Some of the times when you might want to give your home a deep cleaning include:

Prior to moving

Before guests come for an overnight stay

At the start of each season (fall, spring, winter, summer)

Before putting your house up for sale

That said, sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what to do and where to start.

Here are a few tips to help you deep clean your home -- inside and out.

In my profession of cleaning houses for a living, I have cleaned hard wood floors time and time again. And I'm always trying new things to save time.

Some of the things that I've tried when cleaning hardwood floors include:

string mops

sponge mops

cleaning the floors by hand

All of these ways work, but they can take a lot of time!

Plus, using a string mop or a sponge mop requires that you lug around a bucket of water, and you have to repeatedly rinse the mop. Cleaning hardwood floors by hand means that you're working on your hands and knees -- which can be time-consuming and exhausting.

I have come up with a 2-step method for cleaning hardwood floors that is the fastest for me and gives the best results without all of the excess work.

What's on your to-do list these days?  Does it include one or more projects around the house that you might be able to hire a professional to do for you instead?

I've already told you about my recent carpet cleaning experience (...where I wish we would have called a professional to clean the carpets for us instead of spending 2 days doing it ourselves!).

We learned a valuable lesson there.  In addition to paying to rent the carpet cleaner machine (and the carpet cleaning solution), three of us ended up spending 2 days moving furniture, setting up fans, and maneuvering the bulky carpet cleaner throughout the rooms of our house in order to get our carpets clean. In the end, we lost a lot of valuable time.  And we were all very sore!

Now, here are some other do-it-yourself projects that are usually best when left to the professionals.  Plus, great tips for deciding whether you should pay a professional or do the job yourself.

Trying to choose a good cleaner can be a hassle because the store shelves are full of so many different cleaners, and a lot of them basically do the same thing.

Personally, I clean about 200 homes in a year's time -- not including my own home. So I use a lot of cleaning products.

I have tried a variety of different cleaning products, but I usually stick to the ones that I think are the best. 

These household cleaners work the best, in my opinion:

According to The Family Handyman (February 2006), the top upgrades and remodeling projects for bathrooms are:

1. Whirlpool tubs.
"Water-jet" tubs ($800 to $8,000) provide a more powerful water stream. "Air-jet" tubs ($1,200 to $20,000) massage by blasting air through tiny holes. When it comes to whirlpool tubs, some people prefer the tingle of air massage; others find it too gentle. Air-jet tubs are often louder and incoming air cools the water faster.

Did you know?...
When you look at prices for whirlpool tubs, remember to add at least $200 for the faucet, plumbing and electrical supplies. You may also want to replace your water heater, since you'll need one with a heater capacity at about 75% of the tub's capacity.

2. Soap & shampoo dispensers.
Push-button dispensers mean less clutter, more convenience, and quicker cleaning. Many even dispense three or four different liquids (soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion) from one mechanism. You can either screw it to the wall or fasten it with double-sided adhesive tape.

Did you know?...
Many shower soap dispensers have indicators on the side to let you know when it's time to refill -- before getting into the shower and finding out that they're empty.