Household chores — a helpful list for parents

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.

Don't have Greenlight? Download the chores and allowance app for kids and teens today to make chores extra fun. Try your first month, on us.