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Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink! Paperback – January 1, 2002

4.7 out of 5 stars 2,288 ratings

A book with great ideas and instructions on how to get organized at home and keep your whole house in order. How to not feel overwhelmed in the process.
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0015A4SDO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam (January 1, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.8 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 2,288 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
2,288 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book motivating and informative, with helpful hints for organizing and cleaning. The straightforward approach makes it easy to follow, and customers appreciate the cleaning routines that work in short bursts of time. The book is entertaining and worth the price, with one customer noting how it gently leads to establishing good habits. While customers find it relatable, some mention it can be repetitive.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

186 customers mention "Motivation"183 positive3 negative

Customers find the book encouraging and very motivating to get started, with several mentioning it has changed their lives. One customer notes how it gently leads to establishing good habits, while another describes it as a nice starting point and reminder.

"...Her plan is simple and is based loosely on "The Sidetracked Sisters" works. You take 15 minutes to straighten out an area...." Read more

"...such a shiny kitchen and sink every morning and it really starts my day with a smile. We don’t go to bed until all is shiny in the kitchen" Read more

"...That in and of itself lowers stress levels for me. I feel put-together, comfortable & relaxed, more often than not...." Read more

"...Flylady is motivating, and I love the "control/housekeeping journal"." Read more

180 customers mention "Advice"173 positive7 negative

Customers find the book's advice helpful, particularly its routines that make them more organized and its tips for cleaning and decluttering. One customer notes how it breaks down tasks into small, manageable jobs.

"...Her system was a lifesaver after I had brain surgery." Read more

"...It's been a godsend. Much easier than sorting through magazines or a recipe box full of aging notecards, to find what few dishes I can't actually..." Read more

"...this book, downloading the app and working her system, it has helped my house SO much...." Read more

"...Quick mini pickups, etc., no more than 20 min. The weekly plan is more important...." Read more

78 customers mention "Ease of follow"74 positive4 negative

Customers find the book straightforward and easy to follow, with step-by-step guidance that makes it more doable.

"...Sounds simple, right? So why do you need _this_ book? Because if it were that simple, you would have done it already...." Read more

"...builds up, it really does take less than five minutes to complete...." Read more

"...So 5 mins worked best. She also has routines set for you...." Read more

"...For me, the book was easier to understand than the website, and way better organized, but I can still access the website if I need to...." Read more

69 customers mention "House cleaning"69 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's house cleaning advice, particularly its solid routines and the ability to clean in short bursts of time, helping them reach their organization goals.

"...or two each evening in my home for ambience, because this system isn't just about cleaning, but about creating a really memorable place to reside..." Read more

"...Zone cleaning involves deep cleaning/details, baseboards, the more "nitty gritty things". I am only talking a half hour-45 min or so, no more...." Read more

"...Within a few months the storage lockers were gone, my garage was clean and all my closets were decluttered. It is a miraculous...." Read more

"...I truly love waking up to a clean sink. I can’t believe how important I feel with a control journal. I am focused and dressed...." Read more

28 customers mention "Value for money"28 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be worth the price, with one customer noting it is priceless in what it teaches.

"...But, it was still worth buying, because of the "control journal" part, to set up your cleaning schedule. I call it my "housekeeping journal"...." Read more

"...I'm living proof. Was it worth the money? Yes? Was it worth the time I didn't think I had, to read? Yes...." Read more

"...It is worth the purchase price to have a searchable volume handy without going through a very large website...." Read more

"...This book is worth reading just to motivate us to make changes in our lives, a new way to see house keeping." Read more

21 customers mention "Effectiveness"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's methods effective, with several mentioning that the system works well, and one noting success with the baby steps approach.

"...I read that book 30 years ago and the methods worked well...." Read more

"...Some are tips to make things go quicker, but it really is more of a life-style approach, put in fifteen minutes today, then again tomorrow, etc...." Read more

"The system really works. It's simple and you can start little by little so it's not overwhelming. It has really had an impact in my life...." Read more

"This book really works for me...." Read more

18 customers mention "Fun to read"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining, with one mentioning it's a fun way to get organized.

