There was a time when the entire list of household chores was designated as mine. No longer! I have since learned that you can conscript your entire family into this service, and everyone will be fine with it, albeit with some grumbling here and there.
Nowadays, I have free printable creative chore lists for you that not only make the entire process seamless but also fun. Would you believe that?
Also see: Simplified Cleaning Schedule for Working Moms
The Importance of Having a Household Chore Schedule
Who doesn’t want to live in a clean home? For those of us with children, especially toddlers and young children, maintaining a clean house can seem like something straight out of a science fiction movie.
From the laundry constantly piling up to the dirty dishes that never seem to vacate the kitchen sink, sometimes even having a clean mirror in the house can seem like a tall order. No matter how tiresome it is, keeping a clean house is absolutely necessary.
As a parent of a child who has a best friend with asthma, I’ve found firsthand that a clean home can significantly reduce allergens and asthma triggers. Research by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has also shown that maintaining cleanliness can reduce the chances of falling ill. This isn’t just about appearance; it’s about health. In my own experience, having a clean home means I’m always ready for impromptu guests, and I don’t have to scramble around or apologize for any mess when someone shows up unexpectedly.
However, a clean home and everything that comes with it can prove difficult to maintain if you find yourself doing it all alone. I highly recommend getting everyone on a military-like regimen when it comes to cleaning and other household chores. It’s easier on your back and psyche and rewards you with a clean and hygienic home.
Also See: How to Make a Family Chore Chart that Works
Breaking Down House Chores
In my years of managing a household with children of various ages, I’ve learned that assigning age-appropriate chores is crucial. Trust me, your six-year-old might swear they can clean the gutters, but it’s best to leave that to the adults or older teens. When I create our family’s list of household chores, I break them down into different categories based on age and ability. Here’s a method I’ve developed, backed by experts in child development, to ensure that chores are not only suitable but also contribute to individual growth and family teamwork.
Here’s what I do:
Create Individual Lists
This will allow you to give age-appropriate chores to each family member. If done correctly, there won’t be any undue pressure or perceived unfairness on any one child. However, your teenage daughter will probably still complain, but it is a rite of passage and often expected.
Personalize Household Tasks
The idea here is to play to everyone’s strengths. If you have a child who particularly likes or, at the very least, doesn’t mind washing the dishes, assign that to them. The same goes for sweeping the house, washing the car, mowing the lawn, or even grocery shopping. This way, the appropriately assigned household tasks stand a chance of being done with TLC.
Make the List Amendable
Family members can swap chores, provided everyone knows who’s taking on which chore on behalf of whom. This way, if your teenage daughter has a date on Friday night, she can ask her brother to do the dishes for her, and she can do the laundry for him, and so on. I have found that this ensures that things get done without any excuses.
If you are ready to draft your family members into this service, here’s a comprehensive list of household chores that might help you get started.
Daily Household Chores
Household chores need to be done daily, like washing dishes. After a while, they become part of the routine and hardly feel like a chore at all. These household chores often revolve around cleaning the living spaces and may include:
- Making the bed (everyone should make their own bed every day in the morning; no exceptions)
- Washing the dishes
- Sweeping the house (living room, kitchen floor, and other living areas)
- Cooking meals
- Walking the dog
- Taking out the trash
- Wiping down the kitchen cabinets, dining table, and bathroom sinks
- Vacuuming the carpet or rug
While some of these chores are more personal and should be assigned to the individual, others are more general and can be rotated amongst family members on a daily or weekly basis.
Daily chores become routine and easier the more they are done. If you wipe down the kitchen counter every day, there will be less dust or dirt to clean after a couple of days, making it a breeze for whoever’s on duty.
Weekly Household Chores
Apart from the daily chores, weekly chores call for a bit more care. These include:
- Deep cleaning the house (rugs, seats, carpets, floors, and so on)
- Deep cleaning the bathroom (scrubbing the toilet bowl, sinks, bathtub, and even the wall tiles)
- Washing and changing all the bedding, curtains, and towels
- Meal planning
- Deep-cleaning dirty clothes
- Mowing the lawn
This is where most outdoor chores fall. Things like cleaning the gutters, weeding the flowers, and trimming the hedges are all weekly chores. In many cases, I find it more efficient to include the entire family in these chores. You can make it a fun weekend activity or offer a special reward to get it all done.
Every weekend or so, have the whole gang deep clean and tackle outdoor chores together. It makes for an excellent bonding opportunity for the family.
Also see: Tips from working moms on decluttering your kid’s room
Monthly Household Chores
Monthly chores are mostly heavy-duty tasks. These include:
- Defrosting and cleaning out the freezer
- Deep cleaning the windows and seals
- Deep cleaning all your kitchen appliances
- Cleaning or replacing air conditioner filters
- Deep cleaning furniture
If you have pets, this is when they need to be bathed and groomed.
Miscellaneous Household Chores
Other family chores might not fall under these categories for one reason or another. In many cases, you will find that these are things you only need to do once every so often, maybe even yearly. These should fall under miscellaneous and may not necessarily be assigned to any one person.
You can have the entire family help out, including the younger kids (depending on the chore in question), or you can do what I do and bribe someone to do it.
Admittedly, I use the “I’ll increase your allowance for one week” card way more than I should.
Some of these miscellaneous household chores include:
- Organizing the garage or attic
- Decluttering the house
- Pruning trees
I keep saying that every family is different. As such, this list of household chores will differ from family to family. It’s up to you to customize your own list. The fundamentals should remain the same, though. Assign tasks to individuals who already like doing them and try to make things as fair as possible.
The good thing about all this is that once you create a culture of cleanliness and personal responsibility in your home, it begins to work like clockwork. Adding additional chores to the cleaning schedule or household chore checklist will often go unnoticed or, at the very least, won’t ignite a fight or argument among the siblings when chore time comes around.