21 Ways to Burn Calories While Making Your Home Look Great

Did you know that your everyday chores can actually help you stay fit? That’s right! Housework isn’t just about keeping your home clean; it’s also a great way to burn calories and stay active. Housework is often seen as a chore, something that needs to be done but doesn't seem to offer any benefits beyond tidying up. However, what if we told you that housework can also be a great way to burn calories and stay fit? Many of the tasks we do daily around the house require physical activity that can contribute to improving our overall fitness.

Today, we’ll explore how various household chores can serve as a low-impact workout, helping you stay active, healthy, and fit while accomplishing necessary tasks.

1. Sweeping and Mopping

Sweeping and mopping are common housework tasks that require continuous movement. When you sweep or mop, you engage your arms, shoulders, and core as you bend and stretch to clean the floor. Depending on the intensity, sweeping for 30 minutes can burn anywhere from 100-150 calories, while mopping can burn even more. The twisting motion as you mop engages your waist and hips, which helps strengthen your core and improve flexibility.

2. Vacuuming

Vacuuming is another household chore that can help you burn calories while toning your muscles. Pushing the vacuum cleaner back and forth requires upper body strength, while squatting or bending to reach different areas works your legs and core. In fact, you can burn about 100 calories in 30 minutes of vacuuming. The continuous motion can also elevate your heart rate, making it a good way to get your cardiovascular exercise in while keeping your home spotless.

3. Cleaning the Windows

Cleaning the windows requires a lot of upper body and core strength, especially if you’re stretching or reaching to clean high spots. The twisting and reaching motions work your shoulders, arms, and abdominals, contributing to muscle toning. A solid window-cleaning session can burn approximately 120-150 calories in 30 minutes. Plus, it’s a great way to improve your flexibility and balance as you move from one position to another.

4. Doing the Laundry

While folding clothes and putting away laundry might seem like a simple task, it requires repetitive movements that help tone the arms and legs. Carrying baskets of clothes up and down stairs or bending over to load and unload the washing machine engages your lower body. If you’re moving quickly, you can burn 50-100 calories per half-hour. Adding in a bit of extra movement like squats or lunges while doing the laundry can further increase calorie expenditure.

5. Cleaning the Bathroom

Cleaning the bathroom, including scrubbing the shower, bathtub, and toilet, can be quite a workout. The scrubbing actions engage your arms and core muscles, and bending down to clean lower surfaces works your legs. This chore can burn about 200 calories or more per hour, making it an effective way to stay fit while keeping your bathroom sparkling clean.

6. Cooking

While cooking doesn’t come to mind as a form of exercise, it can contribute to burning calories, especially if you’re standing for long periods, chopping, stirring, and moving around the kitchen. A 45-minute cooking session can burn 100-150 calories, depending on the level of activity. Engaging in movements like standing on one leg while stirring or using your arms in more exaggerated motions will increase the calorie burn.

7. Reorganizing the Fridge

Reorganizing the fridge involves a lot of bending, reaching, and lifting, which can help you burn calories and stay active. This task engages your arms, shoulders, and core muscles. You can burn around 100-150 calories per hour while reorganizing the fridge.

8. Dusting

Dusting your home involves gentle but continuous movements that can help you stay active. Stretching to reach high shelves or bending to dust lower ones engages your arms and core. You can burn around 70-90 calories per 30 minutes of dusting, making it a beneficial addition to your cleaning routine.

9. Ironing

Ironing clothes requires you to stand for an extended period and use your arms for repetitive movements. This activity can help you burn around 70-100 calories per hour. To increase the calorie burn, try incorporating small leg exercises like calf raises as you iron.

10. Scrubbing Floors

Scrubbing floors on your hands and knees is a physically demanding task that can burn a significant amount of calories. This activity works your arms, shoulders, and core as you scrub vigorously. Depending on the level of effort, scrubbing floors can burn up to 200 or more calories per hour.

11. Organizing and Decluttering

Organizing your home and decluttering requires you to move and lift objects, which engages your muscles and helps keep you active. Sorting through clothes, books, or other items and moving them around can result in a decent calorie burn. The mental aspect of decluttering can also reduce stress and promote mental wellness, making it a win-win for your physical and mental health.

For more tips and tricks about decluttering, check out our article on Smart Ways to Declutter Your Home. This article provides practical advice on how to declutter your home effectively, making it easier to stay organized and maintain a clean living space.

12. Washing Dishes

Washing dishes by hand can be a surprisingly good workout. The repetitive motion of scrubbing and rinsing can help tone your arms and burn calories. Standing at the sink for 30 minutes can burn around 50-75 calories.

13. Taking Out the Trash

Taking out the trash involves lifting and carrying, which can engage your muscles and burn calories. Depending on the weight of the trash and the distance you need to carry it, you can burn around 50-100 calories in 15 minutes.

