In the last few posts, we have explored how to discuss household work with each other, negotiate the splitting of chores, manage mental load, and develop a cleaning routine. In this blog post, we are providing you with what we have deemed “The List”: a comprehensive list of household tasks, kid-related chores, and pet ownership duties to aid you in the assignment, redistribution, and adjustment of work to help you create a better, stronger relationship.
Note: This is a list of potential things that need to be done. Every family is different, with preferences regarding cleaning (see our previous post) and tasks that need to be done. Do yourself a favor and don’t do all of these, especially all of the time. Organize by daily/weekly/monthly/occasional and take off tasks you don’t find necessary, negotiating as needed. For a PDF of the list, click here.
XY ConneXion’s All-Extensive Household Tasks List
House Cleaning:
- Kitchen
- Dishes
- Cleaning sink
- Brushing faucet
- Cleaning the kitchen counters
- Cleaning stovetop
- Garbage
- Recycling
- Compost
- Changing out dishtowels
- Wiping down the vertical surfaces (cabinets, appliance doors, etc.)
- Cleaning the inside of the fridge
- Throwing away expired food
- Cleaning oven
- Cleaning inside the microwave
- Reorganizing the pantry
- Replace sponge/cloth/brush
- Clean coffee maker
- Floors
- Picking up whatever happens to be there that shouldn’t
- Sweeping
- Mopping
- Vacuuming
- Scrubbing grout and tile
- Sweeping corners
- Bedroom
- Making the bed
- Change out bedding
- Flipping the mattress
- Organizing the closet
- General tidying
- Removing dishes
- Emptying trash
- Clean and dust-off bedside table
- All Around
- Dusting shelves
- Dusting light fixtures
- Cleaning windows
- Dusting blinds/shutters
- Vacuuming/steaming curtains
- Vacuuming furniture
- Dusting baseboards
- Dusting frames
- Wiping down walls
- Dusting fan vents
- Changing air filters
- Dust and water plants
- Holiday decorations
- Dining Room
- Clearing off dining room table
- Cleaning dining room table
- Wiping down dining room chairs
- Living Room
- Washing blankets
- Cleaning rugs
- Organizing pillows
- Changing or cleaning pillow cases
- Cleaning back of sofa
- Spraying with fabric spray/cleaner
- Wiping down remotes and screens
- Bathroom
- Bathroom counters
- Bathroom sink
- Toilet
- Shower walls
- Tub floors
- Cleaning shower door
- Replacing shower curtain
- Mirrors
- Changing out hand towels
- Cleaning out all the hair all up in everywhere
- Cleaning off electric toothbrushes
- Laundry
- Dry cleaning
- Clothing laundry
- Sheets/Towels laundry
- Clean out washer machine
- Fold or hang clean clothes
- Put away clothes
- Maintenance of House:
- Taking bins to the curb and back in
- Home goods (toilet paper, dish soap, etc)
- Home repairs
- Lawn maintenance
- Watering plants
- Weeding yard
- Clean out gutters
- Sweep and power wash decks/porches/patios
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Sweep out the chimney
Food Needs:
- Meal planning
- Groceries
- Cooking
- Packing lunches
Adulting:
- Management of Bills
- Rent/Mortgage
- Electricity
- Water
- Gas
- Trash
- Managing mail
- Checking video/security cameras
Transportation:
- Car insurance
- Car maintenance
- Car repairs
- Washing the car
- Public transportation passes
Children:
- Pickup toys
- Clean baby bottles/dishes
- Wash blankets/stuffies
- Manage homework papers
- Reading
- Bathing
- Tooth brushing/flossing
- School activities correspondence
- Camp coordination
- Day care coordination
- Managing prescriptions and medications
- Administering medications
- Scheduling family doctors appointments
Pet-Care:
- Feeding
- Waste disposal (picking up poop/litter box cleaning)
- Food shopping (daily and treats)
- Material shopping (poop bags, litter, new water bowls, hay, etc)
- Fun shopping (new toys, cute outfits, etc)
- Bath time
- Vacuuming pet beds
- Cleaning cages
- Cleaning food dish/water dish
- Vet appointments
- Walks
- Grooming/Nail trimming