How To Give Your Spouse a Break From Your Kids
Creating a chores list for yourself and your family is an effective way to ensure all of the necessary household tasks get done in a timely and organized manner. Keeping up with chores helps you not have to do large amounts of cleaning at once. Instead, it enables you to organize your tasks to ensure you do small amounts of chores more frequently.
Doing chores more frequently typically makes each task more manageable and takes less time. So while a chores list might make it seem like you have more to do, it is making it easier for you in the long run by creating less need for deep cleaning.Â
This article will include:
- Why chore lists are important
- Tips for creating a successful chore list
- How to make a chores list
- The ultimate list of chores
Why Chore Lists Are Important
Chore lists are a great way to stay organized and keep a tidy house without burning yourself out. Chore lists allow you to create a schedule for cleaning to ensure you get all of your cleaning done in a timely manner.Â
A chore list helps you allocate time for the chores that often get overlooked and neglected, such as dusting, cleaning the baseboards, decluttering the garage, etc. Adding one or two of these little chores to your list each day or week ensures you don’t end up with an overflow of chores to do all at once.Â
Tips for Creating a Successful Chore List
Include All of the Family Members
Every family member takes part in the dirtying of a house, so it’s only fair that every member does their share of the cleaning. This includes children! Most children over the age of one year old can do simple chores. Of course, it’s important to include age-appropriate chores for each child.Â
Getting a chore chart for your kids is a great way to motivate them and keep them on top of their chores. Chore charts are a great way to teach kids about responsibility and reward. The younger you start including the kids in the household chores, the better! If it’s part of their daily routine, there will likely be less of a fight.Â
Make It Realistic
If your list of chores is too over the top or unreasonable, it’s likely not going to become routine or even get done. Goals of any sort, including ones you set for cleaning your house, must be realistic or attainable, or they are unlikely ever to get accomplished.Â
Ease into a cleaning schedule until it becomes routine and manageable. If your family doesn’t ever do many chores, don’t give them a list a mile long and expect them to do it. And don’t give yourself a list that will burn you out and make you never want to do another chore again.Â
Don’t Skip It If Possible
If you can help, try not to skip out on any chores. Routine only works if it is just that, a routine! Habits are hard to build. They take time and practice. And that includes the habit of getting into doing chores.Â
Change It Up Regularly
Be sure to adjust the chore chart when necessary. If someone struggles with one chore but wants to try another, switching might be good. Also, it might be nice to switch up tasks every once and a while, so no one gets bored or burnt out.Â
One way to do this is to modify every family member’s chore list weekly, month, or quarter. Ask people what they want to do, and see if there’s a way to include it in their list. This might provide more motivation for them to do the chores.Â
Offer A Reward
Rewards are a great motivator, whether for your kids or you! Your kids can practice earning a reward by doing their chores. The reward could be an allowance, an ice cream night, a movie, or any fun experience. For yourself, maybe a self-care day once a week, a massage, or anything that tickles your fancy!Â
How to Make A Chores List
Decide Who All Will Be Included
Before making the chores list, decide who will be a part of the chores. It would be good for you and your family if everyone contributed. Kids can do chores too, even if their task is helping you with yours. Husbands can do outdoor tasks or even simple duties that only take a few minutes if they have a busy work schedule.Â
Choose How You Want to Organize It
There are so many different ways to set up your chores list. You can make a chore list for each family member and create a new one each week. Or you can keep the same set of chores for a month. You can make one extensive to-do list and cross it off as you go. You could organize your chore list by room or by task.Â
