SnapCalorieBurn — free MET-based calorie calculators
One hour of cleaning burns 160–320 calories. Weight-based table for general household chores and deep cleaning.
An hour of household cleaning burns approximately 160–320 calories — equivalent to a moderate walk and significantly more than sitting.
An hour-long cleaning session is common during weekly deep cleans or pre-event preparations. Tasks typically escalate from light tidying to more intensive work like vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing bathrooms, and organizing closets. The combination of upper-body effort and constant movement keeps your heart rate elevated and your muscles engaged throughout.
One hour of cleaning burns roughly the same calories as an hour of slow walking or gentle yoga. Vigorous cleaning tasks — scrubbing, moving furniture, washing windows — can burn 250–400 calories per hour, approaching the intensity of brisk walking.
Schedule one hour of thorough cleaning per week as part of your activity routine. Combine it with music or a podcast to make it enjoyable. The calorie burn, combined with the sense of accomplishment from a clean space, provides both physical and psychological benefits.
Direct answer: 1 hour of cleaning burns an estimated 195–343 calories, depending on body weight (180 lb / 82 kg: ~271 kcal). Intensity assumed: Moderate (vacuuming, mopping) (MET 3.3). This is an estimate, not a measurement.
| Body weight | Calories burned |
|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | ~195 cal |
| 155 lb (70 kg) | ~231 cal |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | ~271 cal |
| 205 lb (93 kg) | ~307 cal |
| 230 lb (104 kg) | ~343 cal |
Example: At MET 3.3, a 180 lb (82 kg) person doing 1 hour of cleaning burns approximately 271 calories: 3.3 × 82 × 1.00 h ≈ 271 kcal.
There is no single universal calorie figure for this activity. At 180 lb (82 kg) and the same 60 minutes:
| Style / effort | MET | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Light (dusting, tidying) | 2.3 | ~189 cal |
| Heavy (scrubbing, moving furniture) | 4 | ~328 cal |
An estimated 195–343 calories, depending on body weight. A 180 lb (82 kg) person burns about 271 kcal, calculated as MET 3.3 × 82 kg × 1.00 hours.
About 4.5 kcal per minute for a 180 lb (82 kg) person, or 3.3 kcal per kilogram of body weight across the whole session.
Because the MET formula scales directly with body mass: a 130 lb person burns about 195 kcal here versus 343 kcal for a 230 lb person — a 76% spread for the identical session.
From the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference database of measured MET intensities for physical activities. Every figure on this page uses that value in the formula Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours).
They are estimates from population averages, not measurements. Individual results commonly land within about ±15% of the figure shown; actual intensity and pace, body composition and fitness, terrain and technique all shift the real number. The values are gross calories, so they include the energy you would have burned at rest.
Open the cleaning calorie calculator to enter your own weight, intensity and duration.