Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay If I do not have a to-do list, I can quite happily waste my day playing games on my phone, watching TV, or just focusing on distractions that life throws my way. If it is a day when I know I am going to be busy with other things, I can easily ignore the chores that need to be done. Of course, there are days when I really have no time to devote to house cleaning, ...

but there are also days when I just do not know what chores I should do or how to prioritize those chores. Since I started using this chore chart many years ago, I find that I am able to jump into house cleaning first thing in the morning and gain a sense of accomplishment as I check off each item. Usually, I can have four or five daily tasks checked off before breakfast. I have altered the chart often depending on my current needs. When I was working full time, I did my weekly tasks every two weeks or so. I hope that with a few changes, this chart can work for all of you and help you keep up with maintaining a home.

Click on chart for printable version

I print off one chart each month. The first week, after I complete each chore, I draw a line through each check box. The next week I draw an X over the check boxes. I use a highlighter on the third week, and completely fill in the box on the fourth. This way, I can get four weeks of daily and weekly jobs from each sheet. Depending on how busy I am, I can usually check off all the daily chores, but there has yet to be a month where every single task on the page has gotten done. That would be an ideal way to keep house, but for me it just is not feasible. I try to stick by the rule that if a job is missed one day, I ignore it unless I have some spare time to make it up. For example, if I do not clean bathrooms on Wednesday, I will not do them on Thursday unless the floors are finished. It is better to skip a chore than to keep falling behind trying to catch up. I have written out below what each task consists of for me in the hopes that the chart will make sense to you all.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Daily Chores – each chore is done every day

1. Wash Up/Dress – I know this seems like an odd thing to be included in the chore chart, but it keeps me from doing housework in my pajamas or forgetting to brush my teeth!
2. Make Bed – I am amazed at how much better I feel about the upcoming day when I start by making my bed.
3. Do Laundry – I make laundry one of my biggest priorities. If I can put some effort into laundry everyday, it becomes manageable and does not build into an insurmountable task. I gather all the dirty clothes from the hampers and take them to the laundry room each morning. If there is not enough for a load, I at least make sure that all clothes are put away from the drying rack and all ironing is done before I fill the check box.
4. Plan Supper – this is a job that I easily let slip away if I am not reminded of it early in the day. I do not make supper before I fill the check box, but I must have a plan and make any early prep like taking meat out of the freezer or going grocery shopping.
5. Clean Kitchen – it seems there is always a mess in the kitchen, but every morning I empty and load the dishwasher, rinse out the coffee pot and dump the grounds, check the microwave interior, wipe the table and counter tops, and clean the sink. Those thirty seconds that my kitchen is clean, is my favorite part of my day!
6. Tidy All Rooms – this involves doing a quick walk through of every room in the house and dealing with all the things that are not in their proper place. I also fold the blankets on the couch, open the blinds, and put away shoes that were drying on the front mat.
7. Check Bathrooms – I only clean bathrooms once per week, but I do a quick check on them everyday. I wipe up any messes on the mirrors, sinks, or counters, do a check for any toilet bowl issues, and hang the towels straight.
8. Workout/Step Goal – this is something that I have prioritized and thus added to my daily schedule. I try to workout four times per week. On the other days, I try to make my step goal with a walk around the neighborhood or on the treadmill.
9. Practice Spanish – another non-cleaning task. I want to keep what little Spanish I know fresh in my mind by doing a minimum of five minutes a day on Duolingo.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Weekly Chores – each chore is done once per week

1. Fish Tank – my fish tank needs a weekly cleaning and water change.
2. Water Plants – not all my plants require weekly watering, but this is my reminder to check on them all. Also, this is scheduled on the same day as my fish-tank water change so I can use the nutrient-rich wastewater from my tank to water and fertilize my plants.
3. Bed/Windows/Walls – yes, this looks like a lot. However, I only do one of these tasks each week and alternate. I change the bed sheets on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Since I will be washing sheets this day, I also wash the blankets from the couches, and all the towels. On the second Tuesday, I wash windows, sills, and mirrors if needed. On the fourth Tuesday I fill a bucket with soapy water and walk through the house looking for marks on the walls or anything else that might need a wipe like baseboards, railings, or doors.
4. Clean Bathrooms – I wipe down the mirrors, clean the vanities and sinks, scrub the toilets, and wipe the edges of the tubs. What I do not do, is scrub the bathtubs. That is a monthly chore.
5. Vacuum Floors – often the hard floors will get a dust mop during the week, but this is a more thorough cleaning involving vacuuming the carpets, stairs, and floors.
6. Mop Floors – okay, so I have not used an actual mop in years. But I do still wash the floors with a Rubbermaid Reveal Mop or a Swiffer Wet Sweeper which is so much easier.
7. Empty Out Fridge – all I am doing is removing any food that has gone bad. Thursday is our garbage night, so I want to make sure that any rotten organics make it into the bin on this day.
8. Dust – Swiffer Dusters are my friend!
9. Pay Bills/File – this is my way of ensuring that bills are paid on time and can be found again if needed. This is also a light day, so Fridays are a good day to catch up on weekly tasks that did not get done, or work on a monthly chore.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Monthly Chores – each chore is done once per month

1. Scrub Bathtubs – once a month I like to spray the bathtubs with a vinegar and Blue Dawn mixture to soak, and then scrub them down.
2. All Cupboards – once you have gotten to the point where things are fairly organized in your home, this just becomes a quick check to see if any cupboards have become disorganized or dirty.
3. All Closets – another quick check if you are on top of things.
4. All Drawers – just like the cupboards and closets.
5. Clean Fridge – this is when I will clean the fridge. It does not usually need a full clean every month.
6. Clean Oven – I am fortunate to own a self-clean oven and so this is an easy task for me. Often, I can avoid the self clean and just give the oven a quick wipe, but this is not always so. The oven racks need to be cleaned by hand so this can take up more of my time.
7. Vehicle Interiors – this is a bigger task when you have kids or if you use your vehicle for recreation. Our vehicles do not get a thorough clean in the winter of course.
8. Storage Areas – we have two storage areas in our home: the basement storage room, and the utility room. If I did not consider the garage to be T’s domain, I would add it the list here.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Yearly Chores – each chore is done twice per year

1. Furnace Filter – since we have pets in the house, and we have multiple allergies, keeping up with regular filter changes is important for us.
2. Vacuum Canister – I have been blessed with a central vacuum system, so I no longer need to constantly change a vacuum bag. Emptying the central-vac canister twice a year is usually enough.
3. Defrost Freezers – I try to do this when it is cold enough to store some of our frozen items outside or in the garage. Only our deep freeze needs defrosting, but I will do a clean of the fridge freezers at this time.
4. Paint Touch Up – if you are lucky enough to have some leftover wall paint, it is much easier to paint over stubborn wall marks. This is also when I try to repair any dents or scratches. Of course, the front entryway is the first thing guests see when they come over, and it is also the area that takes the hardest hits, so this is an easy job with a big result.

Click on the Daily Chore Chart above to print your own checklist.

Happy Housekeeping!!