Back to Ariannita la Gringa

Community & Services

Household Chores In English

Follow Ariannita through a full apartment clean, from changing bed linens and tidying rooms to sweeping, vacuuming, washing dishes, and doing laundry. Learn practical household chore language, including the order of tasks and natural ways to describe cleaning up after pets.

Read the full lesson summary

Ariannita demonstrates household chores as she cleans different parts of an apartment. The video introduces vocabulary for bedroom tasks, shared spaces, floors, kitchen cleanup, plants, and laundry. She begins with changing bed sheets and making the bed, then tidies the living room by picking up items and putting toys into a storage bin. The examples distinguish ‘clean up,’ which refers broadly to making a messy area tidy, from more specific actions such as sweeping, wiping, or vacuuming.

As she moves through the home, Ariannita shows how to sweep the floor, sweep dirt into a dustpan, take out the trash, and vacuum carpet. She uses ‘wipe down’ for cleaning a surface with a cloth, and ‘polish’ for rubbing furniture so it looks clean or shiny. The lesson names objects and actions together, helping learners connect a chore with the tool or surface involved. Some tasks, such as cleaning glass or moving objects out of the way, also provide practical ways to explain what needs to be done.

The video continues with feeding pets, doing the dishes, watering plants, mopping, and doing laundry. Expressions such as ‘put your back into it’ add an informal comment about making a strong physical effort. ‘Load it up in the washer’ describes putting clothes into a washing machine, while ‘fold my clothes’ and ‘iron the wrinkles out’ cover later steps. The phrase ‘iron out’ can also mean resolve a problem, but here it refers literally to smoothing wrinkles from clothing.

Learners can use the lesson to talk about their own routines: name one chore, say where it happens, and describe the action in a short sentence, such as ‘I wipe down the kitchen counter’ or ‘I take out the trash.’ Chore routines, equipment, and household expectations differ from home to home, so Ariannita’s apartment is an example rather than a rule. The language goal is to recognize and describe common tasks clearly, not to prescribe how often anyone should do them.

S2.1
Ariannita la GringaAmerican English19:31

0 qualified plays 0 unique learners 0.0 hours watched 0 completed

How we count

Only playback on RealTalkBridge counts. A random first-party identifier deduplicates returning visitors; no IP address is stored. Country labels appear only when at least five distinct learners are represented.

Transcript

1 / 30

Select an expression for its meaning · 0:00

Introducing household chores and fresh sheets

Oh hey! I'm Ariannita la Gringa and welcome back to my YouTube channel. And you might be wondering... Ariannita, why are you sitting on your bed? Well, in today's video, I will teach all of you household chores in English. Household chores are everyday tasks we do around the house. And I'm first going to start with my bedroom (I want to change my sheets) and then I will move to different rooms around my apartment. Well, let's start cleaning the house because I want to begin the year with a fresh start. This is my bed and I am in my bedroom (bedroom).

Try it: Notice one useful detail about introducing household chores and fresh sheets.

Phrase cheat sheet

All phrases at a glance

Review each expression, hear it, save it, or jump to where it appears in the video.

21 phrases

Showing 21 of 21 phrases

change my bed sheets

Introducing household chores and fresh sheets · expression

Remove used sheets and put clean ones on the bed.

Tone and use: Everyday household language; change the sheets is also common. Describe replacing the bedding during a regular cleaning routine.

May not fit: If you only straighten the covers, say make the bed rather than change the sheets.

Example“I change my bed sheets every Sunday.”

make the bed

Changing the linens and making the bed · expression

Straighten the sheets and covers so the bed looks neat.

Tone and use: Neutral and common. Talk about tidying the bed after waking up.

May not fit: If you are replacing the linens, say change the sheets.

Example“I make the bed before I start work.”

clean up

Changing the linens and making the bed · phrasal verb

Make a messy space tidy by removing or organizing things.

Tone and use: Everyday and flexible. Describe restoring order after things have been left around.

May not fit: For washing a particular surface, name the task, such as wipe the counter.

Example“We need to clean up the living room before guests arrive.”

pick up these items

Tidying the living room · phrasal verb

Lift objects from where they are and collect them.

Tone and use: Neutral; context determines whether it means collect or purchase. Describe collecting objects from the floor or another surface.

May not fit: If you mean buy something, mention the store or say pick up some groceries.

Example“Please pick up these toys before you vacuum.”

put these toys in this bin

Tidying the living room · expression

Place the toys into the container used to store them.

Tone and use: Plain, practical household language. Tell someone where to put objects while tidying a room.

May not fit: If you mean return an item to its usual place, put away may be more concise.

Example“Put these blocks in this bin before we vacuum.”

sweep the floor

Tidying the living room · expression

Clean a floor by brushing dirt or debris with a broom.

Tone and use: Neutral and common. Talk about cleaning hard floors with a broom.

May not fit: For carpet, vacuum it instead of sweeping it.

Example“I sweep the kitchen floor after cooking.”

sweep up

Sweeping floors and collecting dust · phrasal verb

Gather dirt or debris by sweeping, often into a dustpan.

