A1 Level – Elementary
1. What is your favorite chore?
2. Do you like doing the laundry?
3. What tool do you use to clean the floor?
4. Who does the most cleaning in your house?
5. Do you like a very clean house?
6. What time of day do you usually clean?
7. Do you use a robot vacuum?
8. What is the difference between washing dishes and cooking?
9. Do you keep your room tidy?
10. What makes housework difficult?
11. Do children help with housework?
12. What makes your hands dirty?
13. What is the smell of a clean house?
14. What common chore takes the most time?
15. Do you like folding clothes?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What are the key differences between routine daily chores and deep seasonal cleaning?
2. Describe a system you use to remember when different chores need to be done.
3. What are the pros and cons of using powerful chemical cleaners versus natural products?
4. How can a family fairly divide up the responsibility of all the housework?
5. Have you ever tried to outsource housework (e.g., hire a cleaner)?
6. What is the role of music or podcasts in making housework more enjoyable?
7. What specific chores do you think children should be responsible for by age 10?
8. What is the difference between decluttering and simply organizing?
9. How has technology (e.g., dishwashers, smart vacuums) reduced the amount of time spent on chores?
10. What are the most common arguments or disagreements about housework in a shared home?
11. What is the importance of teaching young people practical domestic skills?
12. Do you think a person’s approach to housework reflects their general personality?
13. What are the challenges of doing outdoor housework (e.g., gardening, snow removal)?
14. What are the most common excuses people give for avoiding housework?
15. What is the difference between a tidy person and a clean person?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. Discuss the difficulty of valuing unpaid domestic labor in a society that primarily values paid work.
2. How can partners ensure a fair and equitable division of the mental load (planning, organizing) of housework?
3. What are the ethical issues surrounding the environmental cost of single-use cleaning products?
4. Do you think the trend toward smaller, simpler living spaces will reduce the burden of housework?
5. Describe a time when doing housework unexpectedly led to a feeling of peace or mental clarity.
6. To what extent should the cost of commercial cleaning services be considered a necessary expense?
7. What role does organization methodology (e.g., KonMari) play in achieving long-term cleanliness?
8. How do cultural norms around gender roles influence who is expected to perform which specific tasks?
9. Discuss the psychological challenge of dealing with clutter and deciding what possessions to keep.
10. What are the challenges of doing necessary housework when you are tired or overwhelmed by work?
11. How does the quality of cleaning supplies and tools affect the efficiency of housework?
12. Should mandatory home economics courses be reintroduced in schools to teach essential skills?
13. What is the difference between maintaining a clean home and maintaining a healthy home?
14. Discuss the concept of “unseen labor”—the housework that no one notices unless it is not done.
15. What is the long-term impact of shared domestic responsibility on the stability of a partnership?
Check out this lesson plan for B2 learners – “Weaponized Incompetence”
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. How does the economic power dynamic within a household affect the fairness of the division of housework?
2. What are the ethical arguments about the cost and employment conditions of professional housekeepers or cleaners?
3. Should governments offer tax benefits or deductions to families who rely on domestic labor services?
4. What are the psychological reasons why some people feel intense anxiety or stress when their home is disorganized?
5. How has the rise of minimalist philosophy influenced people’s approach to home maintenance?
6. Discuss the idea that a truly successful partnership requires an equal sharing of the “mental load” of the household.
7. What is the role of planning and scheduling in reducing the perceived burden of constant maintenance?
8. How do our perceptions of cleanliness and hygiene vary based on cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds?
9. What are the challenges of setting and enforcing cleanliness standards when living with roommates?
10. Discuss the concept of “time poverty” and how it forces people to choose between leisure and housework.
11. What is the difference between a system of rotating chores and one where each person owns a task permanently?
12. Should apartment buildings or communities share resources like commercial laundry facilities or tools?
13. What is the impact of smart home technology on the future job market for domestic laborers?
14. How does the history of domestic labor reflect the changing roles of women in society?
15. Discuss the idea that regular housework is a form of necessary self-care and mindfulness.
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Analyze the socioeconomic factors that correlate with the outsourcing of domestic labor in high-income households.
2. To what degree should the state legally recognize and financially value unpaid domestic and caregiving labor?
3. Discuss the philosophical concept of “reproduction of labor” and how housework is central to sustaining society.
4. Evaluate the environmental impact of modern household waste generated through cleaning products and disposables.
5. How does the strategic use of visual cues (e.g., leaving notes) function in coordinating teamwork for shared chores?
6. Examine the legal challenges regarding minimum wage and worker rights for migrant domestic laborers.
7. What ethical guidelines should govern the use of domestic surveillance (e.g., smart camera use) in rental or shared living spaces?
8. Discuss the concept of “cleanliness theater”—cleaning for appearance rather than for actual hygiene or function.
9. How do different national tax and welfare policies affect the affordability and necessity of paid domestic help?
10. Analyze the interplay between the massive advertising of cleaning products and the societal expectation of spotless homes.
11. What ethical challenges arise when people knowingly use environmentally harmful products for convenience?
12. Debate whether a technologically perfect, automated home environment would improve or diminish the human spirit.
13. How does the architecture of a home (e.g., hidden storage, laundry chute) implicitly encourage or prevent efficiency?
14. Discuss the concept of “psychological safety” in the context of being criticized for one’s domestic standards.
15. To what extent does the emotional attachment to possessions complicate the process of organization and decluttering?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. How do you analyze the idea that the home is the final refuge of pre-industrial, non-monetized labor?
2. Formulate a critique of economic models that consistently exclude unpaid domestic labor from national GDP calculations.
3. Analyze the intersection of labor law, gender equality, and the global movement of domestic workers across borders.
4. Discuss the philosophical distinction between “work” (effort for pay) and “maintenance” (effort for survival) in the home.
5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of public health campaigns focused on improving domestic hygiene standards in low-income areas.
6. Propose a new societal framework for educating men and boys on their required contribution to domestic and caregiving labor.
7. Examine the psychological function of ritualized, repetitive cleaning tasks in reducing stress and imposing personal order.
8. How does the semiotics of a “messy” versus “tidy” home communicate complex, immediate information about its occupants’ social status?
9. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of housing corporations to provide durable, easily maintainable materials for renters and homeowners.
10. Analyze the historical relationship between the invention of household appliances (e.g., the vacuum cleaner) and actual time saved on chores.
11. Articulate the inherent tension between the desire for convenience (disposable items) and the goal of zero-waste living.
12. Debate whether future personalized domestic AI will remove the need for human intervention entirely or simply elevate the standards of ‘clean’.
13. Assess the long-term societal effects of widespread reliance on outsourced domestic labor on family intimacy and personal skill development.
14. Discuss the philosophical definition of ‘responsibility’ when applied to the ongoing maintenance of a shared physical space.
15. How might the principles of organizational efficiency, as applied in a professional kitchen, be adapted to a family home setting?
