The short answer
- Yes, the everyday tasks that come with the dayWashing up, a load of laundry, a made bed and a light hoover through the rooms in use are part of having a carer live in, the same as they would be for anyone sharing the house.
- Not a whole-house cleanOvens, windows, carpets, the garden and anything needing a step ladder stay a job for a cleaner, a gardener or a handyman, not the carer.
- Care comes firstIf a day is hard, the housework is what slips, not your relative's care. A carer will not skip a wash or a meal to keep on top of the kitchen.
- Agree it before the carer moves inWrite the split into the plan you and the carer agree together, and make the job possible with a working washing machine and a lightweight vacuum.
PrimeCarers is an introductory service and does not set what a carer does day to day. The split below is what carers on the platform commonly take on, agreed directly between the family and the carer, checked September 2026.
The short answer
Yes, the tasks that come with sharing a home
A live-in carer moves into your relative's home and shares their day, so keeping the rooms they use tidy and the kitchen clean comes with that, the same way it would for a lodger or a family member who lived there too. A whole-house clean is a different job, and it stays one.
Comes with the day
- Washing up and clearing away after meals
- A load of laundry, dried, folded and put away
- Changing the bedsheets regularly, or sooner if needed
- A run of the hoover through the rooms in daily use
- Ironing, if your relative wants it and says so upfront
Stays a separate job
- A whole-house clean
- Ovens, carpets, upholstery: once or twice a year, not every week
- Windows and anything outside
- Gutters, the roof, the outside of the house
- Gardening
- Mowing, weeding, general upkeep of the garden
- Bigger DIY or moving heavy furniture
- A job for a handyman, not a carer
A tidy, orderly home matters for more than appearances. Clutter and general mess are easier to trip over for somebody using a stick or a frame than for someone who is not, so keeping the rooms your relative uses clear is part of what makes the home safer, not just more pleasant to be in. How does live-in care work? sets out the wider shape of the arrangement; this page is only about where the housework sits within it.
The everyday tasks
Dishes, laundry, a made bed and a run of the hoover
These are the jobs that come up in almost every live-in placement, done alongside the personal care your relative needs rather than instead of it.
Kitchen and mealtimes
Laundry and bedding
Floors and everyday tidying
Ironing usually comes with the rest, if your relative wants it and it matters to how they feel getting dressed, though it is often the first task to slip on a day when the carer's attention is needed elsewhere. Say so at interview if it matters to you, so the carer knows to prioritise it rather than guessing. What does a live-in carer need? covers the other practicalities worth sorting before day one, from a bedroom to broadband.
Where the line sits
A whole-house clean, the garden and specialist jobs stay separate
A live-in carer is not a housekeeper, and there are jobs that sit outside what any carer on PrimeCarers is expected to take on.
Bring in someone else for
- A deep clean: ovens, carpets, upholstery, the kind of clean that happens once or twice a year rather than every week
- Windows, gutters and anything outside the house
- Gardening and outdoor maintenance
- Bigger DIY, decorating, or moving heavy furniture
Don't ask the carer to
- Skip or rush your relative's care to keep on top of the housework
- Take on a whole-house clean on top of their caring hours
- Do heavy lifting or a job a carer's insurance is unlikely to cover
The same three-way split holds for hourly visits too. Shopping, cooking, cleaning: what counts as care sorts the twenty everyday jobs families ask about most into what is included as a matter of course, what needs agreeing first, and what is a job for a cleaner, a gardener or a handyman.
If the house needs more than its everyday upkeep before a carer moves in, book a professional cleaner beforehand rather than leaving the carer to start from behind. It is a far easier first week for everyone once the baseline is manageable.
Agreeing it before day one
Write the split into the plan, and make the job possible
The families who avoid an argument in the first week are the ones who talk about housework before the carer moves in, not after.
- 1
Say what matters at interview
Before you chooseIf ironing, a particular way of cooking, or how tidy the kitchen stays matters to your relative, say so when you are interviewing carers, not once someone has already moved in. - 2
Write it into the plan you agree together
Before day oneSet out the everyday tasks alongside the personal care in the plan you and the carer agree directly, the same way you would any other part of the arrangement. How to establish a routine with a live-in carer goes through building that plan in full. - 3
Make the job possible
Before day oneA working washing machine, an airer or dryer, and a lightweight vacuum cleaner turn housework from a chore into something a carer can fit around the rest of the day. - 4
Review it after the first fortnight
Two weeks inMost households settle into a working pattern once they see what the day looks like once the carer is there, and it is easy to adjust the split once you know what needs changing.
Carers on PrimeCarers are self-employed and agree their hours and routine directly with the family rather than working to a shift pattern set by us. What are live-in carers entitled to? covers the breaks and time off worth building into that plan alongside the housework.
Questions
Questions families ask about a live-in carer and housework
Usually, if it matters to your relative. Ironing is one of the first tasks that slips on a demanding day, so it is worth saying at interview whether it matters and how often, rather than assuming it will happen automatically.
No. A carer keeps the kitchen, laundry and the rooms your relative uses in reasonable order as part of the day, but a whole-house clean, an oven or the carpets are a job for a professional cleaner. What does a live-in carer need? covers the other practicalities worth arranging before day one.
No. Gardening and outdoor maintenance sit outside a carer's role, the same as they would for anyone else living in the house rather than employed to maintain it. Arrange a gardener separately if your relative's garden needs regular upkeep.
Book a professional cleaner beforehand if the house needs more than its everyday upkeep. Starting from a manageable baseline makes it far easier for the carer to keep on top of things from day one, rather than beginning behind.
Moving heavy furniture, climbing a ladder or general DIY are not part of a carer's role, and a carer's insurance is unlikely to cover an injury from a job outside caring. Arrange a handyman for anything like this.
Talk it through together and adjust the plan you agreed at the start; most disagreements settle once both sides know what is expected. How to establish a routine with a live-in carer covers building and revisiting that plan.