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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Flylady Fledglings February: Thawing out of winter

279 replies

freezingpompoms · 30/01/2023 19:08

Hello everyone, iWelcome back to our regulars, and if you are new or returning, a huge welcome to you as well! Please feel free to post or lurk, whatever helps you most.

This is an incredibly helpful thread and the system can be confusing but someone on here will be able to answer your questions and get you on track.

So, Flylady. That mysterious system that promises a lovely clean house! This link is a good place to read about the basic principles, but we strongly recommend ignoring the first bit - do not sign up for emails as you’ll be inundated!

www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/

If you’re new to the system, or are wanting a refresher course, the baby steps may be a good idea. Some are more useful than others, we’ve found, and stuff like affirmations may not work for you, so pick and choose what you want to try. You don’t have to do it all! Perfectionism can be left at the door, we celebrate any achievement here no matter how small it seems (this is why you’ll see our Ta Da lists as well as To Do lists!).

www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/

There are parts of the house called zones, each taking a different part of the month, and missions in those zones to do little tasks we may have neglected. If you don’t feel ready for those though, a good way to start is doing 15 minutes decluttering in that zone! Remember it didn’t get messy in a day so it won’t be fixed in a day either. Slow and steady.

Then there’s the daily focus - each day of the week has a theme, although many of us switch them around to suit our own lives.

Each day I’ll provide the link to the launch pad, which is where you can see what is meant to be done that day (but again don’t feel you have to do all of it! That way lies burnout!).

A couple of principles we talk about on here are:
Future Friend - the idea of doing something today that benefits you later, such as choosing your clothes or making your lunch the night before.
Power of Three (po3) - if you’re overwhelmed, just pick three easy tasks - no matter how small - and forget about the rest until they’re done. Then reassess and decide another three.

Finally a few acronyms:
DW - dishwasher, not dear wife!
LOL - load of laundry, we aren’t finding washing hilarious
WM - washing machine
TD - tumble dryer

OP posts:
Thread gallery
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freezingpompoms · 13/02/2023 21:21

In our downstairs loo we have an ikea rack above a small radiator.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/tjusig-hat-rack-white-40152633/

And I hang clothes on there on hangers and on the hooks and underneath we have a dehumidifier. It's great and fast.

I also hang a lot on ikea octopus pegs on the rack too.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/pressa-hanging-dryer-16-clothes-pegs-turquoise-10421217/

What I can't believe though is all my clothes have been drying outside all through this minus freezing January weather.

Flylady Fledglings February: Thawing out of winter
Flylady Fledglings February: Thawing out of winter
OP posts:
Scourgify · 14/02/2023 07:26

@freezingpompoms Thanks for these links. The rack and octopus will be great in my futility room!

Emptied out the living-room cupboard over the weekend. Stuff turned up that I'd forgotten about, missing parts put together. Very little to get rid of atm. Three boxes labelled "to sort" have been in there, untouched, for at least four years. Will be interesting.

Today's to-do is dismantle a pine slatted bed. Don't lose any screws. Remember to number the posts and corresponding slots. Then into the car and away to flat. The great thing is we built it at the right height to slide storage boxes under, so much easier to store bedlinen etc in very limited space.

I tidied up the bathroom shelves a couple of weeks ago which should make the deep cleaning more straightforward this week. One other room should probably be my bedroom.

RocketIceLollie · 14/02/2023 07:38

Hey all,

I had a bad day at work yesterday so I took myself off to bed at 9 which is super early for me. I did manage to get the following bits done:

  • weekly food shop ✅
  • dishes washed n put away ✅
  • kitchen tops antibac'd ✅
  • put bleach down loo in bathroom ✅

To do today

  • need to catch up on some laundry tonight (it's never ending isn't it)
  • tidy downstairs
  • hoover downstairs

Happy Valentines Day everyone 🙂

CurseYouPerryThePlatypus · 14/02/2023 09:08

Happy Valentine’s Day! 💘💝

YesTaDa
🏵requested GP appt online
🏵study
🏵spoke to GP about sleep issues
🏵completed parts two and three of assignment
🏵looked through application pack for DS’ college choice
🏵emailed a question about it and got a response despite it being half term! 🏅
🏵started filling in forms
🏵️more study
🏵️filled a bin bag in our room
🏵LOL
🏵printed out questions for this week’s interviews and wrote times on each
🏵worked on essay a bit before my brain gave up

Not the most romantic day today, I am interviewing 3 people, which is good overtime but I could do without the extra work right now! Might just have a takeaway tonight and kick the Caglets out of the living room early so we can watch something on telly. Who said romance was dead? 🤣

po3.1
❗️Meds, water, breakfast
❗️Clean Cagbunny litter
❗️Shower

freezingpompoms · 14/02/2023 09:35

Romance is dead and buried here. It's mother in laws birthday. 😩

OP posts:
HillsBesideTheSea · 14/02/2023 13:51

If romance only happens on Valentine's day, that ain't romance - its guilt.
Give me simple small gestures any time of the year over something big and showy on valentines day.

