Spring cleaning collocations

It's Spring! Or so the calendar says...the weather has been so ridiculously unpredictable lately that the seasons seem to just kind of merge together, but in any case, the days are getting longer and the first signs of Spring are starting to appear. For many of us, that probably means getting in a good "Spring cleaning", or at least starting to think about it. If you don't know what Spring cleaning is, it means to do a thorough or deep cleaning cleaning of your house and yard (if you have one). So I thought I'd write a post with all the necessary vocabulary that you need to complain about all the things that need to be done in the house, also known as chores 😅.

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Household chores

Here you will find a list of common household tasks, along with an example sentence for each. If you still aren't quite sure what a task is, check out the photo at the end of this post!

​Do + chore	Make + chore	Other collocations
​Do the dishes After lunch and dinner, I always do/wash the dishes.	Make the bed I never make the bed because I wake up before my husband.	Wash the dishes After lunch and dinner, I always do/wash the dishes.
Do the laundry I do the laundry on the weekends (wash my clothes).	Make breakfast, lunch... He makes dinner for his family every night.	Load the dishwasher I load the dishwasher after every meal.
Do the ironing He always irons his shirts before going to work.		Sweep the floor If you have a dog, you probably sweep the floor 3 times a day!
Do the shopping I do the shopping on the weekends, I go to the market and the supermarket.		Mop the floor When you spill something sticky on the floor, it's best to mop it up right away!
Do the housework It's no fun doing the housework, but it's necessary!		Water the plants Don't forget to water the plants, otherwise they'll die.
Do the cleaning I hate doing the cleaning, but I also hate a dirty house!		Scrub the floor When the floor is really dirty, sometimes you have to get down on your hands and knees and scrub.
Do the vacuuming She only does the vacuuming once a week, she doesn't have any pets or children.		Dust [the furniture] If you don't usually dust the furniture, you might find your fingers covered in grey when you take a book off the shelf.
Do some gardening When I have time, I like to get my hands in the dirt and do some gardening.		Take out the rubbish It's important to take out the rubbish when it's full, otherwise it might smell bad.

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Glossary

• merge: when two or more things mix or blend together to form one

• thorough: synonym for complete

• yard: in the USA, we use this word to talk about the grassy area outside our house

• chores: household tasks