Weekly Flylady Thread 26th 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:

Monday ~ Living room, Hall and Stairs
Level One
Declutter the floors
Vacuum decluttered floors!
Tidy coats and shoes, put summer ones away for next summer or in the bin or charity shop bag as required!
Level Two
Declutter and dust the tops of any units and dust ornaments
Wipe the sofas if needed or wash covers as required
Wipe and water plants, dust and deweb
Declutter and wipe fire surround
Level Three
Check house for draughts and make a plan to plug them before it gets REALLY wintery cold!
Hang pictures/mirrors etc that you have had for AAAAGES and not got round to doing yet!
Empty and clear out a cupboard or drawer..
Extras

• HHI or HHC doing some task you ALWAYS put off!
• Binbag dance
• Wipe the skirtings and window frames
• Empty and wash out bins and fill coal/kindling baskets as required
• HHI

Tuesday ~ Kitchen and Dining area
Level One
Sweep and mop the floor
Clear and wipe worksurfaces
Shine the sink!
Level Two
Wipe fronts of appliances and units
Get out your toothbrush and scrub the grout and taps!
Wipe table and replace cloth if needed
Level Three
Clear and wipe window sills
Clean the oven and hob..
Scrub the fridge
Extras

• Sort the childrens undies.. what needs replacing/flinging/hitting with a stick?
• Wipe skirtings
• Wash windows
• Thoroughly clean out the jars and spices and cereal shelves

Wednesday ~ Surprise Day Off
As a lovely surprise..You can all have an unexpected day off today...
Do whatever room/level you wish to do today. !

Normal service resumes tomorrow

Thursday ~ Master bedroom and landing
Level One
Declutter the floor
Strip wash and replace the bedding.. do not wait until you want to get in it!!
Level Two
Vacuum floors
Dust and deweb
Empty and clean out bins
31 fling boogie!
Level Three
Clear the floordrobe.
Sort through your cupboard and get rid of those items of clothing you no longer wear or need or are worn out.. memories are in your heart not in things you no longer use!!
Declutter some of the stuff you have stashed under the bed, in the bottom of the wardrobe
Extras

• Wash windows
• Wash curtains or other soft furnishings that need it
• Straighten your shoe and bag collection.. can any be rehomed?
• Sort through a box of general junk that is lurking

Friday ~ Bathroom, loo and study!
Level One
Declutter floors
Scrubify the tiles
Level Two
Clean the bath, loo, shower etc...
Defrag comp while you vacuum/mop
Wipe chairs keyboards, mouses monitors etc..
Level Three
Wash shower curtains/bathmats etc
Clean the radiators and paintwork
Shine the taps and descale the shower head!
Extras

• 15 minutes filing
• HHI
• Delete 100 useless junk emails!
• Dust deweb and wash some windows!

FLYLADY CHRISTMAS CARD SWAP 2026!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT POST ANY PERSONAL DETAILS HERE!!!!!!!!!
I will be sending out the card list on 30th November 2026 so if you wish to be involved you need to PM me your name (if you wish to disclose that), MSE user Id.. This is vital or you won't be included.. (just so I know you are really a flylady!!) and address to which you want the cards sending.
Can you please put Flylady Christmas Card in the subject of your PM.
Thank you everyone xxx

Natty68

Evening everyone, can I also make my apologies for being MIA this week. Sadly we had to have my Summercat put to sleep a week ago Friday just gone. She was deteriorating rather quickly although she tried so hard to keep her dignity but at 16 years old I decided it would be kinder to let her go over that rainbow bridge rather than putting her through tests etc.

The vet was really lovely and Summercat seemed to be reassured with her. If a passing of a pet can possibly be peaceful then this was 🙂 I've arranged for her to be individually cremated and she will have her own casket, and a copy of her paw print. This will be picked up this coming Wednesday so another sad day I expect. Not a day I'm looking forward too..

So as you can imagine I have done absolutely nothing for a week apart from cuddle the other cats, much to their annoyances....

I haven't even unpacked my living room from when I had to pack everything away due to new radiators being put in and the furniture moving around the other week. But that is my job for this week.

Oh and fill in that dreaded PIP form that arrived a week ago 😧 Thankfully my Drs surgery emailed me my medical records, that they have, within 24hrs of requesting them, so I just have to print them off ready to post. I've also found the copy of the PIP form and details I filled in last time, so that makes it easier. Just finding the courage to do them...aaah!!!

