(ARA) - Believe it or not, your dirty laundry can be quite revealing. Not the kind of dirty laundry that makes tabloid headlines -- the real stuff, the dirty clothes that lurk in your hamper and seem to grow into piles of mind-boggling dimensions in no time at all.

When faced with the never-ending task of laundry, there are four basic types of people, according to the Queen of Clean(R), Linda Cobb. Cobb, a best-selling author and radio and television personality, is one of America's foremost authorities on housekeeping and laundry care.

"I've developed a motto for the four laundry personalities I've identified," says Cobb. "The first, and most common, motto is 'So much laundry, so little time.' Typically, these people have no time to spare and have perfected the art of multi-tasking. While appearance may be important to this person, doing laundry is just a means to an end."

Cobb's tips for the time-crunched can help streamline the laundry process. She recommends:

- Emptying the dryer's lint-clogged vent regularly so clothes will dry faster.

- Changing the setting on the washer to suit the load size, especially for small loads.

- Using detergent tabs rather than powder or liquid -- just drop them in and go!

- Making laundry easier for kids to put away (so you don't have to) by having easy-to-reach hooks and low-hanging bars in their closets.

The motto for the second group is, "Don't do laundry today that you can put off until tomorrow." This type believes that nothing is so pressing that it has to be done immediately -- especially laundry! These folks know every excuse in the book to put off laundry -- or getting someone else to do it for them.

Laundry procrastinators can make the chore easier using these tips:

- Pre-sort dirty clothes into color-coded baskets or bins as soon as you take them off.

- If you leave a load of clean clothes in the dryer and they become a wrinkled mess, simply toss a damp towel in with the load and re-run the dryer for a few minutes.

- Stock up on laundry products so you have what you need on hand, resulting in fewer trips to the store.

- Don't overstuff the washer or dryer, since it will cause clothes to come out wrinkled and not as clean.

The third group believes "If you want laundry done right, you have to do it yourself." These people's lives are orderly and methodical, and so is their approach to laundry. They tend to make laundry part of their daily routine and approach it with a full arsenal of laundry products that give them a good value for their money, such as Purex laundry detergent, which is about half the cost of the leading brand.

Even these well-organized people can benefit from some of Cobb's tips:

- Zip up the laundry routine by doing exactly that: zip zippers, button buttons and hook hooks. That way, you'll avoid catching, pulling and tearing fabric during the wash cycle.

- Before storing seasonal clothes, be sure to launder them first to avoid letting undetected stains set or attracting moths or other insects.

- Always check garments for colorfastness when using stain removers, even if the garments have already been laundered.

The fourth school of thought believes that "a little dirt never hurt anyone." The last thing that bothers these people is a pile of dirty laundry. And since they don't worry much about appearance, they don't think twice about wearing the same clothes two days in a row.

Cobb's tips for this laundry type include:

- Instead of folding or hanging clean clothes, toss t-shirts, gym clothes or other active wear onto an over-the-door shoe rack.

- If you happen to leave a piece of tissue in a pocket and it makes a mess in the washer or dryer, put a piece of nylon netting in the dryer with the clothes to catch the fuzz.

- Use a fragrant detergent to keep clothes smelling fresh longer.

- Use a super-concentrated stain remover, such as Zout, and let it sit on fabric for five to 10 minutes for best stain removal.