Cleaning has never exactly been my idea of fun. I personally feel like Cinderella when I’m scrubbing down my house. But if it makes you feel better, you actually burn some calories! Just imagine while you are cleaning that you can be more fit in your ball gown, bathing suit, or favorite jeans!

Here is a list of calorie burning chores:

Mopping: 40 calories

Vacuuming: 45 calories

Making the bed: 15 calories

Doing laundry or ironing: 20 calories

Scrubbing bath tub or shower: 65 calories

Carrying groceries and putting them away: 25 calories

Carrying groceries and putting away upstairs: 100 calories

Washing dishes while standing: 20 calories

Taking out the trash: 30 calories

Dusting: 20 calories

Washing windows: 50 calories

Various chores with moderate effort 45 calories

Manual mowing: 100 calories

Raking and bagging leaves: 70 calories

* The calories are based on doing each task an average of 15 minutes of your time

If you do all of these chores daily you’ll burn on average 675 calories! No wonder those housewives of the 1950′s we so thin! Realistically though, chances are you won’t have time to do all of these things every day – let’s face it, mowing and raking leaves alone could take all day. But it’s nice to know that the sense of accomplishment that comes from having completed these somewhat nagging household duties, comes with the added benefit of calories burned! And if you still loathe the idea of cleaning, maybe some handsome prince will find your glass slipper so you can hire a maid! But for the rest of us, let’s just try to find the fun in these tasks. And just think, a day spent cleaning could mean you get to skip the gym!