Cleaning rota template
A cleaning rota template is a grid with one row per week and one column per job. This page has a blank four-week grid that prints cleanly from the browser, a filled example for four housemates and the rule that keeps the jobs fair.
Blank cleaning rota template
Print this page from your browser (the menu and footer are left off the paper) and write a name in each box. Four weeks, four jobs.
| Week | Bins | Kitchen | Bathroom | Vacuuming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | ||||
| Week 2 | ||||
| Week 3 | ||||
| Week 4 |
Example: four housemates
Maya, Theo, Priya and Omar share a house. The rota below follows the same rotation as the generator: in week 1 the first job goes to the first person, the second job to the second person and so on, and from then on every job moves one person along each week.
| Week | Bins | Kitchen | Bathroom | Vacuuming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Maya | Theo | Priya | Omar |
| Week 2 | Theo | Priya | Omar | Maya |
| Week 3 | Priya | Omar | Maya | Theo |
| Week 4 | Omar | Maya | Theo | Priya |
Each row names four different people, so every job is covered each week, and each column visits all four people once. In week 5 the pattern starts again at the top.
How to keep a cleaning rota fair
- Rotate, do not pick. Nobody is stuck with the bathroom because they said yes first.
- Count jobs, not just names. With four people and four jobs, everyone does each job once in four weeks. With more jobs than people, check that nobody does one job twice before someone else has done it once.
- Agree what each job means. Write one line under the template: bins means taking out rubbish and recycling, bathroom means sink, toilet, shower and floor.
- Swap openly. If two people trade weeks, change the grid so the next person still knows their turn.
Skip the writing: make the rota with calendar links
Filling a grid works for one household and one printout. The chore rota generator does the rotation for you, puts real dates next to each week and gives every housemate a personal link that downloads their own calendar (.ics) file.
The free version makes rotas for up to 4 people and up to 4 weeks, which is exactly this template. Five or more housemates, or a run past four weeks, need the paid Chore Rota Pro licence, which covers up to 12 people and up to 26 weeks and nothing above that.
Privacy: the schedule lives only in the link. Anyone with the link can read the names and chores in it, and nothing is stored on a server. Details are on the privacy page.