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nibblin

for those that follow flylady...

nibblin
18 years ago

i'm curious as to what your daily clean-up chores consist of if you follow the flylady system.

i'm slowly getting my house in order, and it seems like vacuuming (unfortunately) will be on my daily to do list. our floors just get so dirty every day with dh, myself, and 2 pets.

the other things on my list seem to be: kitchen daily, and bathrooms.

what's on your daily cleaning chore list?

how much time do your daily cleanig chores take you?

Comments (11)

  • quiltglo
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you really choose to follow Flylady, you don't think in lists of chores. It's routines you follow at different times of the day.

    Mornings you do just like she says. Dress, make the bed, empty the dishwasher and swish and swipe the bathroom. I do vac the entry hallway, but this takes 30 seconds max. Night is shine my sink, put away laundry, etc.

    See my post on how long will it last, but I keep a family of six running very smoothly on less than 45 min. a day which is divided up between before and after work. This also includes laundry. The only thing I don't count is cooking time, which I often use for zone cleaning time.

    If you are really interested in Flylady, I would suggest you sign up, do like she tells you and after a few weeks start adapting for your own family. The brainwashing of the emails is important, so don't yell, "too many emails."

    Gloria

  • dulcinea
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOL - it is the first time I see "brainwashing" and important in the same sentence...

    I tend to agree though... looking forward to flying when we move in a few weeks for now just de-cluttering.

  • postum
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi - I follow the SHE system - it is the same as Flylady but came out before computers, so you keep all of your jobs on paper (3x5 cards). I tried Flylady, but despite the positive aspects I prefer not to be brainwashed :-) Anyhow, I have been the world's worst housekeeper, so my tasks are pretty sharply defined.

    My morning routine:
    Get dressed, brush hair, etc.
    Get dd up and dressed, make breakfast, get her off to school.
    Make beds.
    Fold pajamas and put under pillows.
    Clear off dining table.
    Put dishes in dishwasher.
    Wipe off counters.
    Vacuum high-traffic areas(I need to vacuum everyday.)
    Straighten bathroom, wipe down.
    Feed dog.
    Put clothes/towels in hamper, generally straighten up.
    Throw in a load of laundry if needed.
    I spray a lot of rosemary oil around the house so it smells fresh when I get home.
    (DD is supposed to make her own bed, feed the dog, etc, but I have to check on these.)

    My husband works at home and is responsible for getting dinner ready. Also, we take turns (by weeks) doing the dishes - I only have to think about them if it is my week.

    After work, my routine is:
    Sort mail.
    Change my clothes.
    Run dishwasher and put away dishes (my week.)
    Clean off counters (AGAIN - neverending chore.)
    Put away laundry.
    Clear off dining table, again (this is our main meeting place and gets covered with mail, toys, etc. everyday. On Flylady you are always supposed to shine your sink, but my touchstone is having the table cleared. I love that every night there is nothing on it but some flowers and a candle.)

    I work part-time and my hours change from day to day. Every night I check my 3x5 cards to see if I've done all my stuff for the day (maybe I'll need to water the plants or something) and then look at my next day's cards to see what's coming up.

    Even on the days when I'm at work for the most hours, I still probably spend at least an hour on housework. I've been doing this for about 6 months and I'm still at the stage where I'm creating spaces for things (I finally realized I need a box for "decorating stuff I'm not sure what to do with yet.") And decluttering years worth of stuff. I find the work much more enjoyable and satisfying now that I have a system - I love going through my cards at night and seeing how much I have accomplished each day! I also make sure to include in my routines exercise (yoga or hiking) and time for personal things (for me, writing.)

    I never do more than 2 hours of housework per day, and that includes my weekly tasks, which include:
    Dusting.
    Thorough vacuuming.
    Sorting toys into right bins (with dd)
    Cleaning floors.
    Scrubbing bathroom.
    Changing bed linen...etc.

    I use the system from the book "Sidetracked home executives : from pigpen to paradise" by Pam Young and Peggy Jones. It has made an incredible impact on my life. I'm just more comfortable with books and paper then computers - at least for this particular part of my life. The book gives you examples of what daily and weekly routines will look like. I just love it!

  • Julie_MI_Z5
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nibblin,

    I have 2 versions of my Flylady evening routines. One is when I'm home at night after work, the other is when I'm not home after work (it's an abbreviated version). Combined with my morning routine, household chores take from 30 minutes to two hours just to maintain what I have already accomplished (DH & DS can't pick up after themselves). Last week I wasn't home after work, then we were gone most of the weekend for a family wedding, so I'm WAY off track today!

