How to Fold Shirts and Sweaters

The secret to an organized closet lies in the laundry room. By setting aside time in the laundry room to properly fold and hang your clothes, you’ll virtually eliminate the need to iron and contribute to the maintenance of an orderly closet.

There should be a dedicated area in your laundry room for folding. If your laundry room doesn’t have the space, consider setting up a temporary folding station in your bedroom.

The following are tried-and-true folding techniques that are as fresh and effective as ever. Take a few extra minutes to do it right and you’ll notice a big difference in the neatness and orderliness of your shirts and sweaters.

The process has 6 quick steps:

Step 1

Make sure you have a large, flat and clean surface. If you don’t have the counter space in your laundry room, a table, clean desk, or perhaps your bed is a good option. If using a bed, invest in a shirt folding board.

Step 2

If a shirt or sweater has buttons, button all of them before folding.

Step 3

Lay the shirt or sweater front side down on the surface and use your hands to smooth out any odd folds or wrinkles.

Step 4

If the shirt has sleeves, fold them towards the middle of the shirt so that they are parallel to the shoulders. Continue to smooth out wrinkles as you go along. If you’re working with a sweater, place a piece of tissue paper down before continuing to the next step. The tissue will help reduce unwanted creases.

Step 5

Carefully fold in each side of the shirt so the two sides touch at the top.

Step 6

Fold the bottom of the shirt up to the top. If you’re working with a shirt that’s on the long side, make a fold at the bottom that’s a quarter of the length of the shirt before folding up to the top.