Doing Household Chores

Doing household chores is a necessary part of our life. Everybody is happy when their home is bright and clean.

Level A2/B1

Word List Doing Household Chores

Tools for doing household chores

a broom – мітла, віник
A broom is used for sweeping floors.
a dustpan – совок
A dustpan is used to collect swept-up dust.
a mop – швабра
A mop is used for cleaning and mopping floors.
a bucket – відро
A bucket is used with a mop for carrying water.
a duster – ганчірка для пилу
A duster is used for dusting furniture, window-sills.
a sponge – губка
A sponge is used for washing dishes.
a scrub brush – щітка для чищення
A scrub brush is used for scrubbing surfaces.
a cleaning cloth – серветка для чищення
A cleaning cloth is used for wiping surfaces and cleaning.
gloves – рукавички
We need rubber gloves for cleaning to protect our hands.
a trash bag – мішок для сміття
We need a trash bag to collect household waste.
a bin/a trash bin – відро для сміття
A bin is a container for household waste.
an ironing board – прасувальна дошка
We need an ironing board to do the ironing.
a laundry basket – кошик для білизни
A laundry basket is a container for carrying and sorting laundry.
a clothes line – мотузка для одягу
A clothes line is used for air-drying clothes.
clothespins / clothes pegs – прищіпки
Clothes pins are used to hang up clothes for drying, usually on a clothes line.
a drying rack – сушилка
A drying rack is used for drying clothes.
a step ladder – драбинка
A step ladder is helpful for reaching high places for cleaning or organizing.

Household Chores

do the housework – робити роботу по дому

do chores – робити домашні справи

have/do household duties – мати/виконувати домашні обов’язки

share householding duties – розділяти домашні обов’язки

split the chores – розділити домашні справи

clean the room/the kitchen/the bathroom/the windows/the sink/the shower cabin/the toilet – прибрати кімнату/кухню/ванну кімнату/вікна/раковину/душову кабіну/туалет
I need to clean the windows this weekend.

tidy (up) the room – прибирати кімнату

clear up the mess – розчистити безлад

sweep (swept, swept) the floor/the carpet/ the porch – підмітати підлогу / килим / ґанок
Can you sweep the kitchen floor, please?

mop the floor/the bathroom floor – помити підлогу/підлогу ванної кімнати
I mop the bathroom floor every week.

vacuum the floor/the carpet/the entire flat – пропилососіть підлогу/килим/усю квартиру
She vacuumed the floor yesterday.

hoover the floor/ do the hoovering – пропилососіть
If you hoover a room or a carpet, you clean it using a vacuum cleaner.

The Hoover Company is a home appliance company founded in Ohio, United States. It also established a major base in the United Kingdom; and in the 20th century, it dominated the electric vacuum cleaner industry, to the point where the Hoover brand name became synonymous with vacuum cleaners and vacuuming in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

wash the floor – мити підлогу

scrub the floor – терти підлогу

polish the floor – відполірувати підлогу

polish the shoes – начистити взуття

dust the furniture – витерти пил з меблів
I dust the shelves regularly to keep them clean.

water the plants – поливати рослини
I need to water the plants in the balcony.

cook breakfast/lunch/dinner/meals – готувати сніданок/обід/вечерю

do the cooking – займатись приготуванням їжі

clean the cooker – почистити плиту

do the shopping – робити покупки

go shopping – ходити по магазинах

put the shopping away (in the cupboards, fridge, etc.) – прибрати покупки (у шафи, холодильник тощо)

wash the dishes – мити посуд
I need to wash the dishes after dinner.

do the washing up – мити посуд

dry the dishes – висушити посуд

load / unload the dishwasher – завантажити/розвантажити посудомийну машину
I’ll load the dishwasher after dinner. I unload the dishwasher carefully.

lay the table (lay – laid – laid)/set the table (set – set – set) – накривати на стіл

clear the table – прибирати зі столу

wipe the table – витирати стіл
Can you wipe the kitchen counters after cooking?

clean the fridge – помити холодильник
I should clean the fridge this weekend.

sort the laundry – сортувати білизну
Let’s sort the laundry into whites and colors.

put the dirty clothes in the washing machine – покласти брудний одяг у пральну машину

load / unload the washing machine – завантажити/розвантажити пральну машину
Don’t forget to unload the clothes from the washing machine.

