Weekly Flylady Thread 19 October 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!
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 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.

Marvellous Monday - Kitchen and Dining Room

Level 1

Open some windows for some fresh air - if it's not too wet
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 - put it outside to dry in the sunshine, if you can.
Clear and clean sink and accessories - don't forget those out-of-sight places - under plugs and under draining racks - and shine those taps - or clean them!
Glug some bleach down the plugholes.
Clean/polish table - wipe mats/change cloth - don't forget the legs and places where sticky fingers can reach.
Clean chairs/stools - and don't forget legs and rails!
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
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 
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

Sweep/mop/vacuum floor
Clean chairs (and highchairs) - don't forget under the seats where sticky fingers linger.
Clean windows and sills in both rooms.

EXTRAS

HHI

Meal plan and write shopping list. Add something for the big day, too

S&S bathroom

Tuesday - bathrooms, cloakrooms, 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 - don't forget plugs and drains

Clean shower heads and hoses

Clean handbasins including taps - don't forget the out of sight bits!

Empty loo roll holder and clean

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. Foodbanks will happily accept unused toiletries.

Clean light pulls

Put out clean towels, facecloths and bathmats

Extras

HHI

S&S kitchen

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY - LOUNGE, HALL STAIRS & LANDING

LEVEL 1

deal with flowers and pot plants
empty bins/ashtrays
clear gibble
plump cushions
wipe sofas with leather wipes or vacuum - look for all those dust-catching crevices - lift cushions and vacuum under them and swap them around for even wear

LEVEL 2
clean windows 
vacuum floors - and use an edging tool to get into all the nooks and crannies

LEVEL 3
dust all round - don't forget sills and skirtings
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
stand in the doorway and look back into the room - is it clean?

EXTRAS
S&s kitchen

S&S bathrooms
Check smoke alarms are working as they should

Thursday - kids room/office/craft room/guest bedroom

LEVEL 1
Open window
strip bed
clear detritus from floor
occupant of room to assist if available
Empty bin

LEVEL 2
anything that needs to be homed -put away occupants of room to help
vacuum floor
If spare/guest room check all lighting fully functional

Make sure the room is guest-ready - is there space for a guest to hang/store clothes?

Bedside table ready for a guest?

Make sure the bed has winter-level bedding

LEVEL 3
clean window
wipe sockets and switches
dust all around

EXTRAS
S&S bathroom
S&S kitchen

OR

Spend some time sorting and tidying office/crafty stuff

FRIDAY - THE MASTER BEDROOM

LEVEL 1

Open windows if you're not being battered by Storm Austen
Strip bed
Allow to air
Remake bed

LEVEL 2

Clear floordrobe and chairdrobe
Clean windows
Vacuum, sweep or mop floor
Empty bin
Put as much stuff as you can away - clear the clutter. Empty one drawer completely and clean it and put contents back neatly

LEVEL 3

Dust all sides and shelves
With a just damp cloth wipe all your lotion and potion bottles, hairdryers (especially if you use product while blow drying) etc. and put all perfumes away in a drawer.
Rinse the cloth and wipe sockets and switcheswipe light bulbs (if they are glass ones and not LEDs or GL types and dust, wash or vacuum shades

Extras
Binbag dance
S&S kitchen
S&S bathroom

ionafan

Thank you for the new thread, Valli x

Glad you've enjoyed your day on Dartmoor, HB x

Sorry to hear you're still feeling unwell, YL - sending you GWS vibes x

This morning I went to church and an old friend of mine from Millennium City came to join us. It was good to catch up with news of her family and mutual friends. She and her husband own a narrowboat and always try to come to the annual meet at the canal basin in our town which took place this weekend. They have a house which backs onto a canal, with its own mooring, but a maximum hour's drive by road from their house to our town centre is a two-day journey by boat because they have 22 locks to navigate!

