Do You Burn Calories While Cleaning?
Cleaning is given. One way or another we need to clean. It can be our home, office, car, and so forth. Some of us choose to pay for the service of a professional once a week and some do it ourselves. Either way, we will most likely find ourselves cleaning here and there and if we do, we might as well do it right. Aside from the karmatic benefit, we might gain from it (AKA “Karma Yoga”) as cleaning is a physical activity and can be considered as a workout if done right. It can provide you with a strong, flexible, and healthy body and answer the question: do I burn calories while cleaning?
Yes! You do!
How great is that right?
It is indeed menific, however, once we realize that dusting and washing our floor might be even more rewarding than feeling good with the cleaned environment itself, it is important to understand how many calories do we actually burn. This can be done via a smartwatch or a simple Fitbit tracker like this (on amazon) which tracks our activity.
But can it reach the equivalent of a sports activity? and also how do we make sure to do it right and avoid injuries that will force us to lay in bed after each cleaning session.
Productivity is achieved when done for a long run and can be maximized by learning a potential full range of each position while graduating with a stretch through the clean itself. Sounds complicated? Not at all. Let’s first understand the calories burned.
The full manual for the cleaner athlete is right here below so let’s get into it.
Outfit, mood and background music
First things first, prepare your surroundings! Music must be well picked as this is the melody that will ensure your persistence and mood. I like to use this small and portable wireless speaker that I found on amazon, it really sounds great and survived my abuse, so I can comfortably recommend it. However, on some occasions, a set of good earphones might be more suitable (office, roomies, other neighbors).
Suitable outfit, comfortable, not too hot, not too cold will ensure good efficient movements as at times we need to bend, stretch, pick and maneuver. Pick comfy clothing but bare in mind that while cleaning the use of cleaning materials might splash on your outfit – so love your outfit but do not love it too much as it might get stained.
Make sure you’re in the mood for action and approach this cleaning as a task force mission-the mission to get your home (in and out) nice and tidy!
Floor cleaning
The art of floor cleaning is a talent passing by generations some might say. The willingness to see your floor shine is beyond describing. The on-top perk of it is the calorie burn by this very rewarding sport activity.
Sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping the floor can burn anywhere between 100-300 and that’s solely up to you. If you do a thorough job you could easily burn 250 calories within an hour.
One important tip from me – please keep your back straight and your abdominal muscles contracted while at it to maximize the activity and strengthen of your body. Great fun on top for those who imagine it as an actual workout for the arms, legs, and back.
Wax on Wax off
I haven’t found a better way to clean my windows than the “wax on wax off” karate kid car cleaning method (link below). This works like magic. In that systemic operating of left arm and right arm I get to clean my windows perfectly and at the same time strengthen my both arms simultaneously.
Here is a video of the action perfectly demonstrated by mister Miaggi, just imagine being made on your home’s windows. Good window cleaning can take up to one hour and burn anywhere in the range of 100-150 calories and achieving the higher burnt result is really dependent on your groove. Not bad for a clean-up.
Groceries organize in the fridge and shelves, cabinets etc.
A day of groceries handling can easily acquit you with the range of 250-400 calories burnt. Apparently, food shopping is a work task, and sorting all the groceries nonetheless. Just make sure when you do it that you bend properly with a straight back (in opposed to a round back), do it while contracting your abdominal muscles, and try as much as you can to sort your groceries while squatting rather than just banding. You’ll achieve wonders to your legs, thighs, and bottom.
Laundry making
Laundry making usually graduates you with an average burn of 150-200 but depends on how you do it. Hand washing will grant you that, using your washing machine, say putting it in the washer, taking it out, and hanging it might grant you 50 calories burnt.
When you do that please make sure you stretch your arms properly and when you bend to put your dirty clothes in the washer try as much as possible to do it while squatting with a straight back and open chest. You will massage your ligaments and muscles, enable wide respiratory ways by open chest position and feel better while getting your house chores done. Yey.
Dusty busty
The world today is much dustier than ever. Therefore dusting can be considered a workout. It can be done quickly and should be done on a weekly basis for your lungs’ health, therefore it can be considered as a rather light workout or intensive, depending on the area you live in and the amount of furniture in your possession.
“Light” dusting can get you a 20-30 calories burn while “intense” dusting can easily get to 100-150 calories per hour.
This activity will gain you a clean house, longer living breathing on your own and more efficient calorie burn while your lungs are cleaner and your body works much much better.
