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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Fledglings bolt into Spring! Fresh air, fresh flowers, fresh sheets – No fledgling left behind…

708 replies

BeanAnTae · 30/01/2022 16:20

Thread starts on 1 February, but you are welcome to land and say hello until then
Thank you to Hills who has given us a tour-de-force thread for the deepest, darkest days of January when we were all flagging. We all know you are really busy and appreciate the time you took to go in depth with the baby steps.
Welcome to Flylady if you are a newbie or a regular fledgling– it is a zone based cleaning system, spread out over 4-6 weeks (depending on how the month falls.) The zones cover different areas of the home so we concentrate on a particular zone in a given week. But there is also a weekly hour of cleaning (can be split into 10 min segments) to make sure the bins are emptied, main areas hoovered, sheets changed – you get the drift…
And each day of the week has a focus – Thursday is errand day for example.

So , today is Tuesday 1 February – the first day of Spring if you are joining us in the North Hemisphere or Happy Autumn to those in the South. This thread brings you right up to Pancake Tuesday which is 1 March 2022.
Flylady site
This week we are in 2 Zones:
Zone 5: The Living Room
Zone 1: The Entrance, Front Porch and Dining Room
February Habit: Decluttering for 15 Minutes a Day

Monday – Weekly Home Blessing
Tuesday – Plan and Play
Wednesday – Anti-Procrastination Day
Thursday – Errand Day
Friday – Clean-out your Purse and Car Day
Saturday – Family Fun Day
Sunday – Renew your Spirit Day

It is plan and play day on Tuesdays – I usually plan menus and things to do on Tuesdays but the system is customisable to what works for you and your life.
Feel free to jump onto the thread and post your To Do list of household and family stuff achieved and, if you like, post your Ta Da list when you’ve got stuff done. We all encourage each other along and we all have different lives, pressures etc and we are not at all precious about the system – it can be used as you see fit. For example I don’t clean my dining room in zone 1 as it’s part of my living area so I do it in zone 5.
There is a general mantra of ‘No fledgling left behind’ which basically means you can’t fall behind in the system – you just start up again. So there’s no need for a massive Spring Clean – you just jump in.
Some jargon has evolved over the years, for example – cherry waves was an autocorrect of cheery waves, the pointy stick ---> is sometimes requested if you are having particular problems with procrastination and the naughty corner which is where we collapse to take a break.
As well as ‘To Do’, I’m going to try ‘To Be’ because I’m a Human Being not just a Human Doing. So my aim is to be more present (on the thread and in my head!) and more positive. I live far north in the UK so it is pretty dark here at the moment and I am SO looking forward to more daylight. And a shiny sink!

[Exit stage left pursued by a child]

OP posts:
Thread gallery
14
THATunorganisedMUM · 06/02/2022 17:25

Re highchairs, i have a pretty one which is a bitch to clean BUT there are now magical bibs that attatch to your tray and make life much easier .... search bibado or i think tidytot!

Bunny is pretty sing we have recently switched to fleece mats in place of sawdust etc in our guinea pig cage, less mess and cheaper in long run.

THATunorganisedMUM · 06/02/2022 17:48

The kitkat is a girly, not sure on colour tbh think might be a mix. She will be indoor for now.

HillsBesideTheSea · 06/02/2022 20:12

2nd half of the office space i was working on brought the fun of glass fibre insulation and mould spray. In the battle of office vs me. It looks like the office won. i look like i have been fighting with a rose bush Hmm

SingToTheSky · 06/02/2022 22:18

Really intrigued by this toilet training bunny idea! I’ll give her a while to settle in properly - she’s still quite nervous of us so don’t want to change anything else - but it does sound like a great idea.

po3.5
❗️Room rescue living room
❗️Give Cagbunny some hay
❗️Sweep living room

Ok possibly stupid question but how do you clean laminate (like the clicky panels) flooring properly? Obv we are sweeping and wiping up any spills immediately but can you actually mop them… I’m a bit worried about not drying it enough which would ruin it.

frankiefirstyear · 06/02/2022 22:58

Sing I mop mine but with a very well wrung out mop then I stand on two old tea towels and shuffle round the floor to dry it out. I asked the man in the shop and the fitter if this was ok and they both said yes. Had it down for 4 years and no lifting/curling etc

HillsBesideTheSea · 06/02/2022 23:17

You wouldn't want to mop ours, and the steamer is too harsh. We just just a damp (not wet) cloth on the end of a rubber broom. Works surprisingly well.

