Why do we clean? We clean because we're human. We don't like dirt, smell, or mess. We clean to feel comfortable in our surroundings. Some of us clean to impress. Some clean because we are paid to do so. I cleaned houses for two years to help pay my way through college. I learned that there are tricks to cleaning efficiently and effectively. When you are being paid to clean, you learn these tricks, because the faster you go, the more houses you can clean, which means the more money you make.

1. Let the cleanser do the work. This seems simple enough, but not all cleansers are equal. For bathrooms, I'm a big Dow Scrubbin' Bubbles fan. You spray it on, wipe it off and go. No rinsing in theory, but truth be told, if you have very soft water, those bubbles do need to be rinsed away. For kitchens, I like Formula 409. For enamel-clad or plastic appliances, 409 can't be beat for its grease cutting power. Spray it on, wait a couple minutes, come back and wipe away the mess. But - and this is big - you can't use 409 on stainless steel or polished metal surfaces. So what to do about stainless or other metal? Windex all-purpose cleanser works well and is streak-free, plus you can use it on glass, saving you from having to buy yet another surface-specific product.
2. Clean side-to-side and up-and-down. Remember when your mom or other adult figure in your life told you to rub that cleaning cloth in little circles? Wasted energy! Wipe that surface in two passes - first from side-to-side, and then up-and-down. That's it! Move on to other tasks!
3. Clean your way out. Start at the back of a room and work your way out the door. This takes practice, and you won't do it the first few times you clean a room. You have to make your plan, and then learn to fly the plan. Your ultimate goal is to visit an area only once, instead of going over an area multiple times to get it clean. One way to fly the plan is to carry your cleansers and wiping cloth or sponge in a cleaning caddy or in a cleaning apron with pockets, and carry a trash bag with you. That way, when you are in an area, you first pick up the throw-aways and put them into your trash bag, and then whip out your cleansers and clean the surfaces. Then back up into the next area. One caveat, you will have to go back in to mop or vacuum the floor at the end.
4. Do floors last. Once the room is clean, do the floors. Customers have told me that they love coming home to see that freshly vacuumed carpet. Yup, they barely noticed that I got the crud off the toilet, but wow that carpet! Brilliant! So do the floors last and get that psychological satisfaction of a job well done.
5. Cheat. Feel free to take advantage of all those new products - pretreated cleansing wipes are fantastic, especially for cleaning the toilet. Swiffer sweepers wet and dry varieties do wonders on sealed floors like tile, vinyl or laminate. These helpers are designed to do the work for you, so use them without guilt!
6. Wash jeans with towels. Oh, and only buy blue towels! My friend refuses to do this, because, "You don't know where my jeans have been!" But I only buy blue towels and I wash all the jeans with them. It cuts down my laundry by one load a week, well worth it.

Even though I don't clean houses for a living anymore, I still clean my house like I'm paid to do it. It gets me done in a flash and on to more important things, like living life!