The board is fenced except at the corners, where each corner has a square collection tray (with sides) of a distinct color. There are 4 brooms (look more like paint brushes) - one of each color. There is a garbage can in the center of the board filled with trash.

To begin, 'pop' the garbage can to send the trash flying and landing all over the board. Simultaneously, each player then tries to sweep the 'good' garbage into their own tray and the 'bad' garbage into opponents' trays. Score points for the good trash - a single piece of one kind of trash scores 5 points, two of a kind scores 15 points and three of a kind scores 25 points. Each piece of bad trash scores a negative point.

Highest point total wins.

It appears two versions of Clean Sweep were released. The original(?) version has obstacles you attach on the board, additional colors of trash and brooms of different colors. A second version has a different board, even though the picture on the box is the older version of the board, fewer colors of trash pieces and brooms are all the same color.

Nice slogan on the box:

POP the trashcan-
sweep like mad-
get the good stuff-
skip the bad