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Thematic Collection

Household Chores in English: Cleaning, Laundry and Daily Tasks

Household chores are a huge area of everyday vocabulary that rarely gets covered in English courses. Talking about what you do around the house, dividing responsibilities or asking for help all require specific words.

Word list to learn

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chore
/tʃɔː/
housework
/ˈhaʊswɜːk/
tidy up
/ˈtaɪdi ʌp/
clean
/kliːn/
vacuum
/ˈvækjuəm/
hoover
/ˈhuːvə/
sweep
/swiːp/
mop
/mɒp/
dust
/dʌst/
wipe
/waɪp/
scrub
/skrʌb/
polish
/ˈpɒlɪʃ/
wash up
/wɒʃ ʌp/
do the dishes
/duː ðə ˈdɪʃɪz/
do the laundry
/duː ðə ˈlɔːndri/
wash
/wɒʃ/
dry
/draɪ/
hang out the washing
/hæŋ aʊt ðə ˈwɒʃɪŋ/
iron
/ˈaɪən/
fold
/fəʊld/
put away
/pʊt əˈweɪ/
make the bed
/meɪk ðə bed/
change the sheets
/tʃeɪndʒ ðə ʃiːts/
take out the bins
/teɪk aʊt ðə bɪnz/
take out the trash
/teɪk aʊt ðə træʃ/
empty the bin
/ˈempti ðə bɪn/
declutter
/diːˈklʌtə/
sort out
/sɔːt aʊt/
recycle
/riːˈsaɪkəl/
do the shopping
/duː ðə ˈʃɒpɪŋ/
cook
/kʊk/
prepare a meal
/prɪˈpeə ə miːl/
load the dishwasher
/ləʊd ðə ˈdɪʃwɒʃə/
unload the dishwasher
/ʌnˈləʊd ðə ˈdɪʃwɒʃə/
mow the lawn
/məʊ ðə lɔːn/
water the plants
/ˈwɔːtə ðə plɑːnts/
broom
/bruːm/
mop
/mɒp/
bucket
/ˈbʌkɪt/
sponge
/spʌndʒ/
cloth
/klɒθ/
duster
/ˈdʌstə/
rubber gloves
/ˈrʌbə ɡlʌvz/
washing-up liquid
/ˈwɒʃɪŋ ʌp ˈlɪkwɪd/
detergent
/dɪˈtɜːdʒənt/
cleaning spray
/ˈkliːnɪŋ spreɪ/
bin bag
/ˈbɪn bæɡ/
share the chores
/ʃeə ðə tʃɔːz/
do your share
/duː jɔː ʃeə/
spring clean
/sprɪŋ kliːn/
spotless
/ˈspɒtləs/
messy
/ˈmesi/
cluttered
/ˈklʌtəd/

Useful phrases

Click the icon to hear the pronunciation

Whose turn is it to do the dishes?
I need to do the laundry — I have run out of clean clothes.
Can you take out the bins before you leave?
The kitchen is a mess — someone needs to tidy up.
I try to do a deep clean of the bathroom once a week.
We share the housework equally.
Could you hang out the washing? It has been in the machine all day.
I hate ironing — I leave it as long as possible.
The floor needs sweeping — it is covered in crumbs.
We do a spring clean every year before the summer.
I try to clean as I go so it never gets too bad.
Can you wipe down the kitchen surfaces? They are sticky.
I have just vacuumed, so please take your shoes off.
The house is spotless — you must have spent all day cleaning.

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Dividing household chores

Click the speaker icon to hear the full dialogue

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Alex
We need to talk about the housework. I feel like I am doing most of it and it is not fair.
Sam
You are right, I am sorry. I have been really busy with work lately. What do you think we should split?
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Alex
Well, right now I vacuum every week, do all the washing up, clean the bathroom and take out the bins. What do you actually do?
Sam
I do the shopping and I cook most evenings. And I always put the dishwasher on.
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Alex
OK, that is fair. But you never unload it. The clean dishes sit in there for days.
Sam
Fair point. I will start unloading it every morning. What about the laundry?
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Alex
We could each do our own laundry separately. That seems the easiest solution.
Sam
Agreed. And I will take over the bathroom cleaning — you have been doing it every single week.
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Alex
That would be great. What about the floors? They need sweeping and mopping every week.
Sam
Why do not we alternate weeks? You do it one week, I do it the next.
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Alex
Perfect. Shall we write a chore chart so we both know what to do and when?
Sam
Good idea. And let us also agree that if something is dirty, whoever notices it just deals with it rather than waiting for the other person.
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Common mistakes

Avoid these common mistakes

Wrong I need to make the laundry.
Correct I need to do the laundry.

In English, housework verbs almost always use 'do', not 'make'. 'Do the laundry', 'do the washing up', 'do the vacuuming', 'do the ironing', 'do the shopping'. The rule of thumb: if it is a chore, use 'do'. 'Make' is reserved for creating things: 'make the bed', 'make breakfast', 'make a mess' — but 'make' in these cases means constructing or producing something, not performing a chore.

Wrong Can you clean the floor?
Correct Can you sweep / mop the floor?

'Clean' is too vague in this context and sounds unnatural to native speakers. Use the specific verb for the method: sweep (with a broom, for dry debris), mop (with a mop and water, for wet cleaning), vacuum or hoover (with a vacuum cleaner, for carpets). Saying 'clean the floor' is not wrong, but native speakers always use the more specific verb.

