Mopping floors, cleaning stovetops, dusting, and vacuuming may seem like hard labor, but new evidence may have you thinking differently about housework. A study published in Neurology in 2022 found a link between doing ordinary household chores and a lower risk of dementia. The researchers collected data from more than half a million cognitively normal adults ages 40 to 69, including information about their physical activity (leisure time and housework both counted) and mental activity, such as social interactions. They followed the subjects for an average of 10 years and found that regular housework-related activities were associated with a 21 percent lower risk of developing dementia. (Social engagement and other types of exercise were also beneficial.)

“That's a pretty significant reduction, on par with what we've seen from medical interventions to remove amyloid or reduce blood pressure,” says Sudha Seshadri, MD, FAAN, founding director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's & Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. “I think the real takeaway from this study, as well as other research, is that we shouldn't be prescribing a particular kind of exercise or activity, but that overall, not being sedentary is helpful in preventing dementia. Instead of seeing housework as drudgery, we can view things like doing the laundry and changing the sheets as doing something good for our health.”

“When you're cleaning mirrors or windows or walking around the house with a vacuum, you're exercising,” says Carolee J. Winstein, PhD, PT, professor of biokinesiology and physical therapy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “You're moving around, you're increasing your heart rate and getting your circulation going, and you're getting out of breath. That doesn't mean you shouldn't also try to incorporate more structured forms of exercise into your day. Both are important. But if you didn't have time to go to the gym today, but you vacuumed and mopped your floors, you're still investing in yourself.”

The new findings also correlate with a study by researchers in Singapore, published in 2021 in BMJ Open, in which older adults who reported doing a lot of housework had higher scores on attention and memory tests than those who did not. They also had lower risk of falls, as measured by balance and coordination tests.

Given the potential brain health benefits of doing housework, caregivers and loved ones of people in the early stages of cognitive impairment should let them continue with their chores. “It's easy to think that you're helping by stepping in and doing the laundry or washing the dishes for them, especially if it takes them longer now,” says Vijay Ramanan, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. “But there can be great value in people retaining as much independent function as possible, as safely as possible, including the fact that it helps keep them more physically active.”

To fit more household chores into your day or make the most of the ones you're already doing, first identify which ones you like. “What you do is less important than whether you'll keep doing it. It's not any specific activity; it's finding consistent good lifestyle habits that will keep you active over time,” says Dr. Ramanan. “Some people may like keeping the kitchen sparkling clean, while others love getting out in the yard and laying down fertilizer and planting flowers.”

Apply exercise principles—like increasing speed, intensity, duration, and number of repetitions—to household tasks to make them more challenging. Mop your floors for 15 minutes instead of 10, for example. “Consider tasks like wiping down the kitchen or the bathroom counters or cleaning the bathroom mirror to be ‘movement snacks,’ and do them more frequently off and on throughout the day,” says Ryan Glatt, a personal trainer and senior brain health coach at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA.

You can also up your activity after food shopping by putting groceries in smaller bags, so you have to go back and forth between the car and your kitchen.

“If you have a list of daily tasks, think of them as an exercise circuit and try to do them as quickly as possible while still doing them well and safely,” says Glatt. “Put on up-tempo music and work at a faster pace to get your heart rate up.” Dr. Winstein adds, “Remind yourself that what you may have once thought was a grind is actually benefiting your health.”

Stay Safe While Cleaning

To avoid falls or other accidents when doing chores around the house, follow these tips from Carolee Winstein, PhD, PT, professor of biokinesiology and physical therapy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Turn on the lights. Make sure the area you're working in is well lit.

Secure your footing. Remove throw rugs that might shift under you as you're dusting or straightening up. Avoid wet floors. Wear shoes with good traction.

Remain grounded. Don't use ladders or step stools when working alone.

Use supports. For balance or support, make use of grab bars or handrails in the shower or bathtub, or railings or banisters in outdoor areas with uneven surfaces like cobblestones.

Time it right. If you take drugs that can cause dizziness, such as blood pressure medications, or if you experience dizziness in general, do not do housework when you may start feeling dizzy.

Know your limitations. If your laundry room is down steep stairs, avoid carrying big loads so you can keep one hand on the railing. Instead, use a small basket and make multiple trips. Consider having the appliances moved to a safer place.