Bunnys are supposed to be very easy to train because they only poop in one area. I used to know someone who had her rabbits trained to a litter tray and the bunnys had free range of her room

I think i am about done for the night. Finally set up my coffee-maid so that i will be woken up with coffee tomo. I just need to crawl into the office and take the window off vent as it is making the room very cold. Everything hurts now.

SingToTheSky · 06/02/2022 23:21

Thanks frankie :)

ta da
🐰cleaned out pet carrier and litter tray
🐰replaced hay (Cagletini did water all by herself, she is determined this is her job!)
🐰filled DW
🐰scrubbed and rinsed pet carrier
🐰reading
🐰made lunch and dinner
🐰ordered ramp for hutch and rubber broom
🐰did playdoh with Cagletini and found tray to store accessories
🐰cleaned up broken glass - third bit of glass smashed in 24h! Managed to cut my finger.
🐰room rescue LR
🐰swept floor LR

SingToTheSky · 06/02/2022 23:29

Xpost thanks hills she does seem good with her tray so far although she was enjoying moving said tray around the hutch earlier Hmm

Must sleep. Hope everyone has a good night’s sleep and feels refreshed tomorrow!

BeanAnTae · 06/02/2022 23:31

I love all the bunny and Cat talk! I spent all day working on work projects which included chasing images and designing stuff for online website and photoshopping so no flying got done at all but I did make time for some exercise - my quest to squat, lunge and do push ups continues so that when I become a very old lady I can still get up out of a chair!

Alas I ate a lot of biscuits today due to the work stress Blush

Baby step 7 is adding the before bed routine www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-7/

The launch pad is here - tis home cleaning hour tomorrow www.flylady.net/c/lp.php

We are still in the kitchen zone (cleaning up biscuit crumbs in my case!) I think I need the magical bib that!!

I will catch up with personals tomorrow after work in the afternoon.

OP posts:
BeanAnTae · 06/02/2022 23:35

Some of my links didn't appear on the app but should be there on the webpage.

OP posts:
HillsBesideTheSea · 07/02/2022 04:10

I couldn't find the pain killers earlier, ergo I am still awake. compounded by the fact that I lost the bit of paper which had the time on it for my dentist appointment later.

ta da
hang leggings up to dry
research campervans
research the downfalls/common errors on a number of brands
add investigate insurance implications of converting a van, and legal requirements to the research at some point list
hunt for the paper with the time on it - success
ponder what the heck i did with the pain killers.
reset alarms for the morning - appointment is mid/late morning (yay small lie in)
Peruse Amazon and make my wish list humongous!
Figure out why there be so many people in my favourite walking spots (bloody youtubers)
Laugh at fit bit deciding i slept an hour already - yeah nope that is what aimless still youtube watching will do, chill your stats out.

Right breakfast I think, and then a plan of action. I am pretty certain until i find pain killers i will not sleep. and fucks knows what safe place those ended....

...fuck it. I am a bloody idiot. I have a mini first aid kit staring at me. I keep pain killers in there.

Note to self: they might sell sanity. But you need common sense and a waaaaay better memory.

Stilllivinginazoo · 07/02/2022 04:11

beanFlowersabout work stresses
Anyone got a rubber mallet?
I didn't nap and didn't go to sleep til near midnight ..and been wide awake since 2 AGAIN Sad

HillsBesideTheSea · 07/02/2022 04:13

Morning zoo I was watching this video about myths wrt sleeping. Did you know there was such a thing as sleep CBT? Apparently can help with insomnia. Especially the maintaining sleep insomnia. Might be worth a google?

HillsBesideTheSea · 07/02/2022 05:51

actually, i'll take that mallet for the house alarm that keeps going off...

Stilllivinginazoo · 07/02/2022 07:14

Oooh, unfortunate hills hope that stopped
Today's list pending,it will be huge as I was up at silly o'clock.a nap us scheduled for later

frankiefirstyear · 07/02/2022 08:12

For those struggling to sleep - have you tried soundscapes/sleepscapes/sleep radio? I find they help stop the constant thought battles that go on in my head.

