read Toots wonderful welcome guide - please bear in mind it was written some time ago but Toots, sadly is no longer with us - she is fondly remembered, as are Money Saving Diva, Cycling Yorkie and Mummy's Little Boy

Ok here goes this week!

Magical Monday - Barnacled Bathroom and Sociable Study/Pc Area
Level One...
Clean floors in these rooms (even if it is around the clutter)
Throw away all those empty bottles of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hairspray etc. I know they make the room look pretty but they are just cluttering up the place..!!
Level Two...
Clean baths, toilets and sinks
Remove and bin all those slivers of soap that you have been saving, do you really need them?
Clear any clutter from desk
Dust PC and desk and wipe off those cup rings!!
Wipe keyboard, house phone, sockets, switches and mouse etc
Level Three...
Clear clutter from floor
Wipe down tiles in bathroom.. defragment the pc /laptop while doing this (programs.. accessories..system tools.. defragment!.).. if you do the disc cleanup as well, clear all the cookies and temporary files too
Delete 10 links in your favourites which you no longer use or are dead!
Clean shower screen/curtain if you have one/if required
Clean/wash the brushes/dust box/filters on the vacuum cleaner!!!! .. make sure they are completely dry before using it though.. I don’t want anyone electrocuted!!
Change hand towels and flannels
Extra mission:

• Wipe the skirtings, door and window frames in these rooms
• Wash your bathroom mats, nets, clean blind/curtains etc
• Grab a binbag and fill it with stuff to leave the house.. rubbish or charity shop or to donate to a friend!
• Clean the radiators in these rooms
• Pull out the desk and clear under and behind it.. how much money did you find?
• Clean windows, hang up clean nets and draught-proof curtains and any table cloths/throws or other dust and grot gathering bits of fabric!
• Wipe sticky and dirty marks off the walls and doors

Tantalising Tuesday ~ Masterful Master Bedroom & Loopy Landing
Level One...
Check fire alarms are working
Remove and wash bed linen.
Level Two...
Dust surfaces & make sure no cobwebs..
Vacuum mattress before replacing with fresh linen.. do you need that winter duvet yet?
15 minutes floordrobe clearance
Level Three...
Vacuum floors in bedroom and on landing
Sort one area of clothes or linen storage making sure only what should be in there is, anything that's had it's day or doesn't belong there is removed
Clear a hotspot., or spend 15 minutes clearing one.
Extra tasks list:

• 27 fling boogie time, time for that midweek fling, go on grab a bag and clear that clutter
• Put away those summer clothes from someones cupboard and get out the winter woollies.. don’t store anything that is past its best! Make a list of things you need to buy!!
• Clean windows in these rooms
• Check house for places where draughts are getting in.. doors, windows etc and see if there are ways to stop it!
• Clean out that airing cupboard!!!!!! get rid of those things you don't need.. use dead towels as cleaning cloths etc.. be ruthless!!!! you REALLY don't need that 'thing' you've saved for 10 years.. 'just in case'

Wishful Wednesday ~ those frightening kids rooms and spare rooms|
Level One...
Vacuum the floor, even if it's just where you can see
Level Two...
Clear away anything that isn't in it's place, clothes, toys, books etc
Dusting.. all those shelves and flat fluffy surfaces!! Don’t forget the light shade and curtain pole!!!
Level Three..
Strip beds and replace with fresh linen .. check if duvets need freshening up too!!
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

• Wash a set of curtains, nets, duvet or throw
• Time for the Flylady Fling, in the toy box!!!! aim for 27.. if no toy box you’ll have to choose another area!
• 30 minutes ironing
• Pull out the beds, furniture and clean all behind them.. the skirtings and light fittings and everything.. get rid of all the things that are no longer required!

Tantalising Thursday ~ Kooking Kitchen and Dancing Dining Room
Level One...
Clean floors
Level Two...
Clear and wipe kitchen surfaces
Sort fridge bringing what needs using soon to the front, clean out any spills or grots in there!
Wipe dining table.. (clean table cloth if necessary)
Level Three...
Dust any extra furniture in dining area, checking for cobwebs on way round
Wipe and replace all those small appliances.. kettle, toaster etc
Descale kettle and iron
Clean cupboard door fronts and fronts of appliances .. don't forget those kick boards..
Check those washing machine filters and drawers for ickiness!! Tumble dryer and dishwasher filters need to be done too!!
Extra Mission...

• Wipe window sills and clean windows in these rooms
• Wipe down any tiles and shine those taps.. a toothbrush is great for cleaning away the gunk!
• Clean oven if you didn't do it last week
• 30 minutes ironing.
• Get in that food cupboard. Give it all a GOOD scrub out before placing the things you need to use soon at the front. Check dates and freshness on older things, and See if you can incorporate these into next weeks meal plan! Feel free to get carried away and do more cupboards!!!

Friday ~ Luscious Living Room, Handsome Hall Stupendous Stairs
Level One...
Vacuum floors and sofas
Level Two...
Dusting, even if around everything
Remove clutter making sure stairs especially are safe
Clean TV, other electricals and cabinets
Water any thirsty plants, wipe their poor neglected leaves!!
Level Three...
Wipe light switches, sockets (make sure they are not switched on!!) and banister
Clean any other glass like mirrors, pictures etc
Tidy shoes, coats and bags .. wash any that need washing in preparation for cold weather!! See if there are any that don't fit, past their best or just plain uncomfy which could leave the house!
Put up linings or winter curtains to keep out those draughts.
Extra Mission...