Bathroom shining
Scrubbing your floor and tub can make wonders on your lower and upper body. By scrubbing the bath and sink plus floor with a fitted scrubbing sponge can provide you with the burnt of approximated 50 calories and muscle toning of arms and shoulders.
Make sure to try and use both arms equally although we always prefer one side as the dominant, open your mind-use both and equally work on a balanced healthy figure.
Windows to the world
Windows and shutters are the least of my liking in cleaning but a rather effective way for a good portion of workout.
Here’s a great opportunity to strengthen your arms, shoulders and work on its flexibility while burning a good portion of calories, anywhere between 150-300 per hour.
While doing it an important thing to remember is to work with a straight back and balance the arm work by changing sides every equal amount of time. For example, remove the dust from the window 5 minutes with your right hand, then 5 minutes with your left, or decide before starting that say out of 6 windows 3 will be cleaning with your right hand and 3 with your left.
Working balanced will gain you efficient work for the long run, prevent you from unnecessary inflammation and make you look good.
Dishes DJ
BORING! Dishes are boring and praise da lord for the dishwasher. However, in the absence of it we gotta wash those dishes as frequently as possible to avoid dried leftovers and might as well look on the bright side of it, the calories we burn by washing dishes wash! Dirty dish handlings are divided into 2 sections: Homes with dishwashers – anywhere between 15-20 calories burned for a machine.
Dishwasher-free homes – will be credited with between 70-90 calories after a total of one hour of hand dishes wash. Again-to me it is the most annoying and less rewarding of them all but we gotta do what we gotta do.
If you wanna do it healthily and in a more sportive way, make sure your back is straight, chin a bit tucked in order of extension of your neck muscles, contract a bit your abdominal muscles, and work steadily. Be mindful of the water use please, that will surely make you feel good.
Stretch betchy
Ok so if moving is our ice cream, stretching is the cherry on top. No activity can occur without stretching. When we clean, walk, run, dance, etc. we strengthen our body and mainly contract our muscles.
The operation of contraction creates the strengthening of the body but also shortens our muscles. Therefore stretching is essential and even mandatory through action post action (and in specific cases prior).
Stretching solely burns around 30 calories per 15 minutes. While cleaning, it is important to combine stretching, preferably at the end of our cleaning day for flexibility, the health of ligaments, muscles, and ease of the nervous system. If you are struggling with the hard floor and in need of a new yoga mattress try this one I personally love from amazon.
Furniture moving
Moving furniture as any other activity burns calories. Just how much is dependent on the moving nature (lifting, dragging, using a carrier, etc.). In general, I recommend less dragging as this could scratch your floor and annoy your neighbors but sometimes there’s not much choice so better put a cloth under the furniture and drag gently.
All in all, moving furniture will provide you with the burn of approximately 350-450 calories per hour of work. This is a traditional primary lifting exercise and the use of our body muscles and skeleton is more dominant in this “cleaning” type of activity.
One thing to notice here though: the art of lifting is indeed an art so better learn the technique properly as a potential injury is more probable than, say wiping your floor or table. I strongly recommend working on your abs first and practicing proper squat and lifting things with a straight back, open chest, and good breath. If you are really looking to understand the benefits of lifting stuff from the ground correctly have a look at our post about the deadlift and its benefits.
Making your lawn
Simple as that, Mowing your lawn by physically pushing the machine and not riding the mower can grant you the exquisite gain of 300 calories.
In general, gardening can grant you anywhere between 200-400 calories per hour. That includes planting, watering, pulling weeds, fertilizing the ground etc.
Other than a great calorie burn you get to squat a lot, work on your arms, back, flexibility of your joints, and at the same time relax as time spent with nature is a wonderful scientifically proven therapy. So get out there, if you can.
Final verdict
Movement is the name of the game. We do not go out there just for the sake of calorie burn but also for the acknowledgment of added value into our movement culture. In life it is all about energy, it is our attitude towards others and ourselves, it’s the sleep we get, the food we put in our mouths and the energy we take out and/or into the world by moving ourselves.
The law of conservation of energy states that the amount of energy is steady and as such we do not create, nor destroy energy but moreover kind of share it with our surroundings. That can be onto a human, an object, and most likely any other element of nature.
Once we clean, not only do we empower ourselves by releasing energy and strengthening our body, but we also empower our environment in this miraculous law of physics.
Cleaning helps you get rid of junk, make a more spacious, tidy, and clean home and at the same time provides you with a good solid workout for the day and a massive clean of your mind. It is therapeutic, relaxing, rewarding and to some even say karmatic. So much gain in such accessible activity. So what are you doing here? Go clean!