Spring-Cleaning: Here’s How Many Calories You Burn During 15 Common Chores

You’ll won’t necessarily reach a fat-burning heart rate, but spring cleaning can definitely keep your metabolism cranking.

Household utensils for hygiene and cleanliness. Washing powder, clothespins, rubber gloves, brushes are household items. View from above. House utensils of different kinds. Hygiene products for home.
EVGENIYA68/Shutterstock

Doing chores around the house may not feel as much like exercise as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), but if you spend enough time cleaning the calories can add up. We calculated a rough estimate for how many calories you burn after 30 minutes of various spring-cleaning activities based on the average weights of American women (166 pounds) and men (195 pounds) over the age of 20, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and A Calorie Calculator.

(Note these are averages and tend to refer to cis men and women, but we hope all our beloved readers find this information fun and enlightening!)

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Sweeping the floors

The more vigorously you sweep, the better the workout for both arms and legs. On average, women can burn 87 calories and men can burn a total of 102 calories with a half-hour of sweeping.

7 Gentle Exercises to Tone Your Lower Body

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Vacuuming

Vacuuming burns slightly more calories than sweeping, in part because of the added weight of a vacuum. In 30 minutes, vacuuming burns 94 calories for women and 111 calories for men. You may even be motivated to vacuum the whole house. 

The 12 Best Vacuum Cleaners, According To Cleaning Pros

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Dusting the furniture

Dusting might be something to do while waiting on hold with customer service, but it can count as a bit of exercise. Women can burn 57 calories, while men can burn 66 calories in just 30 minutes.

14 Health Effects of Mold in Your Home, from an Air Quality Scientist

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Washing dishes by hand

Dishwashers save you time and energy but washing your dishes by hand burns calories. In just 30 minutes, women can burn 49 calories while men can burn 58 calories.

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Taking out the trash

Is it just us, or is there something uniquely satisfying about taking out the garbage? There’s more to this chore: It can burn 57 calories for women and 58 calories for men—plus, depending on how long your driveway is, you earn some extra steps

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Organizing your bedroom

Spring-cleaning often involves clearing out the clutter, which often means squatting, reaching and trips up and down the stairs. Decluttering the bedroom can burn up to 189 calories for women and 223 calories for men. (Also, you might sleep better.)

How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets? Here’s What Germ Experts Recommend

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Scrubbing the bathtub

Scrubbing the bathtub and wiping down walls can feel like a full-body workout. After 30 minutes, women can burn up to 106 calories and men lose up to 124 calories. Scrubbing back and forth can help build your upper body strength.

5 Gentle Exercises That Are Best-Kept Secrets for a Stronger Core

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Washing windows

From the inside and out, you can burn calories when washing your windows. You’ll go up and down a step stool or ladder, making this is a full-body workout for arms and legs. In just a 30-minute window washing session, women can burn 126 calories and men 149 calories.

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Rearranging your living room furniture

Rearranging furniture can be daunting, but it does count as weightlifting and could be a big help when it comes to getting some exercise. Moving things around in the living room can burn up to 189 calories for women and 221 calories for men in 30 minutes.

8 Common Workout Mistakes You Might Be Making

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Sweeping the front walk

Similar to sweeping the floors inside your home, sweeping the front walk, patio or deck can help burn calories. Thirty minutes of outdoor sweeping can burn off 113 calories for women and 133 calories for men. 

Spending This Much Time Outside Each Day Could Make You Live Longer

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Washing the car

For really messy situations, the carwash drive-thru makes sense, but for less heavy-duty jobs, wash your car by hand. After just 30 minutes, women burn 76 calories and men burn off 89 calories. 

Here’s How Much Exercise You Need to Counteract Sitting All Day, Says Study

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Watering plants

Caring for plants is therapeutic and can also help you burn more calories. You’ll either be lugging around a heavy watering can, or making trips back and forth to the sink. Women burn off 57 calories, and men burn off 66 calories per 30 minutes while tending to greenery.

8 Healing Plants You Can Grow at Home

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Mowing the lawn

A push-mower maximizes how many calories you burn in 30 minutes: Women can burn 170 calories while men can burn 199 calories, all while getting some fresh air and keeping your lawn neat and orderly.

An Allergist Says Seasonal Allergies Really Are Worse Than Ever This Year—Here’s Why

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Pulling weeds

Gardening has been shown to reduce cancer risk, and it’s overall one of the healthiest activities.

Cleaning out your garden and pulling weeds can build and strengthen muscles, and 30 minutes of pulling weeds can help women burn 132 calories and 155 calories for men. Gardening for an hour can burn over 200 calories…plus it’s good for combating climate change and improving your diet, too!

How to Make a Vinegar Fruit Wash That Really Cleans Your Produce

This-Is-How-Many-Calories-You-Actually-Burn-While-Spring-Cleaning
Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com

Moving boxes of winter clothes into the attic

Spring-cleaning is the perfect time to move your winter clothes out of the way to make room for spring and summer clothes. Moving boxes from the bedroom to the attic by going up and down the stairs burns a significant amount of calories. In just 30 minutes, women can burn 302 calories and men can burn 354 calories.

3 Major Toxins Have Been Found in Popular Clothing Brands—Here’s What To Know

Plastic bucket with cleaning supplies on wood background
Sergey Mironov/Shutterstock

What about other chores?

You can calculate approximate calories burned with this equation. Here’s how it works:

  1. Find the metabolic equivalent (MET) of the activity, which is the intensity rate you’re exerting. Don’t worry: Arizona State University and the National Cancer Institute already did that for you.
  2. Multiply the MET by 3.5 (the number of milliliters of oxygen you consume per kilogram of your body weight)
  3. Multiply that number by your weight in kilograms (to convert from pounds, divide your weight by 2.2046)
  4. Divide that number by 1,000 (so you’re working in liters instead of milliliters)
  5. Multiply that number by 5, since you burn five calories for every liter of oxygen you breathe in
  6. Last but not least, multiply that by the number of minutes you engaged in the activity. That’s the number of calories burned.
For wellness wisdom every day, get The Healthy @Reader’s Digest newsletter and follow The Healthy on FacebookInstagram, and Twitter. Keep reading:

Additional writing and reporting by Jaime Stathis.

Sources
Medically reviewed by Michael Spertus, MD, on May 15, 2020