How To Fold Clothes To Save Precious Drawer And Closet Space

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mike garten

Taming closet chaos starts with clearing out the clutter, but don't ignore what goes down in the laundry room. Folding your clothes strategically can also free up serious storage space. Not only will your shelves look as crisp and tidy as the piles in the department stores, but you'll see everything you own at glance. (No more digging for that favorite black t-shirt!) After folding your shirts, pants, sweaters, or socks in neat, little bundles, try standing them up or "filing" them vertically in drawers or storage boxes. That way you'll be able to quickly find whatever you need, and pull it out of the drawer without causing the entire pile to come tumbling down.

If there's anyone who knows how to fold clothes, it's Marie Kondo, the organizing expert behind the buzzed-about KonMari method. At first glance, her methods may seem a bit, well, complicated, but they'll quickly become your go-to after some practice. The final result? Drawers and closet shelves that are just as functional as they are beautiful.

How to Fold T-Shirts

Instead of piling your tees on top of one another and then rummaging through the stack, use this method to let shirts stand upright. It fills the drawer more efficiently and lets you see your entire collection at once.

Take one side of the shirt and fold it in toward the center.
Fold the sleeve back away from the center of the shirt.
If you're folding a long-sleeve tee, fold the sleeve again down toward the shirt's bottom hem. (The sleeve should form an upside-down L shape.)
Repeat on the other side of the shirt.
Fold the collar of the shirt all the way back to the bottom hem, so that the garment looks like a rectangle.
Carefully fold the shirt in half again, so that you can store it upright in a drawer or storage container.

How to Fold Dress Shirts

In general, Marie recommends hanging dress shirts like this, but if you must fold it for a suitcase or drawer, take care not to crush the collar.

Fold one side of the shirt towards the middle.
Flip the sleeves halfway back and then fold again.
Repeat on the other side.
Fold the shirt in half lengthwise, making a rectangle.

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How to Fold Pants

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It might feel like overkill, but this super condensed way of folding jeans allows you to store 'em horizontally and pack more pants into each drawer.

Fold the pants in half, placing one leg on top of the other with the back pockets facing out.
Fold in half lengthwise, bringing the hem to just below the waist and forming a long rectangle
Fold the pants upwards again, this time into thirds.

How to Fold Sweaters

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Storing your coziest knits on hangers stretches out the shoulders, but there's no denying they're total drawer hogs. Try folding the sides in so all your sweaters have the same width — they'll stack more easily that way.

Fold the arms in across the sweater, parallel to the hem.
Fold each side part way in.
Fold in half lengthwise.

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How to Fold Socks

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Putting your socks perpendicular to each other may sound counterintuitive, but once you see how neat it turns out you'll better understand why.

Lay each sock perpendicular to each other, forming a cross.
Bring one toe across, tucking it under the other sock.
Fold the top of that same sock across.
Repeat with the other sock.
Tuck the two ends sticking out into the middle, forming a square.

Caroline PicardContributing Writer

Caroline is a writer and editor with almost a decade of experience. From 2015 to 2019, she held various editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, including as health editor, covering nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other lifestyle news. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism and dreams of the day Northwestern will go back to the Rose Bowl.

Amanda Garrity

Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping, where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more.

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