Creating your task list might take some trial and error. Try something new each week until you find something that works well for you and your family.Â
Add Your Tasks
After you’ve decided who will be a part of the tasks and how you would like to distribute and organize the chores, it’s time to add in the assignments and pen to paper. Or, in today’s day and age, fingers to keyboard!Â
The Ultimate List of Chores
Daily Chores
Bedrooms:
- Make bed
- Put laundry in the hamper
- Clear the floors and other cluttered areas – tops of dressers, chairs, vanities, beds, etc.Â
Bathrooms:
- Hang towels
- Clear & wipe off counters
- Put things away (hair tools, makeup, clothes on the floor, etc.)Â
Kitchen & Dining Area:
- Clear & wipe off counters & tables
- Empty & cleanout lunchboxes
- Wash & put away dishes
- Sweep/vacuum high-traffic areas
- Take out the trash as needed
- Prepping meals
Living Room:
- Vacuum high-traffic areas
- Put away belongings
Pet Care:
- Refill food & water bowls
- Scoop litterboxes
Miscellaneous & Other Areas:Â
- Home office – wipe down surfaces, pick up belongings
- Playroom – put toys away
- Water plants as needed
Weekly Chores
Bedrooms:
- Wash bedding
- Do laundry
- Vacuum
Bathrooms:
- Sweep & mop
- Wash towels & rugs
- Deep clean & disinfect surfaces – toilet, shower/tub, counters, mirrors, etc.Â
Kitchen & Dining:
- Sweep & mop
- Clean counters & disinfect surfaces
- Clean out the fridge – throw away old food and wash Tupperware
- Clean inside the microwave
- Wash hand towels & rags
Living Room:
- Vacuum
- Spot clean floors & furniture
Pet Care:
- Refill automatic feeders
- Disinfect bowls
- Clean up litterboxes, cages, or pick up droppings from the yard
Miscellaneous & Other Areas:
- Playroom – disinfect toys, re-organize toy bins, etc.Â
- Garage – clean out the cars, take stuff inside, and vacuum
- Trash – empty all trash cans and take the trash to the curbÂ
- Vacuum area rugs throughout the house
- Windex all glass surfaces/mirrors
- Create a grocery list & grocery shop
- Meal prep for the week
- Organize mail & throw out what you don’t need
Monthly Chores
Bedrooms:
- Do a thorough vacuuming – behind chairs, underneath large toys or furniture, etc.Â
- Do a quick organization of your closets, drawers, etc.Â
- Wash pillows, throw blankets, etc.Â
Bathrooms:
- Restock towels, soap, toilet paper, etc.Â
- Clean hard-to-reach areas – behind the toilet, under the sink, etc.Â
Kitchen & Dining:
- Self-clean the dishwasher & oven
- Clean the walls surrounding the counters
- Deep clean the fridge and freezer
- Organize the pantry
Living Room:
- Vacuum hard-to-reach areas – behind the couch, under couch cushions, etc.Â
Pet Care:
- Buy more pet food & supplies
Miscellaneous & Other Areas:
- Garage – organize
- Playroom – do a toy swap, organize the toys
- Adjust and re-set the chore charts
- Dust – fans, blinds, light fixtures, corners, shelves, etc.Â
- Mudroom – organize and declutter
- Clean or replace filters throughout the house
Quarterly Chores (Every Three Months Or So)Â
Bedrooms:
- Shampoo carpetsÂ
- Go through the closets and switch out clothing according to season, fit, etc.Â
Bathrooms:
- Throw out and restock makeup, toothbrushes, other toiletries, and personal care products
Kitchen & Dining:
- Empty and wipe down cupboards, drawers, pantry, etc.Â
- Throw out expired food
Living Room:
- Shampoo carpets/rugs
- Clean underneath couch, rugs, etc.Â
Pet Care:
- Replace bowls & other accessories as needed
Miscellaneous & Other Areas:
- Closets – organize & declutter all closets
- Drawers – organize & declutter all drawers, including junk drawers
- Garage – organize & declutter
- Home office – organize & declutter papers, drawers, files, etc.Â
- Clean baseboards and wipe down walls as needed
- Replace items that are broken
- Do household repairs as needed
Final Thoughts On A Chores List
Creating chore lists or charts for your family is a great way to stay on top of the cleaning and ensure everyone is helping out and doing their part. Keeping a tidy house is much easier if everyone can pitch in. The best part about keeping to a chore list is that the home stays relatively clean, which means the cleaning process is usually pretty fast and easy.Â
Hopefully, this guide can help your family come up with a perfect chore schedule. Use the example above and tweak it to meet your family’s needs. Happy cleaning!Â
This article was produced and syndicated by Parent Portfolio.