When one woman I know ran into a common problem -- her kids wouldn't put their laundered clothes away -- she found an uncommon solution. She moved their dressers right into the laundry room and hung a clothing rod there. Then, once clothes were washed and folded, she could put them away instantly. Not only that, when kids dressed in the laundry room rather than the bedroom, their dirty, discarded clothes were more likely to land in the hamper than on the floor.

Here are some more conventional solutions to being more efficient in the laundry room.

1. Attach a stain stick to the inside top of the bathroom hamper, and as you undress the kids or yourself, rub the stick on any stains. If clothes don't get washed for a day or two, they're pretreated.
2. Put everything that can't be machine-dried into a large mesh sweater bag. You won't have to sort through wet clothes when you transfer everything to the dryer, and you won't mistakenly include an item that can't take the heat.
3. Many clothes won't need ironing if they're dried properly. If drying space is tight, hang a Hula Hoop from the ceiling and you can hang double the clothes in less space. Or install a second shower rod parallel to the first but positioned right over the tub so that clothes can drip dry and water goes down the drain.
4. Another way to cut down on ironing: Before you machine-wash shirts and blouses, button alternate buttons starting with the third one from the top. Arms won't tangle in the wash, and damp shirts can be slipped right onto hangers. Or, if you machine-dry a shirt, hang it immediately and give it a shot of spray starch on the collar and cuffs. That may be all it needs to look presentable.