"...As some other reviewers mentioned, this book is easy and fun to read...." Read more

"...It is encourageing all along the way. It was fun to read and fun to see my sucesses. You will not be sorry if you get this book...." Read more

"...I was hooked and ordered it. I am motivated, excited and feeling quite proud of myself for following her advice on routines and habits to achieve a..." Read more

"...it’s amazing I’m hooked and getting rid of so much stuff. It’s is freeing fun and easy .i feel so driven" Read more

21 customers mention "Relatability"13 positive8 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's relatability, with some finding it realistic and relatable, while others note it is very repetitive.

"...Marla wrote this book to help us get organized in a long-term, realistic way...." Read more

"...There are very repetitive and sometimes offensively preachy parts of this book. The system works though. Do it. Get the app...." Read more

"...The book is written in a way that is relatable, understandable and implementable (I think I just made that word up)...." Read more

"I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to get organized and de clutter! Phenomenal!..." Read more

Not what was pictured
4 out of 5 stars
Not what was pictured
Very clean. However, this doesn’t look like the photo so I’m wondering if there’s a more updated version. This one is 17 yrs old.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2002
    If you're reading this review, you're probably born disorganized and been losing ground ever since;) Or perhaps you should be folding laundry, making the kids lunch or figuring out what's going to be on the dinner table tonight, especially since you took that mystery meat out of the freezer.
    Well, this is the book for you. Marla Cilley's mantra is "you can do anything for 15 minutes" and doggone it, she's right. This isn't one of those quicky fixes that is so often put out by folks whose ideas of straightening up the living room is fanning the magazines out in a nice display on the coffee table. This is for folks that are ear deep in junk (or deeper) and need to get out from under the load of it.
    Her plan is simple and is based loosely on "The Sidetracked Sisters" works. You take 15 minutes to straighten out an area. I know, I know, you're saying "15 minutes! that doesn't even hit on it!" but it's just a beginning. You learn that you don't have to do everything perfect and you don't have to wait until the kids move out or you get that burst of energy you've been hoping for - you just get up and do it.
    Sounds simple, right? So why do you need _this_ book? Because if it were that simple, you would have done it already. Because you need somebody who has been there to help walk you out of there.
    Because getting rid of the clutter has a ripple effect in your life. Because if you read this far, you know you're searching for the answer for your problem. This isn't an easy fix, but your home didn't get to be a mess in one day and it will take more than one day to declutter...unless you_really_ want to maintain the life you're living.
    And you know you don't - so buy it and work the system. You'll probably miss not having mystery meat for dinner, but it's such a small price to pay;)
    28 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2024
    I discovered FlyLady years ago and read her book when it first came out. Her system was a lifesaver after I had brain surgery.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2024
    Interesting reading. Never thought about how my sink makes me feel until I read her book I have never had such a shiny kitchen and sink every morning and it really starts my day with a smile. We don’t go to bed until all is shiny in the kitchen
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2008
    First off, I'll say that the author's beliefs about her god & her expression of them does not bother me. This is America & we are all entitled to express what we believe, and we all know we're not under obligation to agree with each other. So to those offended by what she references (God Breezes, etc.), I don't really understand why that is. Yeah, FlyLady's style can be a little sappy, but that isn't the point- getting your home in the shape you want it to be is the point. Some people are completely & utterly disorganized when they come across this system, their life in chaos. Some people, like me, just need to tweak their habits. There's something here for everyone, IMO. I'm writing a longer review, I'll advise in advance, because I hope it'll help those who are at their wit's end to see that life can be changed into an organized, clean existence.

