How to create a household chores checklist

Key steps:

• Set up an Excel spreadsheet or Google Drive document to track cleaning tasks and share with other members of your household.

• There are a variety of apps available to download to help you manage your house chores.

• Remember to always make sure your cleaning cupboard is stocked up.

One of the best housekeeping tips for homeowners is to create a home chores list. A household chores checklist can be very helpful when it comes to managing regular housework – especially if you have kids! So make yourself comfortable and check out our top housekeeping tips for housework made easy.

Tick off cleaning tasks on your household chores list as you finish the jobs for each room. This makes it easier to delegate tasks to family members – you could give each person the responsibility of cleaning one room to get your chores list done quicker.

Tips for daily house chores

These house chores include general maintenance to keep your home looking tidy, along with cleaning areas that could pose a health risk or encourage the growth of mold, mildew, or bacteria. Here are the home chores you and your family should be doing on a daily basis:

• Make the beds. All you really need to do is place the pillows at the head of the bed, smooth out the bottom sheet, and drape the blanket or duvet on top. And if you have children, this is one of the easiest household chores for kids to get in the habit of doing each morning.

• Sort the dishes. If you’ve got a dishwasher, empty it of clean dishes so that it’s ready to be filled with today’s dishes. If you wash dishes by hand, it’s always best to tackle them straight away after you’ve eaten, so the stains don’t have a chance to really soak in.

• Sweep the kitchen. Kitchen floors are epic breeding grounds for germs and bacteria. Small pieces of food accidentally drop without you noticing. At the end of each day, grab a broom and just give the floor a quick sweep to remove anything that shouldn’t be there. It’ll take two minutes at the most and, with a little music, this can be a fun activity for the entire family!

• Wipe the kitchen counter. Whether you’ve spilt anything on the counter or not, it’s always worth wiping down the surfaces to remove any drips, spills, or sticky residue. Add this to your list of household chores for couples to trade off every night or for family members to take turns doing. Again, this takes no time at all, especially if you use a good surface cleaner, such as Cif – just follow the directions on the label of your cleaning product and test it in a small area first.

• Put clothes away. It’s so easy to take clothes off the washing line or drying rack and say, ‘I’ll put those away tomorrow.’  Before you know it, you’re dwarfed by a mountain of clothes. It’s much quicker and easier to put clothes away as soon as they’re dry, so as to keep the messy piles at a minimum.

• Wipe the bathroom surfaces. Put the bathroom on your list of household chores for couples so that you aren’t solely responsible for this room. Wipe the bathroom surfaces with a multipurpose cleaning product (make sure to read the label and test it in a small area first). Daily bathroom cleaning can prevent mold growth and stubborn limescale build-up which, if left to accumulate, become harder to remove.

• Vacuum Common Areas. You don’t need to vacuum every room every day, but it’s a good idea to vacuum areas you spend a lot of time in, such as the living room, the kitchen, and the dining room.

Weekly house chores

This is when a household chores chart for family members really comes in handy. By dividing up household chores, family members can try different ones on different days of the week. Here are some of the house chores that should be done on a weekly basis:

• Vacuum all areas. A thorough vacuum session should involve all carpet floors (and wooden floors if you have a soft brush attachment), any rugs, including the underside of the rug, and your curtains.

• Clean the toilet. Not the most pleasant part of the household chores list, but certainly one of the easiest. Apply a powerful cleaner, like Domex, to the bowl, including the sides and under the rim, and leave for the time instructed on the label. Flush and use a toilet brush to remove any stubborn stains. Finally, use a clean cloth or sponge to clean the outside of the toilet.

• Clean the bath and shower. Cleaning your bath and shower regularly can help reduce dirty marks created by soap residue that has dried. For showers, rinse the curtain or glass door while showering to remove any soap or shampoo. Wipe the glass with white wine vinegar when you’re finished to remove any smears and smudges.

• Do the laundry. If you’ve got kids at home, you may be thinking ‘laundry just once a week – you’ve got to be joking!’ The truth is, you should wash your clothes whenever necessary, but at the very least, once a week. Laundry is a great option if you’re looking for household chores for kids! Ask your children to throw their dirty clothes in the basket every day and take turns folding their clothes.

• Empty the fridge. Before doing your weekly grocery shopping, spend a few minutes looking through your fridge and dispose of anything past its expiration date. And if any items are looking moldy or smelling a bit off, chuck those in the trash, as well!.

Using a household chores list is a great way of keeping on top of your daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning schedule. It allows you to divide your time between chores and relaxation and helps you protect the health of both you and your family.

Do you want to learn which household cleaning tasks cause the most stress?  Then read our Heated Household data analysis.