Staying on top of chores in your home can seem nearly impossible as a family. Between work, school, and having little ones around, the process of having a tidier home can certainly be slowed down. Laundry seems to be one of the top 5 most hated chores, next to mopping and dusting. With good reason. Laundry can consume your whole day waiting for loads to finish, folding, and then putting clothes away. If laundry is one of those things you struggle with staying on top of, here are a few tips to make it less painful throughout the week.

Designate laundry days

You don’t have to wait for the weekend to roll around to get the family laundry done. If you break down laundry by days and specific loads, you’ll have less piles and more free time to spend during the weekend doing fun things. If you stick to a goal of 3 loads per family member (darks, brights, and whites) on Mondays,Tuesdays, and Wednesdays that will knock out mom’s, dad’s, and sister’s laundry for the week. By doing this every week, the folding and putting away of clothes will be less time consuming since you’re compartmentalizing laundry by family member on their assigned day of the week.

Cut your drying time

One of the biggest pains about laundry is the waiting, not only for the washer but the dryer as well. The wait time can sometimes seem like a gamble too. Even though you’ve set the drying time for an hour or your dryer’s sensor to very dry, there will be times when you pull out the load to find the clothes are damp. Not only do you now have to add more time to the dryer, you also have to wait to do another load since the washer is full of wet clothes that were meant to go in the dryer.

Using dryer balls are not only effective in cutting down dry time, they can also be eco- and budget-friendly depending where you get them from. Companies like Odor Crush make their dryer balls out of organic wool as a safe alternative to fabric softener sheets, while saving energy in reducing your drying time.

Keep baby close

Bringing home a new addition is a struggle at first to find the right balance when it comes to everyday activities that your little one wasn’t part of before. New moms often find chores challenging because they haven’t nailed down a schedule for their baby. Most babies love being held and being close to mom. As long as they feel that, they are usually happy. Because holding your baby all day is just not feasible, an infant carrier will keep your baby close and your hands free for all of the movement you need to get laundry and other chores done. Look at it as a 2-for-1 deal. Your baby gets their cuddle time close to your chest, which almost all newborns prefer, and mom is able to knock out that pile of clothes.

Hold each family member accountable

If you’re a household with multiple kids, use that to your advantage. If your kids are old enough to understand color separation, use a 3 bag laundry hamper sorter instead of just one big hamper for them. This will cut the time needed to separate each of their loads. If they are old enough to fold and put clothes away, hold them accountable to help you with their own clothes. Teaching them how to do laundry while young will be less painful than waiting until they are older and spoiled for so long in having it done for them.

The trick is to get ahead of the piles and not let the piles get ahead of you. Even if you can just do one load a day after work, when your baby naps, while having dinner, or during your favorite Netflix show, one load a day can make a huge difference. Especially if you’d rather have your weekends free for fun with the kids or date night.