Knowing how to clean your house is one of the most important life skills to learn. Clean like a pro with the following tips.

Always clean from top to bottom. This is especially important when dusting. Start with high shelves, ceiling fans, light fixtures, and crown molding and move down from there. Clean floors and baseboards last.

Maximize efficiency. If you’re cleaning your entire home, start with the bathrooms. Soak showers, tubs, sinks, and toilets in cleaning product and let them sit while you dust the rest of the house. After you’re done dusting, return to the bathrooms to finish scrubbing and polishing.

Wash your pillows. It may seem counterintuitive, but a good cleaning can extend the life of your pillows (but always check the care tag, just in case). It can also restore their fluff so they’re softer and more supportive. Wash two pillows together to keep the washing machine balanced during the spin cycle. Use a small amount of detergent, but do not use fabric softener—the chemicals may coat the fill, weighing it down. Lay pillows flat to dry, or follow drying instructions on the care tag.