FOLDING TECHNIQUES & TIPS FOR ANY DRAWER

Did you know that you don’t necessarily need a folding board to accomplish the best folding techniques?  I actually received the FlipFold as a gift when it first came out over a decade ago (by the way, ladies, if your man gives you a folding board as a gift: RED FLAG!) I did use it at first but found it works well for larger clothing items but not so much for petite ladies and children. So, I sold that folding board on OfferUp (see my previous post on how to sell items on garage sale apps)!

I share some of my favorite folding techniques in the video above and also in my updated video below:

Different items fit your bins and drawers better with different folding techniques. There is no one-size-fits-all folding technique like the ever-popular folding boards provide. Clothing comes in different sizes and drawers come in different sizes. Let me tell you about six factors to consider in order to choose the best folding techniques for your clothing items.

I’m Terry Elisabeth, author of “How to Organize Any Space in 7 Simplified Steps” where I show you how to organize your spaces according to your personal organizing style so that your spaces can finally stay organized.  If you need help organizing or just love organizing videos, check out the video above and click the subscribe button!

Factors to consider when deciding on the best folding techniques for your storage areas:

1. How many drawers or bins you have

Consolidate all of your undergarment type items (i.e. panties, bras, camis, socks OR boxers, undershirts, socks, etc.) to one large drawer (where folding can be helpful) or split up your underwear, bras, and socks into each small drawer or bin (where you may not even need to fold).

2. If the items are exactly the same

Pile (or stack) them in your drawer (i.e. white ankle socks). If you will put all of the exact same item in one drawer, you won’t even need to fold them if wrinkles aren’t a concern (i.e. pajamas or workout clothes).

3. If the items are the same in different choices

File them in your drawer so you can see each option at a glance (i.e. T-shirts with logos, designs, or prints).  Make sure the differentiating pattern is shown at the top whether it be a logo or pocket pattern.  My daughter is 17 now but, when she was little, I used to file her itty-bitty jeans in her dresser with the pocket showing at the top of the drawer.  If you only have a shelf to store folded items, a shelf divider is helpful in preventing stacked items from toppling over.

4. The depth of each drawer

Place smaller items that fold more compactly in more shallow drawers (i.e. undergarments, tank tops, leggings) and place bulkier items like sweaters in deeper drawers.

5. The size of each item

Larger clothing items like pajama pants can be folded to the depth of the drawer and filed. Smaller items can be rolled or folded compactly and piled or filed. In the video, I show you how I combined both filing and piling methods. I “filed” by color (white, beige, and black) and I “piled” the same colors on top of each other. That’s what I call “organization-maximization”!

6. If the items will be jostled around frequently

Use secure folding techniques (like my cami folding technique) and/or drawer dividers. That simple two-inch fold created to wrap around the cami bundles it up so well that it does not unravel (even with some dramatic jostling as shown in the video).

Folding techniques

Now, let’s get into some folding techniques. I suggest folding everything on a tabletop or the foot or side of your bed to make folding go quickly, so you won’t be getting up and down to grab items.  Also, you will save your back some pain.

Underwear/boxers

1. Fold in half and thirds for regular drawers (don’t you love how nicely they fit in the drawer in the video?)
2. Roll for shallower or more jostled drawers. Make sure to display any pretty lace or embellishments to be visual at a glance when looking into the drawer. Then, you will be able to grab the pretty panties quickly when the in-laws call and decide to take the kids allowing you to have an impromptu date night!

Camis/tanks

1. Rolled and piled for same colors
2. Rolled and filed for different colors
3. For men’s tanks that may be rather large, folding them like a t-shirt and then filing them may work best for standard or deep dresser drawers

Socks

1. Piled for same colors since matching is not an issue
2. Folded and filed for different colors and patterns so you can grab what you need at a glace and go

Pants/shorts/leggings/bottoms

1. Rolled and piled for same colors if thin or small (i.e. the two black leggings shown in the video and above)
2. Folded and filed for different colors and patterns (i.e. pajama pants in different patterns)

T-shirts w/ short & long sleeves

1. Fold the same sized shirts the same way so that they are folded to the same size  and then pile them if they are the same color (i.e. men’s white undershirts) or if you don’t care which color or pattern you grab (i.e. workout out tops)
2. Fold similar-sized shirts with different colors and patterns to the same size and then file them so that each color and/or pattern is visible at a glance

Scarves

1. Roll and stand up. In my daughter’s bedroom tour video, we have her scarves rolled and standing up so that she could see each pattern at a glance in one of her bins at the top of her closet.
2. Rolled and filed. Here, I have just a few here which are also visible at a glance.

Sweaters

1. If you consider a hoodie, a sweater, I don’t recommend folding these as they do well being hung. But if you do fold them, after completing my sweater folding technique as shown in the video, wrap the hood over the folded sweater and pull the drawstrings to make your hoodies more compact and fit in your drawers better.
2. For knit sweaters, I don’t recommend hanging them if they are heavy and will stretch on the hanger. Here, if you store them in an open bin, they can be folded and filed.
3. For knit sweaters in a drawer, I recommend folding them and then rolling them to make them a little more compact so that they fit well in the drawer and avoid getting snagged when the drawer is opened and closed.

Check out my previous post on how to set up your laundry area according to your laundry routine which also includes an awesome tip on how to easily distribute the folded clothing to be put away.

I have my FREE guides to organizing any space available here for you!

What folding techniques will you use for your unique spaces? Share in the comments below. Do you want to see more folding techniques? Let me know in the comments! In my next post, I will show you how to organize your wardrobe and, following that, I will show you how to organize different types of purses so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell, so you can know the moment they are up and never miss another organizing video.

Happy Organizing!