Are you sick of living in a house that is always in need of cleaning? Tired of spending every weekend cleaning and yet feeling like the house still isn't clean? Fed up with the constant struggle to find the time to clean, when all you really want to do is play with your kids, hang out with your hubby, or kick back and enjoy a good book?

If you are like most Americans, then you answered a resounding "YES!" to all of the above. It's exhausting, really. Not just the time spent cleaning, but the energy wasted worrying about the cleaning. That's where Speed Cleaning comes in. Some of you already utilize this system and, as a result, are master speed cleaners. Congratulations! You can skip this month's newsletter and go have some fun with your family.

For those whom have tried to implement this system but fallen off course along the way, or for whom Speed Cleaning is a brand new idea, this newsletter is for you!

What is Speed Cleaning?
Speed Cleaning is a methodical, easy-to-follow system that lets you clean your house as fast as possible. It's a simple set of rules that will help you avoid the pitfalls of cleaning. Review these rules. Commit them to memory. (Some of our readers tell us that they print a copy of the rules and post them on their fridge.) Practice them diligently each week. After a few weeks, you will have shaved valuable minutes -- maybe even hours -- from your weekly cleaning chores.

1. Make every move count.
If you learn nothing else from this month's newsletter, learn this rule. It is the foundation of Speed Cleaning. What does it mean? It means no backtracking. No more running around looking for the right cleaning tools, no running between rooms.  Once around the room and you're done--except for the floor.  All those extra steps waste time and energy. Efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to Speed Cleaning. And just how do you make every move count, you might be wondering? Keep reading, that's what the rest of the rules are for!

2. Use the right tools.
If your home is like most households, you have some cleaning supplies under the sink, a few in the linen closet, a couple more in the basement. You probably also have a million different spray bottles for a million different jobs. Guess what? That's not very efficient.

Here's what you need to do: Get an apron or cleaning caddy, and stock it with all your essential tools. Then, keep that collection in one central location, only to be taken out when you start to clean. You will need a scraper, a razor blade in a holder, and a toothbrush. As for sprays, you minimalists out there will like this: You can get by with one spray bottle of Red Juice for 80 percent of your home cleaning. Add a bottle of Blue Juice and you have more than 90 percent of your cleaning covered!

3. Work from top to bottom.
A key reason that Speed Cleaning works is because it eliminates the guesswork. It turns you into a cleaning machine, one that doesn't get distracted by the bills that have to be paid or the clutter that has to be cleared (ideally because Speed Cleaning has freed up so much time that clutter clearing and bill paying were already taken care of, anyway!)

Let's think about this logically for a minute: If you clean your floors first, and then dust your light fixtures, what happens to all that dust? Yup, it ends up all over your floors. So stop fighting gravity and instead work from top to bottom.

4. If it isn't dirty, don't clean it.
Here's a life-saving message for all you perfectionists out there: Only clean the stuff that needs to be cleaned! There is no need to scrub every single light switch in your home. Just spot-clean the smudges and move on.

5. Don't rinse until it's clean.
This is one of the most common time-wasters out there. You're scrubbing your tub and can't quite tell if it's clean enough. So you rinse out the tub. Uh oh, it wasn't clean after all. You're back to square one, and three or four minutes in the hole. If you do this with every surface in your home, you'll never finish cleaning!

The solution? Learn to feel for the dirt and grime. Trust your fingertips. If there are still remnants of that ring around the bathtub, you will be able to feel it.

6. Stop once it's clean.
It sounds so simple, doesn't it? But how many of you clean something, only to clean it again? Scrub it first, then polish it? Polish it, then shine it? Guess what? When that ring around the tub is gone, it's gone. No need to scrub, polish or shine it once more for good measure. It's clean. Move on! (How freeing is that?!)

7. If what you're doing isn't working, shift to a heavier-duty tool or cleaner.
Some of you believe that a job well done is only done with elbow grease. The truth, however, is that most of those tough jobs can be tackled faster and easier with a heavier-duty tool or cleaner. If the sponge isn't working to dislodge the grime, move up to a razor blade or scrapper. This step will save more than just your back -- it will save precious time, too.

8. Keep your tools in impeccable shape.
A dull razor blade won't remove grime (it will, however, scratch your surfaces). An empty bottle of Blue Juice won't polish your mirror. Treat your cleaning tools with the same respect you want them to show you. Don't put broken, clogged, rusty or empty tools and cleaners back in your apron or caddy. Take a few seconds to fix or replace the item today, so that next week, you won't have to waste any time on it.

9. Repetition makes for smoother moves.
Repetition is the fastest way to turn a bumbling cleaner into a well-oiled one. Do the same thing, in the same order, every time.

10. Pay attention.
Think of cleaning your home as an opportunity to become more in touch with your Zen side. Learn to be in the present moment by truly focusing on what you are doing. Don't catch up on phone calls. Don't worry about planning the dinner menu. Pay attention to the task at hand and it will be over before you know it!

11. Keep track of your time.
Nothing keeps many of us motivated like a little friendly competition. Even if your only competition is you! Get out a stopwatch and see how quickly you can complete your routine.

12. Use both hands.
Scrub with the right hand, wipe with the left. Finish dusting with the left hand, start polishing with the right. You may not have a team of helpers (or maybe you do -- see #13), but most of us are blessed with two working hands. Don't waste half your workforce!

13. If there is more than one of you, work as a team.
Put your husband, children, pets (okay, maybe not your pets) to work with you. Even if they aren't as good at cleaning as you are. It's okay to let go a little. Your home will still get clean, and it will get clean twice as fast!

With a little practice, you will turn into an uber-efficient Speed Cleaning machine. You won't dread cleaning anymore, because it won't eat all your free time. And you won't have to fight the "never feels clean" syndrome because your house will really and truly be clean -- in half the time or less.