And as you can see that's me, sorry for it being long winded and I'm sorry I never said anything at the time about Summercat it was just too raw.

Hope everyone is ok..and hope you enjoy my lists this week 😉

Blackcats

on @Natty68 I'm very sorry to read about your lovely cat. It really is very tough.

ionafan

So sorry to hear that you have lost your beloved Summercat, Natty, but glad that her passing was peaceful - that means such a lot.

Thank you for inspiring us for the new week, and also for reminding us that it's time to think about the Christmas card swap. I'm in! My kitchen windowsill is reserved each year for Flylady cards, and they always make me smile 😍

I have made a small dent in the new Flylist this evening by putting fresh flowers on the coffee table in the LR and asking DH to remove any of his magazines/pens/bits of paper that no longer need to be in there, and I've started a list in my head of all the jobs that I need to do this week and when.

Here's hoping the weather settles down again soon and we all have a productive but not too strenuous week xxx

weenancyinAmerica

@Natty68 - Sending hugs to help you get through the week. The heart heals eventually but it is hard. I had one night this week where I cried myself to sleep thinking about the cats we have had over the years.

Valli

@ Natty - hugs from me, too. Poppy sends a furry hug.

Thanks for the new thread. I really need to do some flying this week! LR sounds achievable for today.

MinnieMousesMummy

Afternoon all, Thank you for the new thread, please count me in for this week.

My list for today

• Feed the animals and walk the dog
• Do paid stuff (4 clients, invoicing, social media posts, admin)
• Do required uni work
• Update Mr T order as its due for delivery tomorrow after being cancelled due to the storm
• Empty the DW and put dishes away
• Tidy the kitchen and load DW
• Wipe down the kitchen surfaces
• Sweep the kitchen floor
• Sort through laundry done over the weekend as it has just been dumped in a pile
• Take DD to the stables so she can feed her ponies
• Checking banking and update dds
• 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.

Linda32

Monday ~ Living room, Hall and Stairs
Level One


Hello all, lets see how I get on. It's only the living room for me as the hall and stairs are being decorated.

Declutter the floors
Vacuum decluttered floors!
Tidy coats and shoes, put summer ones away for next summer or in the bin or charity shop bag as required!
Level Two
Declutter and dust the tops of any units and dust ornaments
Wipe the sofas if needed or wash covers as required - vacuumed under the cushions. No covers to wash
Wipe and water plants, dust and deweb
Declutter and wipe fire surround - Haven't got one.
Level Three
Check house for draughts and make a plan to plug them before it gets REALLY wintery cold! - No draughts AFAIK
Hang pictures/mirrors etc that you have had for AAAAGES and not got round to doing yet! - Nothing to do here
Empty and clear out a cupboard or drawer..
Extras

• HHI or HHC doing some task you ALWAYS put off!
• Binbag dance
• Wipe the skirtings and window frames
• Empty and wash out bins and fill coal/kindling baskets as required
• HHI

Fayolle

Thank you Natty for the lists. So sorry to hear about Summercat x

I kicked off the day with the kitchen, finishing with slightly more enthusiasm than i had started with. Dw emptied, surfaces cleaned meal plan for the week done. The sink is still waiting to be scrubbed, now that the workmen and their countless cups of coffee have gone. Met up with ex work colleagues for lunch. Booked a Mr M delivery for the end of week. That’s been about it, not a lot to show for the day and the curtain making has not progressed.

MadamMim2013

Ginormous hugs @Natty68 I am glad her passing was as peaceful as it could be.. 🐾 🌈💗

I miss my Gizzy and often snuggle our other cat Titch who is not as keen to be loved on in that manner 🤣 he tolerates my fuss as I think he knows I miss his brother so.. 😔

Not a lot done here flying wise, bathroom had a swish and the kitchen has been tidied/wiped down multiple times due to making crumbles x 2, a batch of cupcakes, a giant cheese, onion and ham omelette and some pizzas. 😮‍💨

Blackcats

I'm back flying this week as most (but not all) of the bathroom refit has been done.
dining table cleaned and now decorated with a light up spiders web and some crochet pumpkins.
coffee table polished and newspapers that hide underneath have been read and added to tomorrow's recycling.

Hoovered throughout. Kitchen is tidied up after cooking dinner.