Household chores — a helpful list for parents
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Highlights:
-Household chores can typically be broken down into daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal/occasional tasks.
-Making a chores checklist lets you keep track of the tasks that need doing, and it also helps ensure that work is being divided fairly among household members.
-The household chores lists below cover all the most common tasks, but you’ll want to make your own customized list so that it matches your specific situation.
Keeping up with household tasks can feel like a never-ending battle. There are always dishes to be done, laundry to be folded, and knickknacks to be stashed away. And even when all the daily chores get done, there likely are still some deep-cleaning tasks to keep you busy! But fear not: With a little advance planning, you can get a handle on all the chores that need doing.
These household chores lists will help you prepare for a more efficient (and hopefully more enjoyable) household maintenance experience.
All the household chores, divided into 4 handy lists 🧼
Without further ado, here’s a roundup of typical household chores that you’ll likely need to include on your ultimate household chores list. Not all of these apply to every household, and the frequency of the chores might change depending on your preferences.
For simplicity, let’s break these down into daily chores, weekly chores, monthly chores, and seasonal chores/occasional household tasks.
Daily chores list 🧽
Daily chores are best handled, well, daily 😉 These tasks are pretty much essential to maintain a clean-ish household, although some may not be required every single day.
Washing dishes
Loading/unloading the dishwasher
Sweeping the kitchen floor
Wiping down the countertops
Taking out the trash (when it’s full)
Cooking meals
Preparing lunches for kids
Feeding pets
Walking dogs/scooping cats’ litter boxes
Making beds
Tidying up
Checking the mail
Weekly chores list 🧹
Weekly chores include a bit more deep cleaning of the kitchen and cleaning of bathrooms and floors. Some of these tasks are must-dos every week (i.e., grocery shopping), while others may vary in frequency requirements depending on your household situation and your own preferences.
Cleaning bathrooms
Taking trash and recycling out to the curb or alley
Sweeping and mopping hard floors
Cleaning the kitchen (wiping down stovetop, microwave, fridge, etc.)
Grocery shopping
Weekly meal planning
Replacing dish towels and hand towels
Dusting household surfaces
Vacuuming carpets
Changing bed sheets and bedding
Loading the washing machine and dryer — towels, bed sheets, clothes
Folding laundry
Weeding the garden (in spring and summer)
Mowing the lawn (in spring and summer)
Decluttering living spaces
Monthly chores list 🗓
Monthly chores often involve deeper cleaning tasks, as well as odd jobs that just aren’t necessary too frequently. It’s often a good idea to set aside a “cleaning day” once a month or so to tackle some of these more time-consuming chores, although some folks prefer to chip away at this list a little at a time.
Deep cleaning the kitchen (scrubbing the stovetop, scrubbing the kitchen floor, polishing faucets, cleaning the oven, etc.)
Deep cleaning the bathroom (cleaning the shower, scrubbing the bathroom floor, etc.)
Deep cleaning the living room (dusting window sills, wiping down all surfaces, etc.)
Cleaning out the fridge
Washing bedspreads and other linens in the guest room
Bathing pets
Dusting/cleaning light fixtures
Dusting/cleaning the baseboards
Checking for mold and mildew in moist areas (bathroom, kitchen, etc.)
Organizing and decluttering throughout the home
Washing cars
Vacuuming car interiors
Seasonal chores list /occasional household tasks 🍂
These less-frequent chores may come about seasonally or otherwise infrequently, but they’re still important as part of long-term maintenance and household care.
Cleaning gutters
Decluttering and cleaning the garage
Detailing/deep cleaning vehicle interiors
Going through dry goods and canned food to check expiration dates
Spring cleaning/deep cleaning the entire household
Checking and replacing air filters and HVAC components
Cleaning furniture upholstery
Washing windows and building exteriors
Checking batteries in smoke detectors
Draining water heater tank water sediment
Storing/decluttering seasonal clothing
Conducting preventative pest control
Cleaning patio furniture and patio/deck
Cleaning sidewalks and shared spaces
Organizing and decluttering throughout the home
How to plan out a household chores list 💡
The first step of any good household chores plan is to make a chores checklist of all the tasks you need to accomplish — along with how often you’d like those chores to be done. From there, you can start splitting up work between family members. A chore chart or chore schedule can help everyone visualize what needs to get done.
If you have kids, you might want to consider tying chores to their allowances. This can encourage your kids to contribute more to household maintenance.
Every household will choose to structure their household chores plan differently, but here are some general tips to keep in mind:
Divide chores equitably: Whether you live with a partner, roommates, kids, or all of the above, it’s important to divide up chores equitably between all household members.
Utilize strengths and preferences: When divvying up tasks, be sure to consider each household member’s individual strengths, preferences, and ability levels. For instance, maybe Dad loves to cook and is great at it but hates washing dishes. Maybe Mom can commit to cleaning up after dinner each night so these common daily chores are divided fairly.
Get kids involved: If you have kids in your household, be sure to get them involved in household chores. At a minimum, they should be helping clean up their own spaces (bedrooms, play areas, etc.). As kids get older, they’ll benefit from taking on more responsibility around the house. You can tie their allowance to their chores or offer bonus perks if they complete additional tasks beyond their required chores list. The Greenlight app makes it simple to reward kids for completing chores, while also helping them learn how to manage their own finances.
Batch similar tasks: To save time and be more efficient, it’s a good idea to “batch” similar tasks. For instance, if you’re mopping the kitchen floor, you might as well mop the living room and bathroom floors while you’re at it — even if you don’t have time to do a full deep clean of the bathroom and living room.
Outsource as needed: There’s nothing wrong with paying someone else to tackle chores that you’re unable to do or that you simply don’t want to do. If you have the room in your budget, hiring a cleaner, yard care professional, or other outside helper can reduce your stress level if you feel overwhelmed by balancing work, life, and household responsibilities.
Print out chores lists and schedules: If you have kids or if you’re someone who enjoys visual organization, it’s a good idea to print out cleaning checklists and chore schedules. You can find printable chores checklists online, or create your own. Prefer to go digital? Within the Greenlight app, kids and parents can work together to tackle chores lists and even mark tasks complete once they’re finished.
Reward yourself (and your kids): Nobody loves chores, but everyone loves treats and rewards! If you can pair something fun with those long deep-cleaning days, you can perhaps enjoy the process more. For instance, maybe you order takeout once a month on your monthly chores day or help your kids earn money toward a fun purchase when they help out with chores.
Planning ahead helps make household chores easier.
Just like with most things in life, organization is key — help make chores and cleaning tasks more efficient and free up more of your time for the things you love. Add your household chores to Greenlight, and let the whole family join in on the fun.
Download the Greenlight chores and allowance app for kids and teens today to make chores extra fun.
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