SingToTheSky · 07/02/2022 08:56

Morning everyone.

Cagletini is at nursery. DD1 is not up. Too anxious. Had a small meltdown last night due to social anxiety, she’s so angry at herself. I wish she’d see the positives of the steps she’s made in the last couple of years though. For example she’s now able to contribute to class discussions and answer questions in front of people, to ask the teachers for help, she even reads aloud in English class! But she’s focused on the negatives ATM and feeling like a failure. :(

Anyway I need to finish breakfast - so hungry today Blush - and then crack on. Long day ahead. Also technically uni has started… I’ve already read the first couple of textbook chapters but I just realised I missed a tutorial on Saturday. There are multiple options for each but FFS. I misremembered and assumed it was a Monday that it all started on.

Which begs the question yet again WHERE THE FLIPPETY FUCK IS THE DIARY?!

Gaaaah. Great start Sing. Hmm

po3.1
❗️Reassemble clean pet carrier and store out of the way
❗️Clean litter tray and add hay
❗️Shower and wash hair

SingToTheSky · 07/02/2022 10:13

po3.2
❗️Send a January invoice… totally forgot
❗️Dry hair and moisturise face
❗️Log on to work meeting

HillsBesideTheSea · 07/02/2022 10:23

That stupid alarm kept going off every so often til gone 7am. The heating went bonkers and decided to cook us all ( i need to google the manual for the control panel and check the settings)

I have not has enough sleep to be ready to have a tooth drilled this morning. But i need to get up and get going because it is happening whether i am ready or not.

PO3 (well 4)
washing into dryer
breakfast eaten
dressed
dentist ready teeth cleaned.

Anyone else looked at their car recently and gone "Yikes" i have half a field on the sides of it!?

THATunorganisedMUM · 07/02/2022 10:24

sing some of the tutorials should be recorded, i almost never make it to mine, why they think 7-9pm is a good time is beyond me

StillUp · 07/02/2022 10:33

I think starting on a Saturday is a fair assumption to make Sing. Hope the diary shows up. Spray mop for laminate perhaps? I use the Koh one on my wood floor and tiles and I’d be happy to use it on laminate as it doesn’t get too wet.

Sounds like you got lots of work done Bean. Shame you had to do it on a Sunday but hope your starting to feel less overwhelmed.

Ooh I’d love a campervan Hills. Are you thinking about it for holidays or to escape the people? I daydream about living in one. So little cleaning to be done Smile.

I’ll looks at those bibs. Thanks That.

Done the school run and had breakfast. Got half my morning routine done and gave the kitchen cupboards a quick wipe, but DD2 is a bit cranky this morning so I’m not expecting to get much more done today. I’ll be happy to get an LOL in and put the clean stuff away, do the hob cleaning mission (it really needs it) and call HMRC to sort out CB claim. That should be achievable before school pick up. I’ve delegated booking me a dental appointment to DH as he’s there later in the week That surely counts as a ta da doesn’t it?

StillUp · 07/02/2022 10:34

I don’t think I’ve washed my car since I got it in 2019 Hills. Or hoovered it. It’s a pit Blush

HillsBesideTheSea · 07/02/2022 10:46

I have just been told that workmen need access through to the garden. In an hour. I have to leave in 5 mins.... FFS Angry

Escape. the. people!

HillsBesideTheSea · 07/02/2022 13:34

ta da
have filling without injection Yay
waited til coffee was cold before drinking (sigh) gotta do what the dentist says, but good job i am used to losing my coffee and drinking it cold
deal with some logistic stuff
put a load of washing on - apparently i can't grown up.
construct wool order
construct amazon order
check email
Update bujo

Damn i am tired. And my jaw aches from the dentist position thing.

To do
find pain killers
head into loft and finish what is needed for access to check the roof/window situation - find the source of the leak
take meds
clear path to my room

SingToTheSky · 07/02/2022 14:04

3 hour meeting. I am utterly brain dead now, not helped by the fact Cagletini is in a right grump, and DD1 hasn’t done schoolwork.

I think tonight there’s a tutorial specifically about using the meeting software so maybe it was better to do this one first anyway.

Kind of feel like other than that the day is a write off.

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