When you’re busy, and have a lot of things going on, it can feel like you’re running in circles and doing a lot but not really completing anything. This is not ideal when you’re already feeling ‘behind’ in keeping up with your home. Whether you’re just getting started with the Clean Mama Routine or are trying to figure out if it’s something that you can implement, it’s helpful to know how to shortcut the Clean Mama Routine.

When I created the Clean Mama Routine I knew that it needed to be flexible and adjustable – no day or week or month is ever the same, so the secret to the Routine working is that it can ebb and flow with daily life.

Ready for some tips to get started? I always recommend starting today with the Daily Tasks – do those for the next week or two and then add in the Weekly Tasks. Instead of looking at the big picture and ‘all’ that you have to do, really concentrate on doing and completing those smaller tasks. As you get those done you’ll start to feel a little more accomplished and be able to get through to the other tasks at hand and little by little your home will start to transform. The Daily Tasks are the easiest and best place to start with the Clean Mama Routine. Once you have the Daily Tasks integrated, start with the Weekly Tasks. The Weekly Tasks are where I recommend simplifying them if needed, especially as you get started.


Weekly Tasks Sticky Notes

Check out these posts for more info on the 4 parts to the Clean Mama Routine:

After you have a handle on the Daily Tasks, it’s time to learn the Weekly Tasks! These tasks take 10-30 minutes a day. Monday we clean bathrooms, Tuesday we dust, Wednesday we vacuum, Thursday we wash floors, Friday we do anything we didn’t get to, and on Saturday we wash sheets + towels. Sunday we rest!

These 6 tasks REPEAT weekly – if you don’t get to one, use Friday – Catch-All Day as your day to catch up OR just wait until the task comes around the next week. The Clean Mama Routine has grace built in!

Monday – Bathrooms

As you start to consistently clean bathrooms weekly, you’ll find that they are easier and quicker to clean. Follow the Quick Clean Method for getting in and out of the bathrooms in a hurry – 15 minutes is all it takes (really!). If you don’t have time for that but want to stay on track for cleaning bathrooms, here are a couple ideas for simplifying the task – start by breaking down the tasks into just one or two items, then the next week do something you didn’t do the previous week. Start to add to the list and build more items that you are able to clean each week and before you know it, you’ll be quick cleaning your bathrooms too!

Simplified Bathroom Tasks: Just clean the toilets, just clean the sinks, just clean the tubs, just put out fresh towels, just empty the garbage, just wipe down the counters….

Bathroom Cleaning Caddy

Tuesday – Dusting

Dusting is super overwhelming if it’s neglected and let’s face it, dusting tends to be a task that’s easy to put off. Using a barely damp microfiber cloth or duster, work your way through each room, focusing on areas like blinds, fans, bookshelves, and electronics. Remember, always dust from top to bottom so that you aren’t just moving the dust around. Splitting this up is the best way to get used to dusting weekly and it might work better for you to keep it split up as you keep up with the Routine.

Simplified Dusting: Cycle through rooms each week, just do one floor one week and the next floor the following week, just do bedrooms one week and living areas the next week


Dusting Caddy Favorites 

Wednesday – Vacuum

Vacuuming once a week is a thorough vacuuming, including bathrooms and all hard surface floors. This through vacuuming is time consuming but like the rest of the Routine, it can be broken down into an even simpler formula. If you’re someone that prefers to vacuum and wash floors on the same day, you can do that too – just do half of your floors on Wednesday and the other half on Thursday.

Simplified Vacuuming: Split up vacuuming by room or by floor. Split it up even further by vacuuming one half of your home one week and the other half the next week. Remember that ‘check floors’ is a Daily Task so you are checking floors daily – if you need to do a quick sweep or vacuum, you are proactively taking care of dirt on floors when you see it.

Favorites for Vacuuming

Thursday – Wash Floors

Now that you’ve vacuumed, it’s time to give those floors a fresh wash. Whether it’s tile, hardwood, or linoleum, make sure you’re using the appropriate cleaning solutions and mops. See my favorite mops for washing floors here.

Simplified Floor Washing: Split up washing floors by room or by floor. Split it up even further by washing the floors of one half of your home one week and the other half the next week. Alternatively you can also combine vacuuming and floor washing by doing half of your home on Wednesday and half on Thursday. As you get into the Routine, you’ll see how every week is a little quicker and easier!

4 Best Mops for Washing Floors

Friday – Catch-All Day

Didn’t get to something earlier in the week? No problem! Friday is your day to catch up. Tackle any tasks that might have been missed or need a little more attention. Or if you’re all caught up, maybe use this day for a deeper cleaning project, like organizing a closet or decluttering a particular space. I also like to use Fridays as a day to menu plan and grocery shop.

Simplified Catch-All Day: Remember, the point of having a Routine is that it takes the guesswork out of what needs to be done. If you don’t get to something during the week, you can put it off until the next week, if you’re always trying to catch up, that’s exhausting. Do your best and as you get into the Routine it’ll fall into place!

Menu Planner Notepad

Saturday – Sheets + Towels 

There’s nothing like diving into a bed with fresh sheets. So, make your Saturdays about washing and changing bedding and towels. The whole point of laundering sheets and towels on Saturdays is that the family can be involved and can help out with this process.

Simplified Sheets + Towels: Having a simple method for laundry and laundry products is a great place to start! Put a load of towels in on Friday evening, use the delay setting on your washer and toss them in the dryer first thing Saturday morning. Wash master bedroom sheets weekly and rotate through the other beds in your home so you’re just laundering two sets of sheets weekly. Think of what would make this easier and doable for you. If Saturdays are super busy, have a second set of sheets clean and ready and just change the sheets and wash the sheets another day of the week.

Sunday – Just the Dailies

After a week of consistent cleaning, take a breather. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your sparkling home. This is also a good day to evaluate if any tasks need more attention next week or if there are areas you can optimize. Sunday is just for the Daily Tasks – these 5 tasks keep the home looking and feeling clean. 

Simplified Daily Tasks: Making Beds is made even easier when you let other family members make their own beds, don’t correct or fix, let other family members take responsibility! Doing a load of Laundry every day of the week may seem like a lot, if you don’t have enough laundry for a load, don’t do one! Just checking in on the laundry status is helpful. Check Floors is just that – checking the floors – does anything need to be swept or vacuumed? Wipe Counters is one of those tasks that really overflows into how the house looks and feels. You can’t wipe counters if the kitchen counters are piled with dishes and the sink is full – stay on top of this task for clean kitchens and bathrooms. Clutter is the key Daily Task – just doing a little decluttering every day (just 5-10 minutes) is going to keep your whole home looking and feeling clean and tidied up!

Homekeeping Planner & Paper Goods

Don’t you just love the flexibility of the Clean Mama Routine? Are you ready to get started? It’s home-changing!

Here’s where you can find the Complete Clean Mama Routine:

Here’s a video detailing the 4 parts to the Clean Mama Routine if you’re interested!

Now that you know what the four components are to the CLEAN MAMA ROUTINE, let’s get started! Make sure you have downloaded your FREE Guide to a Cleaning Routine and that you’re following along on Instagram.