May 10, 2021
I am very excited to share a new series with you – – Clean up mom’s simple shortcuts. For the next six weeks, I’ll share my simple favorite shortcuts every Monday and collect yours on Instagram. I’ll be sharing them on Instagram as you share them, but I’ll be collecting them over the next six weeks as well and sharing them in free print at the end of the series. I felt like I really need simple and easy now – you too? Can’t wait for us to collect all of the tips that will help us over the next six weeks. It will be really fun and helpful to feel in the community. Make sure you get involved on Instagram too!
Today we are going to talk about our favorite Simple shortcuts for a cleaning routine! I’ll list some of me below, add yours to the comments here, or head over to Instagram to include yours in the Stories question box.
My favorite simple shortcuts for a cleaning routine?
Of course, the first would be the Clean mom routine – It’s a simple shortcut for a cleaning routine in and of itself. The fact that it works motivates me and the other thousands and thousands of people who do it. If you’re new here, please refer to this post and / or my Start Here page for more information. This is a long post full of tips. I also share some of my favorite cleaning tips at the end of the post.
Put aside any misunderstandings you might have about cleaning. The Clean Mama routine is different. The Clean Mama routine consists of 4 components – but don’t start all at once. The dirt will still be there when you’re ready to do the routine to the full – start with the DAILY TASKS. These are things you probably already do – you can even start one a day for a week. Add a second task in week 2 and continue until you feel you have a good grasp of the daily newspapers. If you’d like to learn more, go to the Start Here page.
Divide up cleaning tasks. If you want to do a cleaning routine but know you have snippets in the day to get things done (before work, after work, napping, etc), here are my top tips. I do most of these things because when I get personal, I’m a little tidy. I find this is best for me from both a productivity standpoint and a getting things done standpoint. Do not underestimate these 5 and 10 minutes of cleaning energy! You can find more information about the weekly tasks here.
- Vacuuming and washing the floor can be a hang-up – They are time-consuming on their own and with the Clean Mama routine we do them on the following days. Here are a few ways to split them up: I vacuum late in the day on Wednesday and wash the floors early Thursday morning. Split half your house in one day and vacuum and wash the floors in one half one day and the other half the next.
- The bathrooms can feel overwhelming. With the Clean Mama Routine, we clean the bathrooms on Mondays – get them out of the way and get on with the week! We’re saving floors for Wednesday and Thursday to make it even easier. If you feel like bathrooms are a struggle, set a timer and follow my simple Monday is bathroom daily routine.
- Bathroom Speed Clean – If you’re having trouble cleaning your bathroom, use my method to cut this down to 15 minutes. You can GO HERE TO SEE THE ENTIRE METHOD and grab a free printable version to work through.
- Simplify your cleaning supplies – Less is more with many things, but this definitely applies to detergents. With just a handful of safe ingredients, you can make your own detergents. You don’t have to worry about what’s in your detergents and you have the ingredients you need on hand. Start with this post.
- Link tasks with one another – I talk about this at length in my latest book, CLEAN MAMA’S GUIDE TO A PEACEFUL HOME. When you associate a “happy task” with a “pain point” it is easier to get things done. I unload the dishwasher while making coffee – it makes me move faster and can get this job out of the way.
Put things on autopilot. There are certain things that I do automatically. Take a minute to think about what you are already doing on a daily basis and build on it. We clean up the kitchen every night and years ago I added our nightly sink scrub to this nightly routine. Now the sink is empty and clean every night – and I actually enjoy scrubbing the sink. 
Just do one thing. If you’ve heard of choosing three things in a day and would love to do just ONE THING, this is a perfect start for you! Here are some mindset changes to get you started.
- My personal favorite: “What kind of thing would make me do it tomorrow itself feel better?’
- What A cleaning job can i do today that will make a difference in our home?
- What AN organizational task Can I do today will make a difference in our home?
- Is there anything I can reward myself with? could motivate me doing one thing?
- Which ONE task can I do in the? 5 minutes I have? I have a FREE PRINTABLE with tasks you can do in 5 minutes if you need help getting started.
- Ask yourself, “If I can only one thing What will it be today ‘
- Or how about this: “What’s the only thing? I HAVE to finish today? ‘
- Clear and clean straight ONE surface. HERE’S LIKE!
Motivation can be something that holds us back in a cleaning routine. Here are some tips to get you started:
- Start in the worst area first and keep going with this dynamic. That’s why I clean the bathroom on Mondays. If this setting doesn’t work for you, start with something simple first!
- Choose detergents that you like to use. Color coordinate or just choose consumables you like – I think cute consumables make cleaning more fun!
- Don’t postpone it – Overcome it and move on with your day.
- listen to a podcast, audiobook or your favorite music – think of it as an escape.
- Call someone up and chat while you clean. Chances are you’ll enjoy the conversation more than you find yourself cleaning.
- Make it a game – Set a timer and race yourself.
- Invite someone – you will likely get more done in less time.
- Reward yourself with something that motivates you when you reach your goal.
- Be consistent. If you find it helpful to do a quick clean before you rest or before you nap each day, take the 5-10 minutes that this little cleanse takes. Being consistent will help build habits and make it easier to clean up if you do it regularly.
- Write it down. When you feel like you have reached the end of the day and have achieved nothing, check things off a list. I use my HOMEKEEPING PLANNER and love to be able to refer to it all year round.
- Don’t sweat the little things. It’s mundane and exaggerated, but it really is that true. What if you have to order pizza because everything was going south? Haven’t you done your laundry every day this week? No big deal! That’s why I built Fridays into my routine as a panacea. A grace day built into a routine that leaves room for life. It’s refreshingly simple – just use the next day to start over, or the next week – there’s always room for the unexpected.
Some bonus cleaning tips:
- Wipe the refrigerator shelves before you go shopping. This will keep your refrigerator clean most of the time and make it less of a problem if you need to clean it.
- Before running the dishwasher, let the tap water of your sink run hot to warm up the water and start the dishwasher with hot water.
- Keep a small undercooked meat baking pan in the refrigerator to keep your refrigerator shelf clean.
- If you have kids who love bath time and are old enough to play on their own while you are in the bathroom with them, of course, CLEAN IT with Clean Mama products 🙂
- Stop using a top sheet. This simplifies bed making in combination with a duvet and a washable duvet cover.
- Keep your everyday cooking utensils on a cutting board next to your stove for easy access and less tidying up.
- Put daily items such as dish soap, hand soap, counter spray, toiletries, etc. on a dish or tray. This makes it easier to clean the counter and helps contain those supplies.
Cant wait to see what your simple shortcuts for a cleaning routine are. Come to Clean Mama on Instagram to share!
Would you like to try the Clean Mama routine? Get started with these 3 free prints. You can find them at the top of the Free Printouts page. There you will find the calendar of the month, instructions, and tips and tricks for incorporating the Clean Mama routine.
You can find these and all of my free printouts here
And in case you’re still looking for more, check out the links below – I share reminders on Instagram daily, follow us!
Start Here Page – This page will help you get started!
Get the homekeeping planner
Join my subscription, Homekeeping Society
Follow Clean Mama on Instagram
Read my newest book – Clean Mama’s Guide to Peaceful Home