    This is not just a program for stay-at-home wives & mothers- but it is up to YOU to adapt this system to meet your individual needs. Considering the criticisms of the program, I feel obligated to say that I'm child-free by choice & a single careerwoman who has worked full-time outside the home for many years. (I'm now in college full-time, and believe me, I don't think I could manage that if I didn't follow this system!) Far from being a disorganized clutterbug, I know how to clean a house very nicely, I'm an expert at doing laundry, I never have trouble throwing anything out due to sentimentality & I'm a great cook. Even with all of my housekeeping skills, I grew up learning absolutely no sense of how to maintain daily routines or manage my time, which is what the author is really writing about developing in this book. You can be great at cleaning a house once a week & yet still have a house that looks like crap on a day-to-day basis. I didn't grow up making my bed each morning when I woke up or washing the dishes each night after dinner. Yes, "born-organized" people may think that it's sheer stupidity if you can't figure out that these things must be done daily in order to avoid chaos, but some of us just don't have brains wired to look at a home so logically. Like a lot of kids with single parents, I had very little structure to my life & the chaos was something that followed me into adulthood.

    What FlyLady helped me to do was slowly set up a control journal where I knew what had to be done each day & when. I'm an intelligent person, but trying to keep a house in the midst of working full-time can be very overwhelming, even with no kids or spouse. It can be confusing just to know where to start! Seeing what I need to do when, written out in black-and-white, just made it much more effortless. Step-by-step my chores are laid out before me already, and simply not having to put much thought into what I need to do next makes a task that much easier to perform. Before I knew it these habits were so routine that they didn't seem like much of an effort to perform. I was able to work on building a habit at a time until my life & home were the way I wanted it- she doesn't pressure you to do everything at once.

    In my Control Journal, I keep college-ruled lined paper, my list of family & friends' contact info & birthdays, a portable calendar, a list of daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly chores, an emergency evacuation plan, a copy of my medical/surgical history & a copy of my Advance Directive (also known as a Durable Power of Attorney or living will in other areas). I carry this w/ me virtually everywhere- I have a nice zippered folio w/ a handle to make it easier. I also carry a sheet of postage stamps, three or four address labels, a couple of business envelopes & thank-you cards w/ matching envelopes, so that I can get paperwork done on-the-go. The medical/surgical history sheet is something that EVERYONE should carry with them- believe me, paramedics & hospital staff are grateful to have this, and if you're ill or unable to speak, having the info written down is a must!

    Paper clutter is now non-existent in my life. My file cabinet is neat, with everything labeled on both the hanging file folders & manila folders. I promise, it's worth taking a day or two out of your busy schedule to set a file cabinet up, so that you'll be organized in this area forever. My bills get paid on time because they are all kept in one place & it's marked on my calendar when they have to be paid. I go through one folder or desk drawer a night to keep clutter at bay. Magazine subscriptions don't exist for me anymore, I never read newspapers & I throw out receipts after 30 days unless there's a valid reason not to (such as having a warranty that's still active on the item). I took a few minutes online & on the phone to remove myself from junk mail, catalog mailings & pre-approved offers. (These removal services are easy to locate & usually free or nominal in charge to utilize.) I go through my new mail every evening, dump the junk in the trash at once, deal with the rest immediately (make any phone calls, write emails, type any needed letters up, pay a bill, file any paper appropriately which has to be kept, whatever's needed), listen to & clear my voicemail daily & read my emails twice a day. I have a big wall calendar next to my desk, situated where I can read & write on it easily. I check the calendar once in the morning & once more at night to make sure that I don't forget anything. I use Google Calendar, which is nicely synced up to Gmail, in order to serve as a digital & more detailed source of reminders of things that I have to get done. The minute that I have something which I recall I need to get done or know something needs to be purchased, it gets put in my calendars.

