Vacuuming and washing floors are typically the most time-consuming tasks of the week. If you follow the Clean Mama Routine you know that I vacuum the floors on Wednesdays and wash floors on Thursdays. Just this division can be confusing for readers and new followers, but it’s intended to make it easier and more doable to get around to cleaning the floors weekly. Need some tips and tricks to get started?

DAILY MAINTENANCE

Every day of the week I have ‘check floors’ as part of my routine. This means that after meals we check the kitchen floor and sweep or vacuum as needed. If I see something on an another floor in the home, I do a quick sweep or vacuum. This checking of the floors is something that I do, my husband does, and the kids will also grab a broom and help out. It’s not intended to be a full-on floor sweeping or vacuuming, it’s a daily dirt clean up. With three kids and two dogs, this is necessary. I will say that our dogs barely/rarely shed so that’s definitely helpful and they quickly grab food spills if we aren’t quick enough.

WEDNESDAY IS VACUUMING DAY

Why do I vacuum on Wednesdays? Because I dust on Tuesdays. Dust settles and vacuuming it up is the best possible way to clear it from your home. Find a vacuum cleaner that works for your budget and home. Whatever vacuum cleaner picks up the dirt and keeps your floors clean, use it and implement it in your weekly cleaning routine. I also like to use a broom or sweeper in between vacuuming to keep the floors clean in between weekly vacuuming.

THURSDAY IS FLOOR WASHING DAY

I wash floors on Thursdays because all the hard floors were thoroughly vacuumed the day before on Wednesday. I realize that it would be even more thorough to vacuum and wash floors all on the same day, but that takes so much time, don’t you agree? Years ago when I was developing my cleaning routine, I split it up and vacuum on Wednesdays and wash floors on Thursdays. Do I have to re-vacuum on Thursdays? No. I do CHECK FLOORS before I wash the floors but rarely do I need to re-vacuum. Any re-vacuuming is minimal and it is usually in the kitchen under the kitchen table or around the island. Curious how I wash floors?  Check out this post.

IF THIS DOESN’T WORK FOR YOU, WHAT CAN YOU DO?

By all means, make my routine work for you. If you can’t get past the delay between vacuuming and floor washing, here are a couple ideas for making it work for your schedule and cleaning preferences.

  • vacuum late in the day on Wednesday and wash the floors early on Thursday
  • vacuum + wash the floors in one half of your home on Wednesday and in the other half on Thursday (this could be split up by levels or rooms)
  • vacuum and wash bathroom floors on Monday (when you clean the bathrooms) and split the rest up either by day or by room

Regardless of if you’ve heard of the Clean Mama Routine, tried it in the past, maybe you’re doing aspects of it but need a little help getting fully on board. I took your feedback and comments and turned it into Clean Mama’s Guide to a Flexible Routine. It’s a whole guide designed to help you put it into place around YOUR schedule – I am so excited to share it with you!

SET UP A CLEANING ROUTINE THAT WORKS WITH YOUR SCHEDULE, NOT AGAINST IT!

The Guide to a Flexible Routine will show you how to implement Clean Mama’s simple and proven methods to clean your home with the least amount of time and effort. Struggling to come up with a cleaning routine that works with your busy or untraditional schedule? This packet is the tool you need to finally get a system in place in your home.

Tell me? Are you getting used to the routine? What adaptations have you made? Share in the comments! New here? Here’s my Start Here page and my Cleaning Favorites page – welcome! And if you haven’t checked out what’s in my cleaning closet, go here!