It’s of no surprise that women tend to have a greater responsibility when it comes to domestic chores.
Some of you may be lucky enough to have a husband (partner, significant other) or children to help with the load. And for those people I give you a heartfelt “yay for you!”. With my husband on shift work and my children still quite young, I tend to take on the majority of the household chores. And some days, it’s overwhelming!
A study published in 2012 by PLos ONE, researched the connection between domestic work and physiological distress. After studying more than 700 Swedish men and women, the researchers found that “42-year-old women bear a greater burden of housework than their male counterparts”, and also that “they’re more likely to experience restlessness, nervousness, anxiety and other symptoms of psychological distress.”
So let’s try to lessen the burden of never-ending housework chores and set up a simple guide we can stick to. Really!
We’ll break it down into daily, weekly, monthly, half-yearly and yearly tasks.
Daily
- Wipe down kitchen bench tops
- Wipe down main bathroom bench tops
- Change the tea towel
- Empty the kitchen rubbish
- Wipe down the dining table and chairs
Weekly
- Dust bedrooms and living areas, including window sills and light fittings
- Vacuum or sweep floors
- Change linen on beds
- Change towels
- Clean mirrors
- Clean showers/tubs
- Empty bedroom & bathroom rubbish
- Clean toilet (more often if you have little ones still practicing their aim)
- Clean microwave
- Clean dishwasher
- Wipe over kettle/jug
- Wipe down cabinets and fridge
- Wipe over door knobs, light switches, main doors
- Spot clean walls
- Spot clean lounges
- Sweep entry ways into the home
Monthly
- Clean window tracks
- Clean sliding door tracks
- Clean out the bottom of the toaster
- Wipe out the fridge
- Vacuum or sweep around the edges of each room (not just main walking areas)
- Clean light fittings or ceiling fans
- Clean walls
- Clean sofa or lounge
- Wipe down blinds
Half-yearly
- Wipe out main cupboards in kitchen and bathroom
- Clean out and wipe down pantry shelves
- Clean out children’s toys
- Wash curtains
- Clean the front door
- Wipe out and organize linen press
Yearly
- Steam-clean carpets, polish tiles or floor boards
- Wash outside windows
- Clean inside windows (this may need to be half-yearly if little fingers have been playing!)
If all this still stresses you out, consider hiring a house cleaner!
What have I missed? Help me continue with the list.
When I was 18, my aunt told me something AMAZING that truly appeals to the slob in me, and I guarantee it’s true… Dirt is drawn to detergent. This is why it’s critical to rinse any cleaning completely. This is another reason why hot water extraction is preferable to the dry technique of carpet cleaning. The bottom line is that you must clean while cleaning the carpet.
I have a ceramic top under the grills of my gas stove top. So far, hot soapy water followed by a degreaser and lots of paper towels seems to be the only way to clean. I run the heavy grill tops in the dishwasher. THERE ALWAYS seem to be streaks! This is at least a once a week task.(We eat out the day I clean it!) Any advise for the streaks?
I have a ceramic top under the grills of my gas stove top. So far, hot soapy water followed by a degreaser and lots of paper towels seems to be the only way to clean. I run the heavy grill tops in the dishwasher. THERE ALWAYS seem to be streaks! This is at least a once a week task.(We eat out the day I clean it!) Any advise for the streaks?
The following are changes we made:
Daily:
Wipe down kitchen table and chairs
Change the tea and hand towel
Children toys should be placed in toy chests
If you have small children or pets windows may have to be cleaned frequently due to little hands and pet’s wet nose
Weekly:
Clean shower/tub after each bath
Monthly:
Clean window tracks/screens
Half a year:
Clean light fittings and ceiling fans or as needed
Clean walls or as needed
Clean oven [self cleaning takes 4 hours]
Spring Cleaning:
Clean outside windows
One room a day is mt motto, and that includes windows, too. The inside of cupboards and closets only once a month. Laundry? It does itself while I’m cleaning. I just hsve to load, unload, hang and fold
I have a houseful of mini blinds I never seem to get dusted! Tea towels are the thin cotton towels. Dish towels are more like the terry cloth!
Laundry seems to be missing also. And translation for your U.S. readers – what is a “tea towel” and “lounge”? I’m guessing “bench tops” are counters?
stovetop/oven + sink may be missing.