Home Chore List

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

07 Sep 2007 07:42 AM

How often do you do certain things around your home to keep it clean and maintained? Are you the kind of person whose home passes the white glove test? Or do you have to do a mad grab and stash whenever you have company? Can you literally eat off off your floors, or is the stuff left in your sink gotten so large that it is planning to organize and overthrow the town?

Most of us, I think, fall somewhere in between. And there are times in our lives where life gets in the way and things get messy.

Me, I'm a stress cleaner. The times I am stressed are the times when I really need an organized home. If something in life has me under pressure, then even the water droplets on my sink faucets will be shining. But, if you happen drop by and there are a few Cherrios or a crayon here and there, well then you know I've had a good day.

For me, it is always helpful to have some sort of list or guideline as to when household chores should be done. I'm not obsessive about this list, but it does help me to prioritize the household tasks. And having a set way of doing things helps keep us from falling behind.

You can even take a chore list one step further and designate the days that you do certain tasks. This is an idea that is taken from long ago when there were less modern tools to help in household tasks. Many of the Amish here in Lancaster, PA, still practice this approach to household tasks: Laundry on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, sewing on Wednesday, etc. I usually try to follow a very loose plan with tasks; one that is flexible to change with our household.

Obviously, everyone's family is different with different needs. Larger families need to operate differently from smaller families. Single income families sometimes have more daily mess but also more time for household tasks than do dual income families. Even the ages of your children, if you have any, can affect household tasks and the time to devote to them.

I'll be starting a series here in the home blog with suggested lists for all of those household chores, along with some helpful information. I hope that these lists will be helpful to you. Take them, change them and make them your own.

And I am always thrilled to hear your comments, suggestions and feedback. If you know a better way of doing something, please tell us.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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shelbybear62 (70) 07 Sep 2007 11:08 AM

I am looking forward to your articles. I work full-time, go to school part-time and have 2 sons at home, 20 and 3, I really struggle with "keeping all the balls in the air". Lists are very helpful!

jonesx6 (1606) 10 Sep 2007 09:03 AM

I usually do laundry everyday around here. Sheets and towels are Mondays, bathroom is usually done on the weekends, vaccum upstairs on Friday and dust upstairs. Let's see..... Someone vaccums and sweeps the LR,DR and kitchen everyday. (It's a must around here w/ 4 children, a dog and 2 adults.) I guess I run my house the same way you do. lol Laura

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 10 Sep 2007 10:27 AM

Thanks for the comments. I hope you don't mind, but I'll be mentioning both of you in upcoming chore list articles!