Try timing yourself one day when your doing the washing. It doesn't take long to clock up an hour.

It may take fifteen minutes to gather the laundry from the wash baskets you have around the house, or from the floors of your teenager's rooms, and then sort it. Then there's loading the washer, setting it on, and unloading (say ten minutes).

If you're air drying you'll be hanging clothes up, or transferring machines if you're using a clothes dryer, sorting along the way to sift out any items that can't be tumbled (fifteen minutes?)

Then there's bringing it in from the line, or retrieving it from the dryer, folding, sorting and putting away (twenty minutes?) And that doesn't include the ironing!

If this depresses you, here are some 'dos' and 'don'ts' to try. If adopting even one of them saves you ten minutes a day, that's seven days over a year.

? Don't buy things with complicated care instructions. If you've no time for hand washing or going to the dry cleaners, stick to machine washables.

? Don't wash anything unless it's dirty. Wash everything that's been next to your skin after one wear, but be discerning about other items of clothing.

? Do deal with clothes as you take them off. Hang them up, or put them in the dirty wash. Things that lie crumpled on a chair will end up being laundered unnecessarily.

? Do get other members of the household to do their bit and help with the washing.

? Do fold things up as soon as they come off the line or out of the dryer to minimise creasing and therefore ironing.

? Don't iron anything unless you have to.

? Do give laundry another whirl if it's finished tumbling and you didn't get to it quickly enough to avoid creasing. Dampen a clean towel and stick it in with the laundry for ten minutes, then fold it all immediately.

? Do take action quickly on stains - the longer you leave them the harder they'll be to shift. Sponge with cold water as soon as there's a spillage, and have a supply of stain removers on hand.

? Do update laundry equipment. Even investing in a big durable airer that you can move in and outdoors can save time - no hanging things on the line, dashing out when it starts raining, and then having to drape them on a separate airer.

? Do check pockets for paper hankies (and $10 notes!), before putting clothes in the wash. You'll wish you had when you're picking off bits of white tissue from every item that was in the wash!