How Many Calories Do I Burn by Doing Household Chores? [Infographic]

As you can imagine, chores aren’t everyone’s favorite pastime. After returning home from work, people are typically too tired to cook or clean, and hiring the services of professional cleaners and gardeners isn’t always ideal.

However, doing household chores can help you stay flexible and tone your muscles without leaving the comfort of your home.

Below are some household chores that you can do regularly to help burn calories.

Vacuum Your Carpet and Floors

Do you hate going to the gym but need to get some exercise in? Pushing a vacuum cleaner for an hour burns 176 calories, and incorporating some dance moves as you vacuum can also help you to flex your arm, shoulder, and leg muscles.

Make Your Bed

Making your bed every morning allows you to stretch your back, legs, and arms. If you have extra bedrooms in your home, change the sheets and comforter once in a while for an additional workout.

Research shows that an individual weighing 200 pounds can burn 23 calories in just 15 minutes of changing bedding.

Washing Dishes and Doing Laundry

Washing a full sink of dishes by hand not only allows your mind to relax, but it can also burn nearly 100 calories per session.

Combine dishwashing with loading and unloading your washing machine, then iron and arrange your clothes neatly for a workout that can burn an extra 700 calories!

Decluttering and Taking Out Garbage

Decluttering various rooms, rearranging your closet, and organizing your kitchen cabinets are other great options for an in-home exercise routine.

If you combine these activities with moving furniture and houseplants to different locations within the house, you can burn an average of 240 calories in a single day.

Additionally, collecting litter around your home, picking up fallen leaves in your garden, and sorting these items into garbage bins can burn 303 calories in an hour.

With the above household chores, you can opt-out of your gym regimen and stay in shape without pulling out of your driveway. As you continue to clean and clear out unneeded items, rent a dumpster to dispose of these belongings.

To learn more about the benefits of using household chores as a workout routine, check out this infographic from Bin There Dump That.