Wrong I will wash the dishes.
Correct I will do the dishes / wash up.

Both 'do the dishes' and 'wash up' are the standard expressions. 'Wash the dishes' is understood but sounds slightly odd — like a direct translation from another language. In British English 'wash up' is the default; in American English 'do the dishes' is standard. Note: in British English 'wash up' means to wash dishes, but in American English it means to wash your hands/face — a potential false friend!

Wrong Please take away the rubbish.
Correct Please take out the bins (British) / take out the trash (American).

'Take away' means to remove something temporarily or to buy food to eat elsewhere ('a takeaway'). To remove rubbish from the home to the outdoor bin, use 'take out the bins' (UK) or 'take out the trash / garbage' (US). 'Rubbish' is British English; 'trash' and 'garbage' are American English. All three are understood internationally.

Wrong The room is very dirty — you should clean more often.
Correct The room is very messy / cluttered — you should tidy up more often.

There is an important distinction: dirty means physically unclean (covered in dust, grime, stains). Messy means disorganised and untidy (things out of place, scattered around). Cluttered means too much stuff with no order. If the problem is disorder rather than uncleanliness, use 'messy' or 'cluttered'. The solution to dirty is 'clean'; the solution to messy is 'tidy up'.

About This List

Household Chores in English: A Complete Reference

'Do' or 'make' — the key collocation

The biggest trap for learners is choosing between do and make. Almost all household tasks take do: do the laundry, do the dishes / do the washing-up, do the cleaning, do the ironing, do the housework, do the shopping. The bed is the famous exception — you make the bed, never "do the bed". Rule of thumb: chores take do; only the bed takes make.

Cleaning verbs: clean, tidy, sweep, mop, hoover

English separates actions that other languages lump together. Tidy up means to put things back in their place (when a room is messy). Clean means to remove dirt (when something is dirty). You sweep a floor with a broom, mop it with water, and vacuum it (American English) or hoover it (British English — from the Hoover brand, now used as a verb). You wipe and dust surfaces, scrub stubborn dirt, and polish wood or metal.

Rubbish and laundry: British vs American

For waste, British speakers say rubbish and take out the bins; Americans say trash or garbage and take out the trash. Avoid "take away the rubbish" — take away means food to go. For laundry, British the washing refers to clothes, not dishes: do the washing, hang out the washing. Do not confuse it with washing-up (dishes).

Nouns: chore and housework

A chore is a single household task and is countable: a boring chore, daily chores, share the chores. Housework is the work in general and is uncountable — never "houseworks" or "a housework", only do the housework or a lot of housework.

Useful adjectives

Messy / cluttered describe an untidy space; spotless means perfectly clean. A spring clean is a big seasonal clean. These words make your descriptions of the home sound natural and idiomatic.

Appliances and equipment

Modern cleaning relies on appliances. A washing machine washes clothes (put a wash on = start a load), a tumble dryer dries them, and a dishwasher does the plates (load / unload the dishwasher). Equipment includes a broom, a mop and bucket, a sponge and a cloth, rubber gloves and bin bags. Products: washing-up liquid (for dishes), detergent (for clothes) and cleaning spray (for surfaces).

Cleaning phrasal verbs

English loves phrasal verbs for tidying. Put away and tidy away mean to return things to their place; clear up means to clean after an event; sort out means to organise (e.g. a cupboard); declutter means to get rid of things you no longer need. These sound far more natural than a plain clean.

Who does what: sharing the chores

To talk about a shared home you need: share the chores, do your share, a chore rota / chore chart (a schedule of who does what), it's your turn to..., and pull your weight (to do your fair part rather than leave it to others). These phrases are essential for flatmates and couples.

Frequently Asked Questions

Household tasks take do: do the laundry, do the dishes / do the washing-up, do the cleaning, do the ironing, do the housework. The one famous exception is the bed: you make the bed. 'Make the laundry' or 'make cleaning' are common mistakes — chores almost always take do, and only the bed takes make.

Both mean to clean a floor with a vacuum cleaner. Vacuum is neutral and American; hoover is British — the verb comes from the Hoover brand of vacuum cleaners. 'I need to hoover the living room' = 'I need to vacuum the living room'. The appliance is a vacuum cleaner (or simply a hoover in the UK).

In British English: take out the bins or take out the rubbish. In American English: take out the trash / garbage. Avoid 'take away the rubbish' — take away means to remove for yourself or refers to takeaway food. The container is a bin (UK) or a trash/garbage can (US).

Tidy up means to put things back in order when a room is messy or cluttered. Clean means to remove dirt when something is dirty. You can tidy up a clean room and clean a tidy but dirty surface — they are separate actions, even though many languages use one word for both.

A chore is a single task and is countable: a chore, daily chores, boring chores. Housework is the work in general and is uncountable — never 'houseworks' or 'a housework', only do the housework or a lot of housework. Compare: 'Washing up is my least favourite chore' and 'I do an hour of housework a day'.

Useful phrases: share the chores, do your share, a chore rota / chore chart (a schedule of who does what), it's your turn to..., and pull your weight (do your fair part rather than leave it to others). For example: 'Let's make a chore rota so we share the housework fairly.'

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