I hate chores. There, I said it. I really, really hate doing chores around the house. I would much rather curl up on the couch with a good book or spend time writing.
But, alas, life does not work that way and someone has to do the chores. So, in an effort to be fair (and maybe even get some help from family members), I have created a list of household chores for everyone in the family!
This master list of chores is ever-evolving, but it’s a great starting point for making sure that everyone in the household is pitching in and doing their fair share.
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- Importance of keeping a list of household chores
- How to make a household chores list
- Cleaning Checklist for all the Family
- Who should do what chores
- Daily household chores
- Weekly household chores
- Monthly household chores
- Seasonal household chores
- Household chores for kids
- How to make household chores fun
- Wrapping up the list of household chores
- Cleaning Checklist for all the Family
Importance of keeping a list of household chores
As Andy Rooney said, “Everyone wants to live on top of a mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it”.
The same goes for chores around the house – sure, no-one actually wants to do them, but at the end of the day, everyone feels better when the house is clean.
So, even though it may be a hassle to keep track of who is doing what, it’s important to do so.
Not only will this help to make sure that the chores are actually getting done, but it will also help to avoid arguments about who should be doing what.
And what happens if these domestic tasks don’t get done? Well, if your house isn’t clean, you’re looking at a whole load of problems, not just a messy space.
Cleaning the house helps to ward off illness, as a clean environment is less likely to harbour bacteria. It can help to reduce stress, improve your mood, and make it a more pleasant place to be.
Who doesn’t love coming home to a clean house? !
How to make a household chores list
The first thing you need to do is sit down with your family and figure out what tasks need to be done. This will obviously vary from family to family, but you’ll find a list of household chores below that you can work from.
Once you’ve got a good idea of what needs to be done, you can start assigning tasks to each family member. Be sure to take into account everyone’s age and ability when making your assignments – there’s no point giving your two-year-old the task of taking out the trash!
I recommend using a family chores chart. This is basically a list of personal chores for each member of the family, with a space for each day, week, month or season.
You can either make your own or download my free printable household chores checklist(see below!). Once you’ve got your chore chart, simply write down which tasks need to be done on which days, months or seasonally.
You can also assign specific tasks to specific family members. For example, Monday could be ‘Mom’s day for laundry’, Tuesday could be ‘Dad’s day for vacuuming’, and so on.
How often the tasks need to be done will also vary from family to family. Some tasks, like taking out the trash, need to be done every day, while others can be done once a week or even once a month.
Who should do what chores
Keeping your home a healthy haven isn’t just dad’s job, or mom’s job. It’s everyone’s responsibility.
So, how do you figure out who should be doing what? Well, there are a few things to take into account.
First of all, think about your family’s individual strengths and weaknesses. Are there any tasks that someone is particularly good at or enjoys doing, or even better, loves doing? If so, assign those tasks to them!
For example, if your daughter loves animals, she could be in charge of feeding the cat. Or, if your son loves meal prep, he could arrange everyone’s lunches each morning.
Another thing to consider is everyone’s age and ability. Age-appropriate chores should be assigned. Obviously, a five-year-old isn’t going to be able to do the same chores as a fifteen-year-old.
A fun way of deciding who does what within the home is to put chores into a hat and everyone chooses one at a time. Or if you’re creative, make a ‘spin the wheel’ type game where everyone has to complete the chore that the arrow points to when it stops!
If you want to avoid arguments, you could set up a cleaning schedule or chart where everyone takes turns doing different tasks. This is especially helpful if there are specific tasks that no-one really wants to do (in my case, that’s the ironing!).
So, let’s get down to business and take a look at some specific household chores that need to be done.
A list of household chores: This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it covers the main tasks that need to be done in most households.
Daily household chores
Daily chores are the tasks that need to be done on a daily basis, or at least most days, in order to keep your house clean and running smoothly. These chores are generally quick and easy to do, but they make a big difference to the overall cleanliness of your home.