    When I wake up, I make my bed first thing, which is easy to do since I just have a comforter with a duvet cover on it & my pillows to straighten up. I always have a good amount of time in the a.m. to set out anything that needs to thaw from the freezer for dinner that night, to enjoy my coffee & breakfast, check my email & balance my checkbook. Then I work out for 30-60 minutes, brush my teeth & use mouthwash, shower, dress to lace-up shoes, apply my makeup & style my hair every morning. I lay tomorrow's clothes out after I get dressed each morning, earrings & shoes included. My goal is to always feel prepared for any emergency or event that could come up- and having my face "fixed up", my hair styled & being dressed all the way to wearing comfortable shoes MAKES me prepared. I don't wear clothes that I wouldn't feel comfortable going out in public & being seen in, even if I plan to be home all day- one never knows when an emergency can come up & they'll need to be presentable to others. I now go to bed by ten p.m. at night & get up on time easily without terrible exhaustion, since I get enough sleep.

    To help w/ streamlining my life, I've developed a simple outfit that helps me transition to virtually every situation. I wear a short-sleeved cotton polo shirt in a color that's complimentary to my looks, black pants & black lace-up sneakers, almost every day. A simple pair of earrings is typically my only accessory. I can then add a black jacket, vest, sweater or coat, if I need to layer clothes for extra warmth. While it sounds kind of boring, it is actually enjoyable to always be comfortable, yet pulled-together. I always wear an apron while cooking or doing heavier-duty cleaning, to protect my clothes from stains. I wear socks every day, so that I can apply foot cream each morning- my feet definitely thank me for both this moisturizing habit & wearing comfy shoes all the time! I carry a small cross-body bag which holds my stainless steel water bottle, mini-umbrella & the minimum of what I need to carry w/ me at all times. This is the easiest type of purse on my arms, shoulders & back. There is no such thing as too much simplification or pain relief!

    The two bathrooms in my home get a daily swish-and-swipe that takes about three minutes per room- each morning I wipe down the mirror (not usually the whole thing- just in the spots where it needs it), then the vanity, the top of the toilet bowl & around the toilet w/ Windex, swish the toilet bowls w/ a toilet brush & a little Pine Sol, spray Lysol Disinfectant on the door handles, faucets & toilet handle, take out any trash & change the towels (if needed). When done daily, I promise that so little dust, hair, lint, etc., builds up, it really does take less than five minutes to complete. After my morning shower I always wipe down the shower tile & bathtub with an inexpensive clean white hand towel. This keeps me from EVER having to do heavy-duty bathroom cleaning. I run a small personal fan in the bathroom for a few hours each day to completely prevent mold & mildew in the first place.

    I straighten up the living & dining room quickly each day- replacing tea light candles that have burned out, brushing fur off of my kitty's favorite sleeping spots, fluffing throw pillows, folding any throw blankets & then just spritzing some Febreze Room Spray & Fabric Refresher for that extra-nice touch of fragrance. I consider this to be time spent "equalizing my space", and it takes under five minutes each day to perform. I light a candle or two each evening in my home for ambience, because this system isn't just about cleaning, but about creating a really memorable place to reside in.

    Every morning before breakfast I unload the dishwasher. (That alone made a gigantic difference in my home's calm look & feel.) I load the dishwasher throughout the day as dishes get dirty & run it every evening. Every night after dinner I wash any dirty pots & pans, wipe down the counters & stovetop with all-purpose cleaner & a white cleaning cloth, shine my sink, change the kitchen towels, fill up a fresh water bottle for the next day to leave in the fridge overnight, feed my cat & give her fresh ice water.

    I do one load of laundry each morning- it never, ever gets out of hand. No matter how tired or busy I am, I discipline myself to put the laundry away when it's dry, as well.

    Every night before getting too tired, I clean my eyeglasses & the pair of earrings that I'm going to wear tomorrow; brush & floss my teeth, then use mouthwash; remove my eye makeup; cleanse, tone & moisturize my face. I drink a cup of Yogi Bedtime tea & read for fifteen minutes a night- this routine helps signal to my brain that it's time to wind down & prepare for sleep. Right before bed, I apply hand cream & lip balm. Now, all of these habits weren't built happen overnight- they took a few years time to develop, and with plenty of trial-and-error to see what worked well for me.