14. Cleaning the Attic or Basement

Cleaning out the attic or basement can be a major project that involves lifting, carrying, and organizing. This can be a great full-body workout that burns a significant number of calories. You can burn up to 300 calories per hour, depending on the intensity of the activity.

15. Gardening

If you have a garden, you have a goldmine of calorie-burning activities right at your fingertips. Gardening not only gives you fresh air but also works multiple muscle groups. In fact, gardening might be one of the most physically demanding house-related activities. Digging, weeding, planting, and watering require a lot of physical effort, particularly in your legs, arms, and back. Gardening for an hour can burn up to 300 calories, depending on the level of activity and intensity. It also helps improve endurance and builds strength as you engage various muscle groups throughout the process.

16. Mowing the Lawn

Mowing the lawn is another household task that can help you stay fit. Pushing a lawnmower engages your arms, shoulders, back, and legs, providing a full-body workout. Depending on the size of your lawn and the effort you put in, mowing the lawn can burn between 250-350 calories per hour. To maximize the benefit, opt for a manual push mower instead of a self-propelled one.

17. Washing the Car

Cleaning your car can also count as a workout. Vacuuming the seats and floor mats, wiping down surfaces, and scrubbing the exterior all involve considerable physical effort. These activities can help you burn up to 200 calories per hour, making car cleaning an efficient way to stay active.

18. Shoveling Snow

For those living in colder climates, shoveling snow is an excellent full-body workout. The lifting and throwing motions work your arms, legs, and core, and the cold weather can increase calorie burn. Shoveling snow can burn up to 400 calories per hour, depending on the weight of the snow and the intensity of your shoveling.

19. Cleaning Out the Garage

Cleaning out the garage involves lifting, moving, and organizing various items, which can be quite physically demanding. This activity can help you burn around 250-300 calories per hour, making it an effective way to stay active while tackling a major cleaning project.

20. Cleaning the Pool (if applicable)

Cleaning the pool involves a lot of physical effort, including scrubbing the pool walls, vacuuming the pool floor, and skimming debris from the surface. These activities can help you burn up to 300 calories per hour, making pool cleaning a great way to stay active and maintain a clean swimming environment.

21. Pressure Washing

Pressure washing your driveway, patio, or deck can be a surprisingly effective workout. The constant movement and resistance from the pressure washer engage your arms, shoulders, and core muscles. You can burn around 150-200 calories per hour while pressure washing, making it a productive and active chore.

As you can see, household chores are not just necessary for maintaining a clean and organized home, but they also offer an excellent opportunity to stay active and burn calories. By doing more vigorous activities and being mindful of your movements, you can turn everyday tasks into effective workouts that contribute to your overall fitness and health goals. Even home improvement tasks (such as painting or small repairs) and simple DIY projects you have planned could potentially be the perfect calorie burners for you and the whole family.

So, next time you find yourself dreading the housework, remember that you’re not just tidying up—you’re also taking steps towards a healthier you.

Tips to Maximize Calorie Burn During Housework

Set a Timer

Keep moving continuously for a set period to maintain your heart rate. Challenge yourself to clean a specific area within a certain time frame, and avoid taking breaks until the timer goes off. This will keep your heart pumping and maximize your calorie expenditure.

Listen to Upbeat Music

Music can keep you motivated and make chores feel less like a workout. Create a playlist of your favorite high-energy songs and let the rhythm guide your movements. Dancing while cleaning not only makes the activity more enjoyable but also contributes to extra calorie burn. Additionally, music can help improve your mood while cleaning, making the task feel less tedious.

Make It a Family Affair

Involve your family members in the chores. Turning housework into a group activity can make it more fun and less of a burden. You can even turn it into a friendly competition to see who can clean the fastest or burn the most calories.

By incorporating these tips, you can turn mundane household chores into an engaging and effective workout. Housework doesn't have to be boring or tedious. With a bit of creativity and enthusiasm, everyday chores can become an enjoyable and efficient way to burn calories and stay fit.

Safety Tips for Housework

Take Breaks

Don't overexert yourself. Take regular breaks to rest and hydrate, especially during more intense activities like scrubbing floors or shoveling snow.

Wear Comfortable Clothing

Wear comfortable, supportive shoes and clothing that allows you to move freely. This can help prevent injuries and make the activities more enjoyable.

Stay Hydrated

Keep a water bottle nearby and stay hydrated, especially during longer cleaning sessions or when working in hot environments.

Footnotes: These estimates are approximate and can vary based on individual factors such as body weight, age, gender, and the intensity of the activity. For personalized estimates, consider using a fitness tracker or consulting with a health professional. The Department of Health Services from the State of Wisconsin provides a list of activities, including housework, with estimated calories burned per hour. These estimates are tailored to different body weights: 130, 155, and 190 pounds. You can visit the website to find your activity and check the column for the body weight closest to yours.