• Paperwork clearance.. spend 15 minutes minimum sorting through those piles of paper.
• Vacuum under furniture you can manage to move without hurting yourself
• Clean a window or two.
• Get yourself a bag or box, go around collecting things that are not in the place they should be, then put them back where they should be, or better still give them to their owners to put away themselves
• 30 minutes ironing
• Get those uniforms, games kits, coats and things in the wash which you will need on Monday
• Clean light fittings, skirtings even the ones behind furniture. Clean fire-surrounds. Wipe sofa's down. Clear as may hotspots as you can.. see if you can get it all into one pile instead of 15!!!

ionafan

Thank you Natty for the new thread xx

I was woken up this morning at 6.45 by Rosie barking at something in the garden. It was too dark for me to see what it was, but I let her out and she came back in quite nonchalantly, so I assumed it had been a cat. I made myself a cuppa and went back to bed until it was light, then went down to open the curtains and prep the soup for lunch. That was when I spotted two parcels on the step by our back gate. Apparently the Jungle delivery driver😡had looked at our NDN's house number and decided that if he was no.101 The Lane, we must be no.99. Unfortunately not - our back gate opens onto the lane, but our front gate opens onto another road, and 99 The Lane is the other side of 101. Being considerate of the neighbours' penchant for a bit of a lie-in on Sundays, I waited until 9.30 to deliver the parcels to the correct address…

The soup was good, so was our evening meal, and I have prepped the last batch of mini fruit cakes that I shall decorate for sale at the Festive Fayre. I've also done some laundry so that we start the week clean.

It's decidedly colder here, and we're forecast rain for most of the week. I shall think about joining Round in hibernation.

Hope everyone has a good week xxx

Valli

I have decided, after looking at them for over a month, to put the unsold craft magazines in the recycling. I was offering them for 10p each or 12 for a £ but they were very heavy and I only sold a few. Keeping them for a whole year for the next time just seemed like a waste of my space, time and effort so they have gone.

Lots of washing line dried today so I am pleased about that; the basket is empty. WUALTD before I came up to bed.

Thanks for the new thread

Jazee

Morning. Thanks for the thread.

Poppet is improving. She now has bladder control again and didn't want to be carried on her short walk this morning. Her stitches are being removed on Friday.

Today is DGS day. He will be here soon so I don't expect to fly today although I have done all the dailies.

Have a great day everyone.

Fayolle

Morning all,

Thank you for the new thread, Natty x

The builder has arrived, yippee. The DR renovation is about to get underway - the last room in the house after moving in with great plans 20+ years ago. Flying may be limited, but I may just be making excuses 😉. I will start by tidying the kitchen a bit - wiping down the sides and WUDUPA might be a good start. After all, I need to get hibernation ready too…

roundtuit

Morning all xx

Glad to hear that Poppet is improving xx

I'm up, made my bed, taken my meds, dressed, turned over the calendars, completed the nyt puzzles, set WM swishing with towels and tea towels, eaten breakfast, moved the TV stand ready for the Openreach engineer to do his thing in the corner, and I'm supping a brew.

Porridge for breakfast. That's another sign that hibernation mode is being activated.

Love to all.

Rxx

MinnieMousesMummy

Morning all, Thank you for the new thread, please count me in.

My list for today

• Feed the animals and walk the dog
• Do paid stuff (kennels, invoices, advertise on social media, sort work account, sort ID and verification for upcoming work)
• Do required uni work
• Attend lectures
• HHI
• Laundry x 2 loads
• Empty the DW
• Tidy up the kitchen and load the DW
• Empty the living room bin
• Empty the bathroom bin
• Hoover downstairs
• Spend an hour organising the planner
• Clean the dogs kennel
• Check and catch up with volunteer emails
• Take DD to the stables so she can feed her ponies
• Feed the animals and walk the dog

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

roundtuit

Vacuumed behind the TV stand before the engineer arrived. I now have full fibre broadband... and a very neat job he's made too.

Pegged out my washing. I've also fed the birds and put out the recycling.

And breathe....

Rxx

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Technically a days annual leave for me, although I have done a couple of hours. Then I got a message from DS1 saying that he needed to get food in and his partner was desperate for some sleep, so I happily went around to watch DGD for a bit.

So none of the flying that I had planned has been done, and it's 3pm! I need to have an hour at least doing something productive.

Pollybear

Afternoon all. Raining on and off here so the washing has been draped about and the dehumidifiers are on. Some has dried. I dusted, polished and vacuumed through downstairs and washed the kitchen floor. I even remembered to vacuum the settee where DS's dog had rested. Not slept. That was on my bed ;)

Went out with DD2 for a while as she had to go to the opticians so that was an excuse for coffee and a wander.

DH not too good so he's having a quiet day.

Glad to read that Poppet's on the mend x

Honey_Bear

Thanks for Fred. Glad to hear Poppet's on the mend.

I polished the silver toast rack, two wooden chairs and the dining table, jobs I've been meaning to do for weeks so I'm glad they're done.