    I follow a simple schedule to get the necessary weekly things done, too. On Mondays I do what FlyLady calls a Weekly Home Blessing Hour. For me this consists of changing the sheets (15 mins. for the two beds in my home), dusting throughout the house with a couple of microfiber dusting mitts (15 mins.), vacuuming all of the flooring (20-25 mins.), and mopping the vinyl flooring w/ a Sh-Mop (5 mins.). Tuesday is for computer maintenance, when I clean the computer screen & keyboard, clear my browsing history, run Disk Defrag & Cleanup, back up my files, run my anti-virus scan & delete unneeded docs/pics/music on the computer. (I do this stuff between other things, since running each program is kind of time-consuming.) Wednesday is also Anti-Procrastination Day, when I do at least one thing (like making a dentist appt., writing a thank-you note, etc.) that I've been putting off. Thursday is for the "Kitchen Clean-Up", when I cull through herbs & spices (if they're more than 18 months old, out they go- yes, I date mine when I buy them), de-clutter & quickly wipe down my fridge, pantry, washer & dryer and wash the microwave turntable. I refill the sugar bowl & salt shaker, too. Friday is when I clean out & re-stock any needed supplies in my wallet, purse & office in a bag. (I keep a list of the supplies for both my office in a bag & my purse, so I always know what should be in them.) This day is also when I clean out the family vehicle- wipe down the outside of the windshield & windows, dust the dashboard & seats, brush down/shake out the car mats & take out any trash. I typically use Saturdays for calling, entertaining or visiting family members or friends. I take a rest day from both homework for college and heavy housework on Sunday. Sunday is my day for spiritual reflection and personal relaxation (such as reading an enjoyable book). It's also my pampering day- in the morning I trim & file my nails, shave, groom my eyebrows, etc.- things that are a part of weekly body care. Contrary to my old belief system, having this set of routines doesn't imprison me- it actually set me free to do the things I really want to in my life, with no guilt about the state of my home weighing on my conscience. I balance play with work.

    I also have learned to take care of myself much better. FlyLady's suggestions are simple but powerful. I don't smoke cigarettes or drink alcoholic beverages even socially. The one suggestion that she really pushes consistently is to drink water throughout the day. I carry a 16 oz. stainless steel water bottle with me everywhere I go. I aim to drink at least 64 oz. worth of water a day. Staying hydrated has eliminated the migraine headaches which I used to get & lowered my fatigue levels. I love the 16 oz. stainless steel water bottle that FlyLady sells. They don't leak, sweat or lose coldness at all. I've worked out since I was twelve years old, but my goals were short-sighted when I was younger. Before FlyLady, exercise was all about trying to lose weight or reach a certain dress size. Now, it's about creating long-term health, energy & fitness. Taking a fifteen-minute walk each day is a whole lot better than doing nothing, after all! Dressing the body that I have now beautifully & wisely is what I aim for- I don't look at Hollywood's images of women & think that's what I should strive to be anymore. I cook from scratch nearly every night for supper, always eat a balanced diet & never eat fast food. On the subject of health, my stress level is much lower now (and it's even reflected in my consistently normal blood pressure levels, which used to be on the cusp of being too high). Maybe it's just aging, but I've learned to prioritize in my mind what's important & what's not, and to let the small stuff roll off my back. I believe that utilizing this system is a huge part of that change. I don't panic if the maintenance man or a friend needs to drop by. That in and of itself lowers stress levels for me. I feel put-together, comfortable & relaxed, more often than not. I pretty much knew what needed to be done before, sure- but I needed a SYSTEM of when to do it. That is what Flylady helps you to do. Even if I miss a day of routines due to illness or something else that came up, I know exactly what I need to do to get my home back on track.