We've had sunshine again today but I didn't get any gardening or anything other than routine flying done because other jobs were more urgent. On my way home from church I returned some lovely jumpers to the CS because sadly they were too tight for me, and then went food shopping (is there a connection between those two statements, I wonder?), and that was enough to tire me out. This evening I have covered 24 cardboard squares with kitchen foil, to become cake boards for my mini Christmas cakes. My plan this week is to get all the cakes topped with marzipan and given their base icing - I hope I've bought enough of the ready-made stuff, but I've got plenty of time to get more if necessary. I also want to finish cutting out and fitting the pretty jam pot covers. Two of my old school friends have their birthdays this week, so a trip to the post office tomorrow to post their cards is a must. And L the dog walker will be celebrating her 60th(? - must check) birthday on Friday, so I'd better make a batch of her favourite vegan chocolate cup cakes.

My diary is not too crowded, so flying will also be tackled at some point in the week…

Hope everyone has a good one xxx

Jazee

Morning all. Thanks for the list and hugs where needed folks.

It rained here yesterday so I didn't get any gardening done but somehow over the weekend we redecorated the downstairs toilet. All because we finally bought a blind for the window after two decades here. Just the floor to do. The tiles arrive today so that's a job for later when we take DGS home.

It's raining again today but I have already walked Poppet. I've prepped the pushchair with the rain cover as I don't fancy being stuck inside all day but going out will depend on how heavy the rain is.

Right, going to S&s bathroom as per bottom of list.

Have a great day everyone.

Fayolle

Good morning,

Thank you for the lists. Hugs and GWS wishes to those that need either or both.
I have been on flying avoidance for a few days. Weekend guests left yesterday, so the bedding was washed and dried, and the spare room rearranged back to a craft room. Let more sewing commence. Like Valli, I really need to stop watching sewing bee… The kitchen is also not too bad, so a little tidying around the edges should see that straight. Towels are in the wm now. The builders are due imminently, it’s all moving along to plan so far which is a relief.

Have a good day all, keep cosy if you’re feeling poorly. Autumn is definitely here.

Valli

Good morning. Outswimming cancer later but am cracking on with some admin (despite the house being a tip less than perfect). I have remembered that I bought the boys (DS and DD's BF) a gift for xmas earlier in the year and have squirrelled them away in the guest bedroom and they hadn't made it onto the Christmas list - this is highly dangerous as it means they might otherwise have been forgotten. Now sorted. I am wearing a fluffy jumper so shall pray to the god of hot flushes that a day off would be appreciated. I have a busy week - two lunches and my hearing aids should be fitted and I have my flu jab So another device for me to pretend I am a spy while using (though, to be fair, I no longer use memory sticks/pen drives/USB sticks) - I am bingeing (SP?) CIA and loving it. I have put aired/ironed laundry away and WUALTD

Hope you're all OK and if you're not I hope you will be soon.

Oh and Jazee WOOTY WOOTY WOOT WOOT on the decorating!

MinnieMousesMummy

Afternoon all, Thank you for the new thread I accidently slept in this morning so I have been rushing around all morning.

My list for today

• Feed the animals and walk the dog
• Do paid stuff (kennel cover, sort invoices, social media posts)
• Attend lectures
• Do required course work
• Do work on uni assignment
• Empty the DW
• Tidy the kitchen and load DW
• Wipe the kitchen surfaces
• Deal with Mr T delivery
• Sort through the laundry pile that was done last week
• 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.

Pollybear

Afternoon all. We had plenty of rain overnight but it cleared by 8am so I have now emptied my washing basket. Nearly all dry and put away, just a pair of jeans having an extra half hour. I dusted and vacuumed through downstairs this morning and washed the kitchen floor. Then over to chemist to put DH's prescription renewal in the box.

Hope everyone's OK x

Honey_Bear

Have spent most of the morning catching up on admin and things are still in quite a muddle. The house is still a tip and I have zero energy. It's been a frantically busy few weeks and my spirit is willing but my flesh is extremely weak.

Valli

I have been swimming - and, for the second week running, reported a dirty nappy left in the shower area. There are bins.

DW ans WM locked and loaded. Admin done.

ionafan

One word says it all: migraine.

xxx

Jazee

Morning all.

Sorry to hear you've another migraine Iona.

I'm only just having first cuppa of the day but one wash load is already in machine and I've started preparing some food for Poppet. I'd like to get the tiles done in the downstairs toilet today and will report back later.

Have a great day everyone.