NAPSI: This holiday season, you may enjoy the festivities more by spending less time on everyday chores like laundry and more time with family and friends. Here’s how to do just that:

• Enlist the troops—Getting the rest of the family to help out will help you make more time for everyone to spend quality time together. Before guests arrive, assign tasks such as starting the wash, transferring the clothes to the dryer and folding so everyone is doing his or her fair share of the load.

• Location, location, location—With guests in and out and the kids home for the holiday break, your laundry room may soon start to look like Grand Central Station. One way to offset traffic jams is by setting up designated stations for delicates, lights, darks or specialty items. Have a few color-coded laundry baskets lined up neatly next to the washer and dryer. Label each one and let everyone drop off items that need to be washed as necessary.

• Become an expert in efficiency—An influx of laundry doesn’t have to mean significant increases on your utility bill. Try to wash loads during off-peak hours to save on energy.

For more information on home appliances, visit www.amana.com. North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.