How the chore chart works
Week 1: balanced by minutes
Each chore carries a rough number of minutes. The longest chore goes first, to the person with the fewest minutes so far, then the next longest, and so on. That keeps everyone's week 1 total close, even when the chores are very different in size.
Every week, every chore moves one person along
In week 2, the first person takes over the last person's chores and everyone else takes the chores of the person before them. Week 3 and week 4 move along again. Over the month, people do different jobs, and the chart shows each person's minutes for each week as plain numbers.
Your chores, your names
Untick chores you don't do and add your own with their minutes. Names are optional and cut to 30 characters; leave them blank and the chart says Person A, Person B. They stay on this device.
A chore chart for couples
With two people, the chart swaps the whole list each week: what one of you did in week 1, the other does in week 2, and week 3 is week 1 again. If you'd rather each keep the jobs you don't mind, use week 1 as your chart and print just that. Either way, the minutes are on the sheet for you both to see and talk about.
List of household chores
The household chores the tools start from, room by room, with how often and rough minutes. The chart rotates the weekly ones; the cleaning schedule puts the daily and weekly ones on your week and spreads the monthly ones over 4 weeks.
Kitchen
Daily
- Load the dishwasher or wash the dishes · 10 min
- Wipe the kitchen counters · 5 min
- Wipe the stovetop · 5 min
- Sweep the kitchen floor · 5 min
Weekly
- Take out the bins and recycling · 5 min
- Wipe out the microwave · 10 min
- Wipe the cupboard doors and handles · 10 min
- Mop the kitchen floor · 15 min
Monthly
- Clear out the fridge · 20 min
- Dust the tops of the cupboards · 10 min
- Wipe the inside of the cupboards · 30 min
- Wipe the oven door · 15 min
Bathroom
Daily
- Put toiletries back in their place · 2 min
- Hang up the towels · 2 min
- Wipe the sink · 3 min
Weekly
- Swap in clean towels · 5 min
- Clean the mirror · 5 min
- Clean the toilet · 10 min
- Clean the shower or bath · 15 min
- Mop the bathroom floor · 10 min
Monthly
- Clear out the bathroom cabinet · 15 min
- Dust the light and the fan cover · 10 min
- Wash the shower curtain or wipe the screen · 15 min
Bedroom
Daily
- Make the bed · 2 min
- Put clothes away · 5 min
Weekly
- Change the bed sheets · 15 min
- Dust the bedroom surfaces · 10 min
- Vacuum the bedroom floor · 10 min
Monthly
- Sort one drawer · 15 min
- Dust the lampshades and the top of the wardrobe · 10 min
- Vacuum under the bed · 10 min
Living room
Daily
- Straighten the cushions and throws · 3 min
- Clear the coffee table · 3 min
Weekly
- Dust the shelves and the TV stand · 10 min
- Wipe the light switches and door handles · 5 min
- Vacuum the living room floor · 15 min
Monthly
- Wash the cushion covers · 15 min
- Dust the window sills and frames · 10 min
- Vacuum the sofa · 15 min
Entry
Daily
- Put shoes and bags away · 3 min
Weekly
- Wipe the front door handle · 2 min
- Shake out the doormat · 3 min
- Sweep the entry floor · 5 min
Monthly
- Sort the coats and shoes · 15 min
- Dust the hallway shelves · 5 min
- Wipe the front door · 10 min
Laundry
Daily
- Move a finished load to dry · 5 min
Weekly
- Wash a load of clothes · 10 min
- Fold and put away clean clothes · 15 min
- Wipe the top of the washing machine · 3 min
Monthly
- Sort the laundry shelf · 10 min
- Wipe the washing machine door seal · 10 min
- Sweep behind the washing machine · 10 min
Remembering your chores
To remember your own weekly chore, tie it to something you already do with a habit stack (“After I put the kettle on on Sunday, I will take out the bins”) and tick it in the habit tracker.
More free home tools
- Cleaning schedule: daily and weekly jobs over your week, monthly jobs over 4 weeks.
- House cleaning checklist: one session, room by room, that fits the time you have.
- Declutter checklist: one or two categories a day, keep, donate or bin.
What happens to what you type
Rooms, chores and names stay in this browser while the page is open. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere: your list lives on the sheet you print or the image you save. Close the page and it's gone.
If you need help now
These tools are for everyday habits. They are not a crisis service. If you are struggling or don't feel safe, you can contact:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): call or text 988, or chat online. Free and confidential, 24/7.
Emergency services (911)
US: call 911 if you or someone you know is in immediate harm or danger.
Samaritans
Samaritans (UK and Ireland): call 116 123, free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Emergency services (999 or A&E) · NHS 111, mental health option
England (NHS): call 999 or go to A&E now if someone's life is at risk or you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe. If you need urgent help for your mental health, call 111 and choose the mental health option; NHS 111 online is available in England only, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own services.
Elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
Sources
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988lifeline.org
- Contact Us. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988lifeline.org
- Contact a Samaritan. Samaritans. samaritans.org
- Where to get urgent help for mental health. NHS. nhs.uk
- Get help for your symptoms. NHS 111. 111.nhs.uk
- When to use NHS 111 online or call 111. NHS. nhs.uk