A household chore list you keep in one place

A household chore list is easy to write and hard to keep. The printed version on the fridge looks great for a week, then fades behind the takeaway menus. This guide gives you a practical list to start from, and a way to keep it moving so the chores actually get done.

Start with the list

Every home is different, so treat this as a menu rather than a rulebook. Pick what applies, drop what does not, and add the things that are particular to your place.

Daily chores

• Wash the dishes or run the dishwasher.
• Wipe the kitchen counters and the table.
• Put away things that are out of place.
• Make the beds.
• Take out the rubbish if it is full.
• Deal with the post: recycle, file or act on it.
• Feed and water pets.

Weekly chores

• Vacuum or sweep the floors.
• Mop the kitchen and bathroom floors.
• Clean the bathroom sink, toilet and shower.
• Change the bed sheets.
• Do the laundry and put it away.
• Dust the surfaces people actually see.
• Empty the small bins around the house.
• Clear old food out of the fridge.
• Take out the recycling.
• Water the plants.

Monthly chores

• Clean the inside of the microwave and oven.
• Wipe the fridge shelves.
• Wash the bath mats and kitchen towels on a hot cycle.
• Dust the light fittings and skirting boards.
• Clean the windows on the inside.
• Descale the kettle and the shower head.
• Check the smoke alarms.
• Clear out one drawer or cupboard.

Seasonal chores

• Wash the duvets and pillows.
• Clean the windows on the outside.
• Clear the gutters.
• Swap winter and summer clothes.
• Service the boiler or heating before winter.
• Defrost the freezer if it needs it.
• Clean behind and under the big furniture.
• Sort the garden tools and the shed.

Why printed chore lists stop working

A printed household chore list has two problems. It does not move with you, and it does not change. It hangs in one room, so it is out of sight exactly when you are wondering what needs doing. And it shows every chore all the time, so the daily wipe-down sits next to clearing the gutters, and the whole thing starts to look like more than any one person can face.

What helps is a smaller, living list: just the chores that need doing now, somewhere you already look.

Keep this week's chores open

The trick is to keep the full household chore list as a reference, and your to do list as the working copy. Your to do list only holds what is due this week.

1. Keep the master list in a note. Put the daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal lists in a note under one todo, such as "Household chores". That is your reference.
2. Each week, add the chores that are due. Copy this week's jobs onto the list as separate todos. "Change the bed sheets." "Clean the bathroom."
3. Check them off as you go. A checked todo leaves the open list, so you only see what is left.
4. Star the one that cannot slip. The boiler service before the cold weather, say.

Daily chores usually do not need to go on the list at all. Most people do the dishes without being told. Save the list for the things that are easy to forget.

Recurring chores, honestly

A plain to do list does not repeat todos on a schedule, and that is a deliberate choice. Repeating todos quietly pile up when you miss a week, and soon the list is full of overdue laundry from last month.

Instead, re-add the recurring chores when you plan the week. It takes a minute, and it means every chore on the list is one you have decided to do now. The master list in the note makes this quick: glance at it, add what is due, done.

Notes for the how-to

Some chores come with instructions you forget between times. Which setting for the duvet. How to reset the boiler. Where the stopcock is. Put that detail in a note under the todo, so it is there the next time the chore comes round.

A short checklist in a note also works well for bigger jobs with several parts, like a spring clean of the kitchen.

Sharing the load

If you live with others, agree who does what out loud before worrying about the tool. A list is a memory aid, not a way to settle arguments. Each person keeping their own share on their own list is often simpler than one shared chart that nobody feels responsible for.

Keep it small

The best household chore list is the one that is short enough to finish. If a week's list feels impossible, move the monthly jobs to next week. The house will survive. The guide on a minimalist to do list explains why a shorter list is easier to keep.

If you use an AI assistant, it can help with the weekly step. Ask it to look at your master list and add this week's chores to your to do list, and you tick them off as you go.

If you want somewhere to keep it, Very Simple Todo is a simple to do list app with a note under any todo for your master list, a big checkbox for each chore, a star for the one that cannot wait, and a home-screen widget showing what is left. It costs $0.99 a month, and the first month is free.