Tone and use: Everyday and practical. Describe collecting crumbs, dust, or small pieces from a floor.

May not fit: For wet spills, blot or wipe them up instead.

Example“Could you sweep up the crumbs under the table?”

take out the trash

Taking out the trash · expression

Remove the bag of rubbish from the home and put it in the outside bin or collection area.

Tone and use: Common U.S. household expression. Describe carrying household waste outside.

May not fit: In some varieties of English, take out the rubbish is more usual; follow local wording.

Example“I’ll take out the trash before the collection truck comes.”

tie this

Taking out the trash · expression

Fasten something by making a knot; here, close the top of a garbage bag.

Tone and use: Plain and conversational. Give or describe the step of fastening a bag or cord.

May not fit: If you mean attach two objects securely, specify what is being tied to what.

Example“Tie this bag before you carry it downstairs.”

vacuum up

Vacuuming carpet and putting equipment away · phrasal verb

Remove dirt or small particles using a vacuum cleaner.

Tone and use: Everyday and practical. Describe cleaning up dust, crumbs, or pet hair with a vacuum.

May not fit: For liquid spills, check the appliance instructions; a regular vacuum may not be suitable.

Example“I vacuumed up the pet hair from the rug.”

move things aside

Vacuuming carpet and putting equipment away · expression

Shift objects out of the way to make room for another task.

Tone and use: Neutral and conversational. Create access or space before cleaning, working, or arranging something.

May not fit: If you are putting items into storage, say put them away.

Example“Move things aside so we can set up the table.”

wipe down

Cleaning glass and mirrors · phrasal verb

Clean a surface by rubbing it with a cloth or paper towel.

Tone and use: Common household language. Describe cleaning a counter, table, or other surface.

May not fit: For a light dusting only, say dust; wiping implies rubbing the surface.

Example“Please wipe down the counter after you cook.”

polish something

Cleaning glass and mirrors · expression

Rub a surface to clean it or make it shine.

Tone and use: Neutral; can describe furniture, shoes, metal, and more. Talk about improving the shine or finish of an item.

May not fit: If you only remove loose dust, say dust or wipe it instead.

Example“He polished the wooden table with a soft cloth.”

hard to reach

Polishing furniture and dusting · expression

Difficult to access because of its position or distance.

Tone and use: Neutral and useful across everyday contexts. Describe a shelf, corner, or surface that is awkward to access.

May not fit: For a place that is physically inaccessible, use inaccessible or explain the obstacle.

Example“Use the long duster for hard-to-reach corners.”

doing the dishes

Washing and drying dishes · expression

Wash the dishes after a meal, by hand or sometimes as a general chore.

Tone and use: Common everyday phrase. Talk about washing plates, cups, and utensils.

May not fit: If you are only loading the machine, say load the dishwasher.

Example“I’m doing the dishes while you dry them.”

watering the plant

Watering houseplants · expression

Pour water onto a plant so it has what it needs to grow.

Tone and use: Neutral and common. Describe routine care for a houseplant or garden.

May not fit: Do not water if the plant-care instructions call for a different method or less frequent watering.

Example“I’m watering the plant before I leave for the weekend.”

put your back into it

Mopping safely and efficiently · idiom

Use a lot of physical effort to do something.

Tone and use: Informal; can sound encouraging or like a command. Describe working hard at a physical task.

May not fit: Avoid it if the person has an injury or when a gentler, safety-focused instruction is needed.

Example“We had to put our backs into it to move the sofa.”

doing the laundry

Mopping safely and efficiently · expression

Wash and dry clothes, and sometimes handle related steps such as sorting and folding.

Tone and use: Everyday household language. Talk about washing clothes as a chore.

May not fit: If you mean only one step, say wash a load or fold the clothes.

Example“I’m doing the laundry on Saturday morning.”

load it up in the washer

Doing a load of laundry · expression

Put the clothes into the washing machine so it is ready to run.

Tone and use: Conversational; load the washer is a concise alternative. Describe filling a washing machine with laundry.

May not fit: Do not overload the machine; for instructions, say load the washer according to its capacity.

Example“I sorted the towels and loaded them up in the washer.”

fold my clothes

Doing a load of laundry · expression

Bend clean clothes into neat shapes for storage.

Tone and use: Neutral and common. Describe organizing clean laundry after drying.

May not fit: If you are hanging an item, say hang it up instead.

Example“I fold my clothes while I watch a show.”

iron the wrinkles out

Folding and ironing clothes · expression

Use an iron to smooth creases from fabric; figuratively, iron out means resolve small problems.

Tone and use: Everyday phrase with a common figurative extension. Talk about pressing clothing or resolving details in a plan.

May not fit: For delicate fabric, check the care label before ironing.

Example“I need to iron the wrinkles out of this shirt before the interview.”

Knowledge check

Practice the phrases you heard

1 / 6

Use it in a sentence · “put these toys in this bin”

You have finished playing with the toys and want the room tidy. What could you say?