    I've learned to be better prepared for emergencies & daily life, just in general. I bought a well-stocked soft first-aid kit for home (plus one for work), and check it twice a year (January and July 1st) to make sure that nothing has expired, and to replace anything needed. I put together a list of emergency phone #'s/addresses for our local hospital, the vet office my cat goes to, our family doctor (in case there was an emergency, I want to be able to reach them immediately, without having to scour the internet or a yellow pages book), etc. I also went through my old recipes & cookbooks. The good recipes that I use at least once a year were kept, but MANY cookbooks were donated, because I had never used them. I'd kept these things for YEARS thinking "I might one day need these cookbooks, if I was to start entertaining on a grand scale". Yeah...if it hasn't happened by now, chances are it never will. And with the Internet available, there is simply no need to keep anything but family recipes that TRULY are nowhere on the internet and that I actually cook or bake. There is little that's more frustrating than wanting to make a particular dish & being unable to find the recipe because it's hidden amongst dozens of magazine cut-outs, old cookbooks & an ancient recipe box. The good recipes that I kept, I simply typed up in my Word program, printed out, three-hole-punched, then put in a three-ring binder. I used dividers to separate them by their general category (chicken, dessert, vegetable dishes, etc.) and put the recipes in alphabetical order. It's been a godsend. Much easier than sorting through magazines or a recipe box full of aging notecards, to find what few dishes I can't actually make from memory.

    I will end by saying that many of us grew up in chaotic homes where we never established the habits, household and otherwise, that made our lives feel safe, stable and secure. On an emotional level, I think that this book is helpful to those of us who never got to make these "simple" things habit. It has nothing to do with intelligence- it has everything to do with how we are programmed. The cool part is, we can reprogram ourselves, even as adults. If you want to get some order & good habits established in your chaotic life, I don't see how this book could be anything but helpful.
    148 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2025
    Flylady is the best. I’ve been following her online since the time when social media = Yahoo Groups, and wanted to have her loving wisdom in hard copy for quick and easy reference. She has been creating community online and changing lives one babystep and one at a time for over 20 years. Progress, not perfection. Slow and steady wins the race.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2024
    My DIL introduced me to The Fly Lady, and after reading this book, downloading the app and working her system, it has helped my house SO much. I highly recommend this if you are struggling with clutter and/or trying to keep your house clean.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Amazonカスタマー
    5.0 out of 5 stars It has changed my life.
    Reviewed in Japan on June 21, 2013
    This book has changed my life. It's a wonder Flylady has not arrived in Japan though it has been so popular in US and around the world. Now I have lots of friends around the world to FLY together in many ways! I'm so grateful to this marvelous lady Marla Cilley and her followers which are now my precious friends of my life. Visit Facebook after you read this. You'll find thousands of Flybabies who will happily Fly with you!! You, your family and your home will never be the same again. ;-)
  • ORDEN CASA BAMBÚ
    5.0 out of 5 stars bueno
    Reviewed in Spain on April 7, 2021
    FlyLady nos enseña un método de orden muy peculiar, y escenificado en la vida americana sin embargo, hay muchísimas cosas que podemos poner en práctica. Un método muy bueno y recomendable .
    Report
  • sunita
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in India on September 30, 2015
    Excellent book. Life transforming!!
  • (nom)?
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book’fast shipping
    Reviewed in Canada on December 10, 2024
    Great seller
  • Kerrie Kean
    5.0 out of 5 stars The item arrived in good time and in excellent condition.
    Reviewed in Australia on June 18, 2022
    This book came highly recommended from several people who post vlogs on cleaning systems and routines on Youtube.
    I found the book to be everything that is was described to be.

    The system and rationale for the system of cleaning were very clearly stated. And all with humour, and a very no nonense approach.

    It would be good for those who currently are overwhelmed by a messy house as well as those who have their home in reasonable order as the system shows how to set up a system, and how to maintain it.