15 minutes of
cleaning
61 kcal 15 minutes of cleaning burns approximately 61 calories for a 70 kg adult, based on a MET value of 3.3. Heavier bodies burn proportionally more: 78 kcal at 90 kg, 95 kcal at 110 kg.
SOURCE·2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·REVIEWED JUL 2026
MET 3.3 × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 = 4.04 kcal/min × 15 min = 61 kcal
Source—2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities—code 05050—ACSM energy equation—retrieved 2026-07
How this is worked out
- Take the MET value for cleaning from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: MET 3.3, the median of its 7 measured variations (MET 2.3–4.3).
- Convert MET to a rate using the ACSM relationship: multiply by 3.5, then by body mass in kilograms, then divide by 200. That gives kilocalories per minute.
- Multiply the rate by the number of minutes actually spent.
- Round to whole kilocalories. Nothing else is applied — no age factor, no sex factor, no proprietary adjustment, because the underlying data does not support one.
kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × mass(kg) ÷ 200 kcal = kcal/min × minutes 3.3 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 4.04 kcal/min 4.04 × 15 min = 61 kcal
15 minutes of cleaning, by body weight
| Body weight | 15 minutes | Per minute |
|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 43 | 2.9 |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 52 | 3.5 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 61 | 4.0 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 69 | 4.6 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 78 | 5.2 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 87 | 5.8 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 95 | 6.4 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 104 | 6.9 |
SOURCE·2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Questions
How many calories does 15 minutes of cleaning burn?
About 61 kcal for a 70 kg adult at MET 3.3. At 60 kg it is 52 kcal and at 100 kg it is 87 kcal.
Is 15 minutes of cleaning a good workout?
At MET 3.3 this is moderate activity. Adults are advised to accumulate 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, so 15 minutes is 10% of a week's target at that intensity.
A number this clean is a model. It does not know your gradient, your gear, the wind, or how hard you were actually trying.
MET from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical, fitness or nutrition advice. Calorie figures are population estimates and vary between individuals.