do the laundry – прати

wash clothes – прати

hang laundry on the clothes line – розвісити білизну на мотузці

dry clothes – сушити білизну

fold clothes – складати одяг
After washing, I like to fold my clothes and put them away.

do the ironing – прасувати одяг

iron clothes – прасувати одяг
Can you iron my shirt for tomorrow?

empty the bin – спорожнити відро для сміття
Please empty the trash bin before you leave.

take out the rubbish/trash/garbage – виносити сміття/сміття/сміття
Don’t forget to take out the trash before it starts smelling.

make the bed – заправляти ліжко
I make my bed every morning.

put things in order – навести лад

fix things – лагодити речі

renovate the house – відремонтувати будинок

do repairs and improvements to the house/flat – зробити ремонт та покращення будинку/квартири

Electrical Appliances at Home

Electrical appliances at home make our life easier and more convenient.

appliance (appliances) – прилад (прилади)

a dishwasher – посудомийна машина

a fridge (a refrigerator) – холодильник

a freezer – морозильна камера

a cooker – плита

a cooker hood – витяжка

an oven – духовка

a microwave oven – мікрохвильова піч

a toaster – тостер

a coffee maker / coffee machine – кавоварка

a coffee grinder – кавомолка

a bread maker – хлібопічка

a mixer – міксер

a blender – блендер

an electric kettle – електричний чайник

a multicooker – мультиварка

a food processor – кухонний комбайн

an electric mincer – електрична м’ясорубка

a waffel maker/a waffle iron – вафельниця

a steamer – пароварка

a juice squeezer – соковижималка

a food dehydrator – дегідратор їжі (сушарка)

a vacuum cleaner / a hoover – пилосос

a robotic vacuum cleaner – робот-пилосос

a steam mop/a steam cleaner – парова швабра/паровий очищувач

a washing machine – пральна машина

a clothes dryer – сушарка для білизни

an iron – праска

a hair dryer – фен

an electric razor – електрична бритва

a curling iron – плойка

an electric toothbrush – електрична зубна щітка

a fan – вентилятор

a heater – обігрівач

a boiler – котел

an air conditioner – кондиционер

a television – телевізор

a sound system – звукова система

a games console – ігрова приставка

a computer/a laptop – комп’ютер/ноутбук

a printer – принтер

a scanner – сканер

a router – маршрутизатор

Answer the questions Doing Household Chores

How is doing work about the house called?
Have you got a household duty? What is it?
What household duties do other members of your family have?
Do you tidy up your room only when mum tells you to?
Does your mother get upset when she sees your room?
What do you usually do to keep your room tidy?
Is your mother the busiest person in doing chores? Prove that.
Who is the greatest helping hand for your mother?
Have you ever done the ironing / the laundry?
Can you fix things? If yes, what did you fix last time?
Who usually does the cooking in your family? What about you?
Have you got any machines to help you with household?
What kind of housework do you most hate doing?
What kind of housework do you least mind doing?
Everybody knows that work about the house eats up much time. Could you suggest any ways how to save your time and make your house clean?
Would you like to have a robot who helps with householding?
Does your family work about the house at weekends?
What is your family’s attitude to the home?
How often does your family do repairs and improvements to the house or flat?
Are you sure that doing household chores makes a man feel fine?

Doing Household Chores

Welcome to my family. This is my mum. Usually she has a lot of work to do, so she uses her electrical helpers like a dishwasher or a washing machine. My dad is a good gardener and a good cook, too. My brother has a dog. He walks and feeds his dog every day.

We have no problems with household chores in my family. We usually discuss the things we have to do on Sundays and make a list of our chores for a week. Everybody has some tasks.

I tidy up my room twice a week and I like to help my mother about the house. I water the flowers every day and go shopping when my mum asks me to do. My brother does the hoovering once a week and takes out the garbage three times a week. My father fixes electrical appliances when something doesn’t work and goes shopping on Saturdays to buy food for a week. What about my mum? Oh, she irons, washes up, sews, cooks. I think she is the busiest in our family.

When we have a party with our guests at home, we always prepare for it and do the chores together. I usually wipe the dishes, my brother cleans everything, my father helps mum in cooking and she has some time for decorating the place. When everything is ready, she usually says, ‘Thank you my helping hands and don’t forget to clean the table away after the party’. Last time she even gave us some little prizes for the good work.

So, we are happy to help each other and do everything together.