    You'll start to figure out what bothers you the most (like your floors) and put that on your daily routine list. For example, I may not dust the living room for a week, but I'll wipe down the kitchen counters and sweep the floor every day.

    Julie
    Home for Presidents Day, doing my washing for George WASHington. LOL!

  • maaikequinn_gmail_com
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I only have my Morning Routine in place. But it's a great one and I actually do it on most days :)

    You can find it here:
    My Morning Routine: short, simple and relaxed

  • jannie
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I read Flyladys website, even bought her book "Sink Reflections". I follow her plan somewhat. Break down home into zones. Easy, I have a three story split level. Bath and bedrooms on top floor; entry, kitchen and dining room in the middle; family room , bath and laundry on the lower level. Three floors = my three zones. Kepp the kitchen sink clean. Easy. I use the kitchen for meals so I go in there at least 5 times a day. No, I don't eat five meals, I count snacks. Work on hot spots 10 minutes or ten items at a time. When my DH was hospitalized in January, I quit doing laundry for a while.I was so worried about him and driving back and forth from the hospital. So, I piled clean and dirty clothes in front of my closet doors. Soon had a giant sized pile of clean and dirty stuff. I've been better now, DH is home. I take ten things out of the pile every day and eaither wash (rewash), put away or donate. The once big pile is now down to 2 small foot-high piles. They'll definitely be gone by the end of the week. Last winter I really had an epiphany regarding Flylady. My bedroom dresser had become the collection area for my entire house. Jewelry (some costume/some expensive), photos, important papers like birth certs and passports, stuff of my kids I was saving to scrap-book, all kinds of clutter. I looked at my dresser, decided I had to go thru piece by piece, guessed there were probably one hundred items. Simple math-if I remove 5 items a day I'll be done in three weeks. Actually took only three days. After the second day, the dresser was looking so good I became ultra enthusiastic and finished the whole darn thing on the third day. And I've kept it clear for a year! Flylady does work, but you have to pick and choose what you'll follow. I don't own lace-up shoes. I have several pairs of slip-on shoes. She (Flylady) says you must get dressed completly to your lace up shoes. Boo to that! Yay to zones! Yay to working hot spots! Boo to reading those emails. Look at everything she offers and take what works for you! I never wrote down a control journal. I just start in the kitchen with my sink, keep dishes done, wipe counters every day, vacuum at least once a week, it all works for me. I think Flylasy would be proud of me, except for the shoes!

  • jannie
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    And here's something I got from an organizing site NOT Flylady: Remember the three D's: dinner, dishes, duds. No matter how dirty, dusty, cluttered your home is, if you just keep the Three D's under control you'll be okay. Make regular nutritious meals , clean up everything when you're done eating, and keep clean clothes and linens available. I sometimes notice laundry backing up, I'll run a load of laundry every day or stuff everything in a bag and go to the laundromat-they have giant machines that do huge loads for like five bucks or you can sort and run three loads at a time.

  • trilobite
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Kind of OT, but I used to live in a small town with a laundry that offered folding services for an extra charge...BUT...if the owner was bored and it was slow, she'd go ahead and sort/fold your stuff anyway, no charge. So nice!

  • mommabird
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have been FLYing for several years.

    AM is swish & swipe the bathroom, throw in a load of laundry, fold the prior night's load that's in the dryer.

    PM is dinner, clean up, shine sink, another load washed/dried.

    That leaves out a lot but it works for me to keep the bathroom clean, kitchen and laundry under control. I do the "heavy lifting" cleaning on weekends, a little at a time.

  • drybean
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm new to this, but I need help. I'm going to sign up for the emails (gulp).

    My question is abouut the bathrooms in the am routines. Do you swish and swipe all bathrooms? I feel like all my bathrooms (2.5) could stand to be cleaned every day.
    But the thought of doing that every day is already putting me off.

    See? I do need help.

  • janetpetiole
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Personally, I feel like cleaning the toilet every day is a little overkill, but having a clean sink is nice. I wipe up the sink when I finish getting ready for the day. I found that cleaning the toilet twice a week is plenty for our family. Keep in mind that it's a lot easier to clean something that is mostly clean, than cleaning something that is dirty.