There are 6 daily chores that must get done in order for my home to operate smoothly and stay in decent shape. When all else fails and I am in survival mode, I use this list to fall back on and power through without much thought!
Create your own list of daily chores that must get done at your house using the FREE printable available below.
Think about what is most important to you and your husband in order to have a welcoming home and create your own list of daily chores. A list can do wonders for those crazy days, believe me!
Think super basic. What are tasks that you’d like to get done every day? Write them down and work on making them a habit for yourself and your children!
6 Daily Chores That Must Get Done
1. Make my bed.
It’s one of the first things I do every morning. I love having my bedroom look tidy throughout the day (especially if I need to go in there for a few-minute break from the kids) and I absolutely can not go to bed at night without the bed made first! (is that a little OCD??)
2. Empty the garbage.
Having kids big enough to help out, I get to assign chores and have things get done with little thought on my part. Josiah (9) takes out the kitchen garbage every day after breakfast.
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3. Laundry.
The kids and I ‘rotate’ laundry a few times every day. No matter that they rarely get folded, at least we have clean clothes and towels (which is no small feat in a family of 9)!
4. Vacuum.
The hard floors get vacuumed every day and the carpet gets vacuumed about 3 times per week. This chore is done right after lunch.
5. Dishes.
They get done at least once every day. The older kids unload and load the dishwasher every day after lunch. That way my husband comes home to an empty sink where he can wash away the grime of his long, hard workday. I do not do the dishes after supper, but I clean up the counters and table. I also rinse off the supper dishes and put them in the sink. Our pre-planned breakfasts and easy lunches, dirty up very few dishes during the day. And we are able to go to bed with the kitchen looking tidy, though not spic and span.
6. Pick-Up.
Whenever things start feeling crazy, I tell the kids to put their toys back into their rooms. This clears up our small living space for a while and helps me stay sane, even though the toys are sure to come out again soon. Also, when Joey texts me that he is on his way home from work, I have the kids put their toys back into their bedrooms so that Joey can come home to a tidy-looking house (and not trip over toys). At 7pm every day, the kids pick up their bedrooms and put their toys away in their toy boxes (they are allowed to keep 2 toys and/or books out to keep on their beds for bedtime).
How do you keep your home running smoothly?
I have so many big kids now that the dishes, many meals, & the clothes get washed, dried & folded without my having to think about it! Also, the garbages gets emptied, floors get vacuumed, beds get made & the animals get fed. I do make my own bed, wash Carson's work clothes, give the littles baths, bake some 😉 & keep everyone on track & going. Plus, write the meal plans, grocery lists, pay bills, run misc. errands & buy groceries. After having my 3 big helpers gone for 5 days & hubby & one big brother home only on the weekend, I can definitely say I was doing a lot different chores & was busy in a different way…I had a hard time getting a shower some days & I didn't go anywhere 😉 But it was kinda peaceful too. Everyone was on my schedule & didn't have their own plans like the big kids tend to. Anyway, I know I am blessed! And have it "easy" compared to some!
Sounds very doable even if the day has some unexpected crazy thrown in. 🙂
My list is different than yours – laundry, dishes, 15 minute pickup – but having these minimums works!
These are great things to get done everyday! I have just recently started making my bed everyday (I know I'm a grown woman.. but better late then never right?! lol) and it's amazing how much cleaner our room feels because of it!
My daughter's name is Hadassah too! 😉 Great name! 😛 If you haven't read Francine River's book "A Voice in the Wind" you should.. you would love it! 😉 😀 One of the main characters name's is Hadassah.
Like Giftie ^^ I also do a 15 minute clean up… http://www.busyhappyloved.com/my-15-minute-rule/
I was noticing yesterday what a blessing it is to have more older kids at home now To help with chores. My oldest daughter cleans the floors,empties kitchen trash each day. 2nd oldest does dishwasher, helps littles toy pickup and folds laundryz. My 8 year old just recently got put in charge of running the washer and dryer–which has been so helpful! He also feeds the animals and scoops the kitty box. My littles help with cleanup (putting things back) and they love washing windows! However I recently had them (ages 4 and 5) load the dishwasher and they did pretty well! Wow! I am blessed by so many helpers!!!
daily chores: beds made, room tidied. Kitchen cleaned, garbage out, toys picked up and floors vacuumed.
Yes, it is such a blessing to have children who can help!
We have a routine in place that includes time for housework sprinkled throughout. Having older children has made the biggest difference though. I feel like there’s a lot less crazy going on here now.
Hi Clarissa
I downloaded the daily chores printable when I first subscribed but now I can’t find where I saved it. Would you please send me the link again?
Thanks”
I am unable to get to my PC for emailing that file to you (thanks to being in the middle of moving), but if you fill out the email form again, it will send you another PDF without signing you up for my email list twice (in other words, you won’t get duplicate emails from me). 🙂 Hope that helps!
I do almost all of these each day, along with cleaning the ‘kitty potty’, feeding and watering animals, and so forth. The hardest one for me to do is make my bed each morning. You see, mu husband (aka the Redneck) works at night, so when I am getting up, he’s still asleep. So I wait until he wakes up and has a cup or three of coffee, then he gets up and gets dressed. That’s when I make the bed, or I wait until he leaves for work in the afternoon. It might be 2 pm before it gets made–but it gets made! This is a charming blog, glad I found it.