Does Housework Burn Calories?

What if we told you that gardening and cleaning burns calories - sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Well, it may actually be true! Now, we’re not saying you should hang up the gym gear. If you’re looking to stay in shape, then a healthy diet and exercise are often your best bet (or so we’ve heard). But the calories burned when gardening and cleaning are definitely a nice little booster!

So, let’s look at just how many gardening calories you can burn, whether a good old vacuum is exercise, and if general housework counts as exercise, below.

Staying in shape isn’t always easy! When you have the time, you’ve no motivation, and when you’re motivated, you don’t always have the time. But exercise doesn’t need to be difficult. In fact, exercise and burning calories can be done in the everyday tasks that you’re already doing – that’s right, cleaning is exercise (well, technically)! While it does depend on personal factors such as height, weight, and age, you can definitely kick a few calories this way.

While you’re unlikely to reach your desired fitness goal by simply vacuuming or mowing your garden, cleaning calories burned really do stack up over time. And giving your home a spring clean at least once a week adds up to around 4,000 calories a month - we’re no fitness experts, but you’d likely have to do a lot of push ups and sit ups to burn that amount. But how many calories can each induvial household and gardening task burn? We did the research*, so you don’t have to.

Relaxing in a lovely, neat garden is not only a great way to alleviate stress, but the gardening calories you can burn are a lovely boost to any fitness routine. One of the most integral gardening tasks is mowing the lawn - and you can burn more than 200 calories by ticking this off your to do list! Now, this only works for manual or electric lawn mowers that you push yourself, a ride-on mower doesn't count (unfortunately). So, keep that in mind before you begin.

A more vigorous task, such as an hour of raking up dead leaves, grass cuttings, and other garden debris, can help you build up strong muscles. But how many calories can you burn with this gardening activity? Well, this gardening task could help you work off more than 250 calories. You could nibble on some tortilla chips with melted cheese or banana slices with chocolate spread with those calories - and they sound like the perfect post-gardening snack!

Keen gardeners will know how much hard work goes into keeping a yard in good condition, but even weeding your flower beds is enough to make you break a sweat. In fact, the calories burned with this gardening task is estimated to be around 300 calories every hour. That’s a proper workout!

One of the first steps to cleaning your wooden floors is giving it a good sweep, but surely such a small part of the housework won’t count as exercise, right? Well, actually this is a cleaning exercise too! A 30-minute boogie with your broom could help you work off up to 130 calories. It might not sound like much, but when it comes to staying fit, it all adds up!

Naturally, the next step in tidying up your flooring is to get the mop bucket out - and this bit of housework counts as exercise too! Giving your floors a deep clean is actually a great workout, particularly for your upper body. The constant back and forth of mopping, combined with vigorous scrubbing for stubborn dirt can burn upwards of 150 calories every hour. Phew!

And up next, vacuuming! When you’re cleaning up after pets or you’ve got long corridors and stairs to vacuum, it can definitely feel like exercise. But how many calories does it add up to? So, the amount of cleaning calories burned here will depend on the size of your home - you will do a lot more vacuuming if you have a large house compared to a small flat. On average, however, using your vacuum could help you burn over 120 calories in just half an hour!

Washing your car might not feel like fun but skipping out on the drive-through car wash can add to your workout routine. All that scrubbing, rubbing, and brushing could knock off a further 150 calories or more every half an hour. Not only are you saving cash by cleaning your car yourself, but you’re also adding a lovely little cleaning exercise to your routine!

Cleaning your windows can be tricky, especially if you live in a multistorey home, but doing this household task for yourself is a great cleaning exercise! In fact, washing your own windows inside and out can help you burn over 150 calories in just 30 minutes - that's roughly the same amount as a 20-minute jog. If you do decide to clean your own windows, be sure to take extra care on any ladders you may use.

Now, we know the calories burned gardening can’t measure up to regular exercise, but every little counts, right? If you want to make cleaning even more fun, you can find the best cleaning shows and the ultimate cleaning playlist, over on our blog. Alternatively, check out our cleaning and gardening blogs for handy tips and tricks on keeping your home and garden clean and tidy! 

*Calories burned are based on a 150lb adult, and will vary depending on factors including your age, weight, fitness, and level of intensity.