Experts share you can burn 500 calories cleaning your house with little effort

10 November 2023 , 16:30

619     0

There are ways to maximise your cleaning routines (Stock Photo) (Image: Getty Images)

We all know how important it is to keep active and get moving, so if we could burn calories while doing mundane housework - it would surely make life much easier and get us wanting to clean the house more.

If you're clever about your cleaning, you could maximise burning calories while tidying and one expert has shared tips on how to make the most of your cleaning workout and how to get an extra burn.

Scientists call this action 'NEAT' (non-exercise activity movement) where you unintentionally burn calories without working out - most commonly done by walking, but doing housework can also be another way.

You could add movements such as squats or lunges while cleaning, and professor of health promotion and health behaviour Dr Duston Morris, at Maryland University of Integrative Health, revealed that "consistency is key" and you should "aim to do 20 to 30 minutes a day" if you're using cleaning "as a way to increase movement and physical activity."

He further recommended that you should also switch up the tasks to help promote muscular balance. "Focus on laundry and dusting one day, bathrooms the next, and vacuuming and sweeping on other days," he shared with The Washington Post.

Cleaning guru shares why you shouldn't make your bed first thing in the morning

Some of the best house chores for burning calories include dusting. Dusting for 30 minutes could burn up to 80 calories for an average person weighing 79 kg. Personal trainer Stephanie Thomas also hails dusting and she shared how it can "engage the shoulders and arms", especially in high and hard-to-reach areas.

You can elevate the dusting workout by adding in some lunges, squats, or side leg lifts. According to The Mail, studies show that "you burn roughly eight calories for every minute of squatting - so even 10 minutes can expend up to 80 calories."

Other household cleaning chores such as scrubbing showers, floors, baths, mirrors and toilets are also an easy way to burn some calories. You can burn up to 100 calories mopping the floor, and it helps to "engage muscles" in your arms, hands and shoulders - and again adding in some squats or lunges can elevate the workout.

Cleaning dishes can burn roughly 160 calories every 30 minutes, and doing the laundry can also burn up to 50 calories every 30 minutes. Hoovering can burn 80 calories every half an hour - and will also "engage core muscles", as well as moving heavy furniture and items can help to keep active and get your steps up.

Niamh Kirk