Research by Maytag shows that more than 80 percent of laundry is done by women, with no help from anyone else in the family. Stop thinking, I'm the only one who can really do this chore well, and start seeing laundry as a team sport: You wear it; you help wash it.

And if you think the kids aren't up to the task, consider this revelation from Author Elaine St. James, "I don't want this to be too much of a shock to hear," she says, "but I know of a woman with a 10-year-old boy who has been doing his own laundry every week for two years. He washes, dries, folds, then puts away his own clothes."

In fact, kids are uniquely skilled to do laundry. They've spent time in preschool learning to sort blocks and shapes, master the color wheel, and play with toys that have knobs and buttons and make little beeps. In short, a primer for using the washer and dryer.

Have family members divide their clothes into those that can be worn again and those that need washing — and then put the latter immediately into a hamper. To help this along, each person needs a personal hamper so that dirty laundry has a ready destination. The hampers don't have to be fancy: "a wicker or plastic basket, or even a paper bag will do," says St. James. "Train everyone to put dirty clothes inside, and fold or hang up the things that can be worn again, such as jeans and outer shirts."