So far today I have put out figurative fires, decided that the people need boundaries so that they do what they are capable and dont delegate what they are capable of, nor take me for granteed, some laundry, some washing up. I also got help to get some stuff into the fridge and freezer after a shopping trip, and with getting bread dough set to rise for burger buns later.

UsernameNotPresent · 14/02/2023 15:26

There is not enough coffee to get me through today.

freezingpompoms · 14/02/2023 16:39

UsernameNotPresent · 14/02/2023 15:26

There is not enough coffee to get me through today.

Oh dear. Sending pure caffeine straight into your eyeballs.

OP posts:
freezingpompoms · 14/02/2023 16:40

We don't do Valentines but H untangled my wool today which took 3 hours. That is absolute pure love!!!

✅s&s
✅mopped downstairs

OP posts:
DitzyDaffodils · 14/02/2023 18:53

YesTa-da:

💖 Morning routine
💖 Filed paperwork
💖 Decluttering
💖 Completed two art projects
💖 Took a walk
💖 Did the weekly plan
💖 Did the meal plan
💖 Shopping list
💖 Manicure
💖 Evening routine

Today's ta-da's:

💫 Morning routine
💫 Popped to the shop for a few bits
💫 Met a friend for a cuppa in town
💫 Decluttering

To-do:

😍 Clean top of shower rail
😍 Evening routine

I agree with Valentine's Day being over rated. It's supposed to be to send a card to your crush so they notice you. How did it end up being something that happens every year for people who are in LTR? Maybe it's because half the population doesn't get married any more and have anniversary to celebrate? Whatever, it all feels a bit pointless. I bought myself some flowers 🌹🌿🥀🌿🌷🌿🥀

freezingpompoms · 14/02/2023 18:56

TUESDAY: sorry I totally missed that it's planning day: shopping for the week/menus/activities/meals.
*
www.flylady.net/d/daily-focus/daily-focus-tuesday/
*
*
WEDNESDAY:

Flight plan here:* www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=0&d=1*
*
anti procrastination day so take care of anything you've been putting off. For me that is listing a tonne of Vinted stuff.

mission: get rid of any cosmetics you don't wear.

mission: pair up all socks and Chuck any that can't find their friend. *
*

OP posts:
HillsBesideTheSea · 14/02/2023 19:19

freezingpompoms · 14/02/2023 16:40

We don't do Valentines but H untangled my wool today which took 3 hours. That is absolute pure love!!!

✅s&s
✅mopped downstairs

Oh yes, that really is!

Daffodils yes! love that you bought yourself flowers. i bought myself a board game

UsernameNotPresent · 14/02/2023 21:02

I spent a very romantic Valentine's working and decluttering a garage - 4 years worth of 'i will sort this later' crap 🥴 My self imposed decluttering and prepping schedule looks something like this:

Today: Ideally finish decluttering bathroom (once I get little one to sleep). Garage done.
Tomorrow: declutter kitchen and bedroom
Thursday: spare room, piano room and living room declutter
Friday: start moving fishtanks across
Sat/Sun: shampoo carpets in new place and finish remaining decluttering bits and finish moving fishtanks.
Next week: finish labelling furniture for removal folk. I got a label maker, it's arriving tomorrow, eek!

Daffodils and Hills I like your valentine's style.
Pompoms true love indeed!

HungryHazelEyes · 15/02/2023 06:15

username you have a busy couple of weeks planned! Don't forget to have some downtime as well, it helps with the stress and can help you focus.

Ta Das: (Tuesday)
💘 washed & dried sheets, ours and DS'S and remade beds
💞 annual checkup for me
💘 made phone calls I'd been putting off, including making an appt to have a couple of moles checked next week 😱
💞 meal planning done
💘 grocery shopping done & put away
💞 video chat with Mum
💘 made chocolate covered strawberries
💞 took some strawberries for DD to her work
💘 had DS rotate DW
💞 vacuumed main floor
💘 had DS vacuum basement
💞 mopped floors, including pantry and laundry room in the basement
💘 bleached bathrooms
💞 decluttered a few bits of makeup
💘 changed out storage for under sink in main bathroom
💞 handwashed dishes
💘 rotated DW again
💞 5 LOLs total, including the 3 loads of sheets
💘 watched an episode of Dead Files
💞 enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner (leftovers from last night)

DH got me flowers, we decided not to do anything too crazy this Valentine's Day. We had dinner out last night, just the 2 of us. I wanted the chocolate covered strawberries, gifted some to both DC and put the rest in a box for both DH & I (pic attached). It only took me 1 1/2 hours from start to finish!

Flylady Fledglings February: Thawing out of winter
Scourgify · 15/02/2023 07:39

Had a quick look round bedroom as soon as I got up, and spotted several things that never belonged there but took up residence over the years and became part of the scenery. Dealt with those. Will make this a daily habit.

H -
pine bed dismantled and moved to flat. Also enormous underbed storage box. Teen up and down stairs with wood to save our knees.

