Cleanliness and order in a home are invisible—until they’re missing. Everyone enjoys a tidy space, but few stop to consider who keeps it that way. A house doesn’t take care of itself, and those who clean and organize it deserve the same recognition as any other job. Being a housekeeper is the only job where you work 24/7 with no salary, no vacation, and no days off, and yet, it’s often not seen as “real” work.
How many times have we heard, “She’s just at home,” as if a house magically runs itself, the clothes wash themselves, meals appear fully served, and dust simply chooses not to settle.
The reality is, without this daily effort, chaos becomes visible in just a few days. But as long as everything is in its place, the work behind it goes unnoticed. Being a housekeeper means maintaining a home without applause or recognition—until the day someone stops doing it.
And because "housekeeping" has always seemed such a vague word to me, I'd like to list a number of tasks that feel insignificant , but seen as a whole, add up to a lot. If you think the list is boring to read, imagine what it's like to go through it every single day, on top of major chores like cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc.
- Refil ltoilet paper (and throw away the empty roll)
- Refill soap dispensers
- Change towels
- Replace the coffee filter with a clean one (and toss the used one)
- Take out the trash (and line the bins with clean bags)
- Refill the salt shakers and sugar bowls
- Feed the pets (and walk them several times a day + give them baths)
- Empty the dishwasher (and load the dirty dishes in)
- Wipe down kitchen counter
- Water the plants
- Fold and put away laundry
- Make the beds
- Dry the shower glass after showering
- Wipe the bathroom mirror ( toothpaste splatters are not abstract art)
- Put the bathroom mat back in its place.
- Close cabinets and drawers
- Fluff the couch cushions
- Fold the throw blankets
- Pick up stuff off the floor and return it to its place
- Lower the toilet seat and lid after using it
- Hang up clothes instead of tossing them on a chair
- Wipe the stove top after cooking
- Switch the laundry from washer to dryer
- Sort the mail
- Take out food scraps or compost
- Spray air freshener or open a window for a few minutes
- Refill cold water jug/ bottle.
- Put phone chargers back where they belong (Roomba loves to swallow their cables)
And the list goes on and on if you happen to have kids. Can you come up with more? I bet you can. Feel free to add them.
Hello, almost-neighbor! The basic cooking, cleaning, and washing takes so much time and I learned this after I started to doing it myself every single day. I don't know how they do it, really, I sometimes feel like I can explode with all the stress, lol.
I am often thankful that my counters are black so I can sort of hide the mess :) After cooking and grocery shopping, the list of little things is simply too long.
My husband had been always busy working, and I raised our kid on my own. Now, he regrets he had missed her babyhood and is taking care of our grandson! I think taking care of our children is one of the hardest jobs I've ever done.
Good point! Other chores my wife does:
@Lariza Any kind of work can be stressful sometimes. What really gets to me about chores is how repetitive and never-ending they are. We have a saying that is so true: *It’s not the person who cleans the most who’s the cleanest, but the one who makes the least mess.
@hhh777 The kitchen is probably the room that requires the most work, and the healthier you want to eat, the more time you end up spending there, and the bigger the mess.
@yumiyumayume I agree. Kids are amazing, but they're also little mess-making machines, on top of being backbrakers.lol
@T-Newfields I forgot about those annoying phone calls trying to sell you something (or buy your soul). I actually enjoy pruning garden plants myself, though. Gardens ussually gives you something in return (flowers, vegetables, mosquitos...: ))
Thank you all for making my list of chores even longer 😂