Chore list for roommates that keeps the peace, plus a free chart
Most roommate fights aren't really about the dishes. They're about one person seeing a full sink while everyone else develops selective blindness. A written chore list for roommates turns 'someone should clean the bathroom' into 'Maya has it this week; I have it next.' Below is a free printable rotation chart, a fair five-step setup, and the complete daily, weekly, and monthly chore list — peace treaty not included, but strongly implied.
Free printable templates
LetterRoommate chore rotation chart — A four-roommate by four-week rotation grid with a shared chores list underneath, so every job has a name on it and the names move every week.
How to use it
- List every chore, then cut the list — Walk through the apartment together and write down everything that needs doing. Then strike off anything that's personal (your own room, your own laundry). What's left is the shared list, usually 8 to 12 jobs.
- Group the chores into equal-ish bundles — Make as many bundles as there are roommates. Each bundle should take about the same time per week: 'kitchen' is one, 'bathroom plus hallway' is another, 'trash, recycling and floors' a third. Read the bundles out loud and adjust until nobody groans.
- Assign bundles and rotate weekly — Write the names into the rotation chart so every roommate moves to the next bundle each week. After four weeks everyone has done everything, and nobody is stuck with the bathroom forever.
- Pick a day and a deadline — Chores are done by Sunday 8 p.m., say. A deadline makes 'I'll do it later' measurable. Post the chart on the fridge where the deadline is impossible to miss.
- Review after the first month — Sit down for ten minutes when the first rotation ends. Which bundle felt heaviest? Which chore got skipped most? Rebalance, reprint the chart, and go again.
Living with family rather than roommates? The chore chart printables cover kids and a weekly family chart.
The complete chore list for roommates
Print the chart, then pull your shared list from here. Strike anything that doesn't apply to your place.
Daily (under five minutes, whoever's there)
- Wash or load your own dishes after each meal
- Wipe the counter and stovetop after cooking
- Take out the trash when the bag is full, not when it's overflowing
- Hang up wet towels and bath mats
- Put shared items back where they live (scissors, remote, charger)
- Tidy the living room before bed: cushions, blankets, cups
- Squeegee or wipe the shower after using it
- Check the mail and put it on the right pile
Weekly (on the rotation)
- Clean the bathroom: toilet, sink, shower or tub, mirror, floor
- Vacuum and mop the shared floors
- Empty and run the dishwasher, or do the full sink
- Wipe down kitchen cabinets, fridge door and handles
- Clear old food from the fridge and wipe the shelves
- Take out recycling, glass and cardboard
- Change the kitchen towels and sponge
- Dust surfaces and the TV stand
- Water the shared plants
- Sweep the entryway or balcony
Monthly (assign one per person each month)
- Deep clean the oven and stovetop grates
- Clean the microwave inside and out
- Defrost or wipe out the freezer
- Wash the shower curtain or scrub the glass door
- Descale the kettle and the coffee machine
- Clean the windows inside
- Pull out the couch and vacuum underneath
- Restock shared supplies: toilet paper, dish soap, trash bags, sponges
- Wipe down light switches, door handles and the thermostat
- Clean the washing machine drawer and filter
House rules that actually stick
- Dishes don't sleep in the sink. Wash or load before bed, every night.
- Your turn is done by Sunday 8 p.m. Late is fine once; late twice means you also take the next trash run.
- If you finish it, you replace it. Toilet paper, dish soap, coffee, milk. The last person buys the next one.
- Guests are your responsibility. Their dishes, their mess, their noise. They don't go on the chart.
- Swap, don't skip. Can't do your week? Trade with someone and write the swap on the chart.
- Common areas are shared, storage is not. Your stuff on the counter for more than a day becomes a shared-space problem.
- Quiet hours are posted. Agree on a time on weeknights and a later one on weekends, and stick to them.
- The chart is the referee. If it's not on the chart, it's not a rule. If it's on the chart, it's not a debate.
- Ten minutes, once a month. A short house meeting to fix what's not working before it turns into a text argument.
What to do when someone slacks
It happens in every apartment. The goal is not to win a landmark court case called The People v. One Crusty Frying Pan. It is to get the bathroom cleaned and keep the friendship.
Ask once, in person, about the specific chore. Not in the group chat, not with a passive-aggressive note. 'Hey, the bathroom was your week and it's Tuesday, can you get to it tonight?' Most people just forgot.
Check whether the bundle is unfair. If the same person keeps slipping on the same job, the bundle might be heavier than it looks, or it clashes with their shift pattern. Rebalance before you escalate.
Use the swap rule. Give them a way out that isn't skipping: trade weeks, or trade the chore for a bigger one next rotation. A swap written on the chart is a promise; a verbal 'I'll make it up to you' is not.
Agree a consequence in advance, not in the heat of the moment. A missed week means you take the next trash run, or you buy the next round of supplies. Keep it small and automatic, so nobody has to play enforcer.
Make doing extra worth something. When a roommate covers for you, owe them one and actually pay it back: a dinner, a ride, their next bathroom turn. Apartments where favors go both ways have far fewer chore arguments than apartments that only track who missed what.
For ideas on how to pay a favor back, see the acts of kindness ideas.
Frequently asked questions
How do you split chores fairly between roommates?
Split by time, not by number of tasks. Cleaning the bathroom takes 30 minutes; taking out the recycling takes 3. Bundle chores so each person's weekly load is roughly equal in minutes, then rotate the bundles so nobody owns the worst one permanently. If one roommate is home far more than the others, it's fair to give them a lighter bundle and a bigger share of the daily tidying.
How often should roommates clean the bathroom?
A proper clean once a week: toilet, sink, shower, mirror, floor. Plus a daily thirty-second wipe of the sink and a squeegee after showers if you have a glass door. Mold and limescale are far easier to prevent than to remove, which is why the bathroom deserves a weekly slot on the rotation and never a monthly one.
What if one roommate is never home?
They still share the kitchen and bathroom, so they still have a slot in the rotation. Shift their bundle toward things that don't depend on timing: the monthly jobs, the trash run, restocking supplies. If they're genuinely away for weeks at a time, agree that they buy the cleaning supplies and the toilet paper for the month instead, and put that on the chart too.
Trade chores for favors, not arguments
Owe Me One gives the apartment a small favor shop instead of a large archive of grudges. When a roommate covers kitchen week or makes the midnight toilet-paper run, give them favor points. They can trade those for dinner, the parking spot, or freedom from the next bathroom turn. Everyone sees the balance; nobody needs a passive-aggressive spreadsheet. Free on iPhone.
- Give points when someone covers a chore for you
- Redeem points for favors, not money
- No more mental math about who owes whom
Shared flats, shared chores: writes about living together without the arguments.