Here’s an example of a daily chore list:
- Make the beds
- Wash dirty dishes
- Take out the trash
- Wipe down kitchen countertop
- Quick run of a hand-held vacuum anywhere necessary
- Do a load of dirty laundry
- Feed pets
- Give the kitchen sink a quick wash
- Prepare lunches for school/work
- Organise the mail
- General tidy of high-traffic areas
- Clean out pet litter boxes
Weekly household chores
Weekly chores are the tasks that need to be done once a week, or at least every few days. These chores generally take a bit longer to do than daily chores, but they’re still relatively simple and shouldn’t take more than an hour or two to complete.
Here is a weekly chore list to get you started:
- Vacuuming/sweeping floors
- Mop the kitchen floor and bathroom floor
- Clean bathrooms
- Change bed sheets and towels
- Shop for groceries and household essentials
- Meal preparation
- Clean out fridge and freezer
- Clean kitchen appliances, e.g. microwaves, coffee makers
- Dust surfaces
- Take recycling to the relevant centres
- Mow the lawn
- Wash bedsheets, bath towels, bathroom rugs and kitchen towels
- Iron clothes
- Sort laundry
- Put away clean clothes
Monthly household chores
Your monthly chores tend to be the ones that take the longest to complete, but they only need to be done once a month, or every few weeks. This means that you can either set aside a day or two to knock them all out at once, or spread them out over the course of a month.
A monthly chore list looks something like this:
- Clean out car
- Pulling weeds in the garden
- Deep cleaning of each household room
- Wash duvet covers and pillows
- Vacuum furniture
- Wash window sills
- Check expiry dates on food in pantry, fridge and freezer
- Clean make-up brushes
- Clean windows
- Clear out medicine cabinet and dispose of expired meds carefully
- Clean fireplace (not necessary every month during summer)
Seasonal household chores
Ah the seasonal household chores. These are the ones that you only need to do a few times a year, but they generally take quite a bit of effort. Spring cleaning is probably the most well-known seasonal chore, but there are others that need to be done throughout the year as well
A few examples of seasonal chores include:
- Flip mattresses
- Plant seeds in the garden
- Declutter wardrobes and take to charity shop
- Get rid of any broken appliances, toys, etc
- Clean out gutters
- Clear out kitchen cabinets
- Check the smoke detectors and change batteries if necessary
- Have carpets and curtains professionally cleaned (if you can’t do this yourself)
- Check the seals on windows and doors
- Replace air conditioner air filters
Household chores for kids
Children chores are a great way to teach kids responsibility, organisation and the importance of helping out around the house. It’s important to give kids age-appropriate chores that they can realistically complete without too much difficulty. You can start with simple tasks and gradually increase the difficulty as they get older and more capable.
Here are some ideas for children’s chores:
- Pick up after themselves
- Put toys away
- Help make bed in the morning
- Help washing dishes (non-breakable depending on age)
- Wipe down surfaces with a damp cloth
- Sweep floors
- Pack away groceries
- Water plants
- Set/clear the table
How to make household chores fun
House chores aren’t fun. Simple as. But there are ways to make them a little bit more bearable, even if you can’t get out of doing them altogether.
One way to make household chores more fun is to turn them into games. For example, see how fast you can vacuum the whole house, or who can put all their toys away the quickest. You could also have a competition to see who can do the best job of dusting surfaces or mopping the floor.
Another way to make household chores more fun is to blast some music and get the family dancing through the house as you tidy up. This get’s everyone involved, and it’s a lot more fun than doing chores alone.
Finally, you could try turning household chores into a reward system. For example, if the whole family helps with the cleaning for a couple of hours, then you can all go out for dinner or a fun night of bowling.
Wrapping up the list of household chores
Everyone has a role to play when it comes to keeping a tidy home, from the heads of the household to the littlest ones, there’s a chore out there for everyone.
With a little bit of organisation, even the most tedious household tasks can be made bearable – and maybe even fun! Who knows, you might even find yourself enjoying the satisfaction of a job well done.
Don’t forget to download my free printable chore list to help you get started!