Lightbulb changed, several others checked for duds.

Electric garage door mysteriously stopped working. New battery in clicker, still not working. Will need to use hand winding thingy, delegate to preteen who will think it great fun (bless).

A couple of short exchanges on the importance of maintenance, and no, lockdown wasn't a year and a half ago and now we can catch up. It was three years ago and there was already an enormous to do list at that point.

Self -
Living-room tidied and hoovered.

Shelf collapsed in huge cupboard. Everything on it now fitted on to other shelves. once that's fixed I can shift more stuff in there from living-room corners.
Tesco delivery dealt with, followed by relentless feeding of teen.

Fluff and fold of clothes on pulleys.

Lol x2.

Today -
Do more of everything I did yesterday.

DitzyDaffodils · 15/02/2023 15:14

Scourgify it's a never ending treadmill sometimes isn't it

Hazel those chocolates are so perfect, you're very talented

UNP I was very minimalist when I was renting and moving regularly. I feel your pain with all the clutter. Your plan is a good one, 3 weeks will fly by

Hope your vinted sales take off Pompoms

I have a secret love of board games Hills

I looked around this morning and although I struggle with decluttering my/household things (I'm quite ruthless with everyone else's, finding if they leave it laying around endlessly it's because they're not using it and won't miss it when I dispose of it on the sly), the place is looking better after a year of decluttering. I'm trying to tackle it from the other end too, having a minimal spend 2023 and trying as much as possible to make do with what we already have.

Today I am mostly procrastinating. On anti procrastination day. Oops 😝 This thread is amazing for helping keep me on track though, hopefully I'll be back with some ta-da's later.

freezingpompoms · 15/02/2023 18:49

Not much flying here. More like dragging myself through the day with absolute exhaustion.
✅ swept floors
✅ food shop
✅ general tidying.

Now I'm in bed reading after this.

OP posts:
freezingpompoms · 15/02/2023 18:54

THURSDAY:*
*
⭐️ errand day
⭐️ decluttering 15 mins
⭐️ shine sink
⭐️ check bathroom and laundry room for any supplies that are running low and add to shopping list. *
*
⭐️ pamper for the week: face mask
⭐️ reminder: 🚨controversial alert 🚨 put your shoes on on the morning. *Slippers here every day but not shoes in the house!!!

Flight plan link
*
www.flylady.net/c/fp.php?tzm=0&d=1

OP posts:
HungryHazelEyes · 15/02/2023 19:55

Ta Das:
🍓 phone calls made (anti-procrastination) 😇

One more phone call to do tonight, after work, I'm not looking forward to that one. DD had gone to urgent care twice to this office in November, to be told there was nothing wrong with her, went to a different one December, told the same thing. In JANUARY went to the orthodontist to have it confirmed that yes, she was right, her sinuses were full of infection! Now they are TEXTING me that I owe them money for those 2 visits. I haven't received a paper bill and I'm paying for what now?! Grrrr.
Sorry, rant over!

Other than a major headache I started to get a couple of hours ago, I feel better for getting that off my chest!

UsernameNotPresent · 15/02/2023 20:40

Hazel strawberries look stunning! 🤤
Daffodils I aspire to minimalism, but I have a weak spot for sentimentality (what do you mean I need to throw away first positive pregnancy test I got with my DS1?! Not to worry, I did throw it away, but had to it quickly while looking away 🫠)
Pompoms sending coffee.

Ta das:
💪Bathroom decluttered and inside cabinets cleaned
💪Kitchen decluttered
💪LOL on and done
💪Future friended by prepping DS' nursery stuff for tomorrow

Next up is bedroom, and oh my, this will be a job. Tomorrow it will be.

UsernameNotPresent · 15/02/2023 20:42

Hazel that's pants. I hope your DD feels better. Sinusitis is horrible. I am prone to it and I hate it with passion.

DitzyDaffodils · 16/02/2023 00:52

Don't pay them a penny Hazel! That's shocking treatment

UNP you're doing well. Be lovely once you've moved and all the tat is gone

Ta-da's:

🌧️ Morning routine
☔ Went through a box in the porch, found a couple of things that don't belong there and returned them to their rightful place
🌧️ Fixed broken kitchen door that's been hanging off for months
☔ Took in delivery, unpacked and put away
🌧️ Decluttering
☔ Tidied the art cupboard which was chaos
🌧️ Took a walk
☔ Meditation
🌧️ Read my book for a while
☔ Evening routine

UsernameNotPresent · 16/02/2023 11:10

Fledglings hivemind, Dymo labels (standard ones) - would they come off easily from furniture?

EasilyDirected · 16/02/2023 11:24

We have a dymo one and they do peel off things easily enough again, the only thing on wood might be leaving darker marks longer term as the sun fades the wood. I use them on power cables, plastic baskets on kitchen cupboard shelves etc

HillsBesideTheSea · 16/02/2023 11:32

Can sometimes lift finishes off furniture too. I would be cautious in usage.

This was relatable.
the bed, its the bed