Take a speed cleaning lesson from the pros. BRIDGE Hygiene Services are masters in the art of efficient cleaning. Watch them as they work – they don’t waste time or dawdle, but they get the job done brilliantly at the same time.

Here’s how to clean fast and clean right, with tips from the experts.

1. Schedule your cleaning time
Take a tip from the pros and set up a regular weekly cleaning time. It might be Saturday morning, or every fortnight on a Sunday. Whatever time you choose, schedule it and clean with intention until you finish, because you won’t get it done in fits and starts.

2. Pick up clutter before you begin
Cleaning is all about surfaces – counters, furniture, appliances, floors. You can’t clean them if you can’t see them from all the clutter.

Before you begin to clean do a sweep of the house and pick up all the papers, toys, dirty dishes, shoes and random items – it’ll give you a huge head start when you get down to doing the actual cleaning, and you won’t be distracted by “tidying” as you go along.

3. Take your tools with you
Oooops! Forgot the powdered cleaner – better go get it. Oh no, now I’m here I realise I need toilet cleaner too. Where’s my cloth? Where did I leave the Solution? Which chemical should I use?

Professional cleaners tote their tools with them. All their tools. All the time. That’s why they’ve finished the entire bathroom in the time it takes the amateur to backtrack to get the cleaning items they need (and getting distracted along the way).

Get yourself a basket and put everything in it you’ll need from one end of the house to the other. Don’t forget to include in it a plastic bag for random rubbish you inevitably pick up on your way through.

4. Simplify your supplies
Unless you have arms of steel, you’re going to have a problem carrying all your cleaning goodies if you use 20 different things. Think multipurpose. According to experts, you only need 4 things:

* A light-duty evaporating cleaner (multi-surface cleaner)

* A heavy-duty degreasing cleaner

* A tile cleaner

* A powdered abrasive cleaner

5. Get motivated
You won’t find professionals stopping to check their Facebook feed or tune in to a podcast. Amateur cleaners should take their lead and limit distractions as they clean. Turn off televisions and stay focused.

Play upbeat music for an energy boost, or if you’re a bookworm you could treat yourself to an audio book that plays on while you clean.

Cleaning as a team with the kids or friends can also help you stay on track and ease the boredom. Many hands make light work. When you allow kids to help you clean, you can make it fun while also teaching them important life skills.

6. Make every movement count
Professional cleaners don’t circle a room more than once. Taking their place before the bathroom sink, they’ll spray and wipe the mirror, scrub the sink, wipe down counters and polish fixtures before moving to the right or left and cleaning everything in their path there. Flitting from one side of the room to the other is a sure path to exhaustion (and missing spots). Another good tip is always to clean from top to bottom – so start with the light fittings and counter tops and move down to carpets, because dust settles downwards. Carpets are always last.

7. Tidy up for next time
At the end, professional cleaners clean and return their tools to storage – tools are tidied, spray bottles refilled and soiled cleaning cloths are popped in the washer. Then, they can hit the ground running next time around instead of being discouraged by “prep”.