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How to Fold Clothes: Fast and Easy Folds (Videos + Photos)

For most, folding clothes seems like an inescapable and mundane task. As an organizer, I may not agree with that, but I can certainly sympathize. So today I’m going to teach you the fastest and easiest ways to fold all of the most common types of clothing so that you can get through the laundry folding process at a blazing speed.

I encourage you to go through the entire guide to learn the folding techniques for all types of clothing. However, if you just want to fold a few types of clothes, feel free to tap the text in the table of contents below to navigate directly to the section where you want to start.

  1. How to Fold Bottoms
    1. How to Fold Pants
    2. How to Fold Shorts
    3. How to Fold Skirts
  2. How to Fold Tops
    1. How to Fold T-Shirts
    2. How to Fold Sweaters and Hoodies
    3. How to Fold Dresses
  3. How to Fold Undergarments
    1. How to fold Underwear
    2. How to Fold Bras
    3. How to fold Socks
  4. Stacking and Troubleshooting
    1. Organize The Folded Clothes in Dresser
    2. Troubleshooting
    3. More Folding Techniques

How to Fold Bottoms

How to Fold Clothes: Quick and Easy Folds that Look Neat
  1. Bottoms are best folded by first folding them in half from side to side so we get the legs stacked on top of each other.

    For skirts, I like to fold them in thirds from both sides first as I think another layer of fabric adds some structure to the fold as we raise it up later.
  2. After that, we are going to fold long items like pants, or long skirts in half from the waist down to the bottom. For shorts and short skirts, you can skip this as they are short enough as it is.
  3. From there we will fold the garment down in thirds from the part with the waist (and end for long items). Make sure that it lines up nicely as we are going to raise up the fold next.
  4. From here you can raise up the garment so that it stands on the end with the two folds, and the part with one fold faces upwards.

See the illustrations and video explanations for each type of bottom below for more details.

How to Fold Pants

Since pants are one of the biggest garments in your dresser, we will fold them over a few times to fold them into a smaller and more manageable shape.

The easiest and most versatile fold overall is the file fold so that is what we will be doing in this guide.

FILE FOLD Pants like Marie Kondo (and how to store them)

You can watch the video, or follow the illustrations below to file fold your pants. If you still need some help, there is a troubleshooting guide near the end of this article.

1. Place the pants with the front facing up, and fold the pants in half from side to side.
2. Fold the pants in half from the bottom of the leg up to the top of the waist.
3. From the end with the pant leg and waist, fold the pants down one third of the way. Fold the pants over one more time so that the two ends line up.
4. Place the pants vertically with the two ends facing down. There should only be a single fold point up like in the picture.
A trick in step 3 is to make the first of the two 1/3 folds slightly smaller than the second one to compensate for the fabric building from the fold. This way the end of ends will line up perfectly when you fold over the pants the second time.

Here are some more options for folding and storing pants if you want to dive deeper.

How to Fold Shorts

Shorts can be tricky to fold depending on the fabric and length. If you have cotton, denim, or other stiff fabrics the file fold that I will teach you will be fantastic. If you have running shorts or other slippery fabrics I recommend you check out this guide to find a more suitable fold for your shorts.

If you have short shorts like women’s denim shorts you can follow the alternate step 4 and skip step 5 in the illustrations below. Don’t worry, the illustrations show both options.

3 Clever Ways to Fold and Store Shorts (Fast, Neat, and Space-Saving)

In the video above I fold a pair of women’s short denim shorts. For knee-length shorts, I recommend that you follow the steps for the red shorts in the illustrations below.

1. Lay the shorts down with the front facing up. Fold the shorts over in half from side to side.
2 Optional: Fold in the crotch area that sticks out at the back for a more even fold. This does create a slight crease.
3. From the waist fold the shorts down 1/3 the length of the shorts.
For short shorts, fold them in half only.
4. Fold the short over one more time so it lines up with the leg openings of the shorts.
For short shorts, skip this step.
5. Make sure the ends of the shorts line up evenly. Both knee-length, and short shorts should look like this now.
6. Place the side with two ends down and the end with a single fold facing up.

Learn more shorts folding techniques here.

How to Fold Skirts

Skirts are folded a little differently than other bottoms. And depending on the length of the skirt, we may have to add an extra step to reduce the length a little.

Overall, most skirts are very foldable. But if you have a wrinkle-prone skirt or a skirt with lots of embroideries or details, you should hang them or roll them instead.

Feel free to watch the video below from timestamp 8:24 to learn to roll skirts, just tap play to learn to file fold them.

3 Clever Ways to Fold Skirts (and Save Space)
In this video, I do an extra fold between steps 2 and 3 in the illustration underneath. I fold the skirt in half from top to bottom because the skirt in the video is very long. If you have a knee-length or shorter skirt you can skip over this step and just follow the instructions.
1. Fold the skirts in one-third the length of the skirt from one side.
2. Fold the other side over the already folded in side so it completely overlaps the first folded in side.
3. From the waist down, fold the skirt one-third the length of the skirt.
4. Fold the skirt down one more time so that the fold meets the bottom of the skirt.
5. Make sure that the end line up nicely.
6. Raise the file folded skirt up like so. The two folds shold face down, while the side with one fold should face up.

I have a guide with some more ways to fold your skirts that may interest you.

How to Fold Tops

Tops are also generally large items. It is good to fold them over a few times to reduce their size. We are going to do file folds for all the tops as well. Here are the general steps:

  1. Fold in the arms. If there are long sleeves, one sleeve can overlap the other.
  2. From the sides, fold the top in one-third the length of the top. The second side that you fold should completely overlap the side folded first.
  3. From the top, fold the top down in half.
  4. From the end with the collar and bottom, fold the top down one third of the way twice.
  5. Raise the file-folded top so that the side with two folds faces down, and the end with one fold faces up.

If you are enjoying the guide, you can also learn how to organize a small dresser here.

How to Fold T-Shirts

T-shirts and all undershirts like tank tops and long-sleeved shirts are all folded the same way. The only difference is in how we fold the sleeves in the first step.

For tank tops, you can obviously skip folding in the sleeves.

For t-shirts, you just fold them in on both sides so that you create a nice even line down the sides on the t-shirt.

For long-sleeved undershirts start by folding in one sleeve, then fold the other sleeve over the first one so that it completely overlaps it.

How to FILE-FOLD T-Shirts like Marie Kondo: Step-by-step
Watch the video, or follow along in the step-by-step illustrations below. To see an example of how to fold in long-sleeved shirts, just scroll down to the sweater and hoodie folding section right below the t-shirt photos.
1. Fold in both arms to create an even line down the sides of the t-shirt
2. Fold the left side of the t-shirt in 1/3 of the length of the width of the shirt.
3. Fold the right side over 1/3 of the way as well so that it completely overlaps the fold from the left side.
4. From the collar of the t-shirt fold the t-shirt down in half so that the collar lines up with the bottom of the t-shirt.
5. Split the t-shirt into 3 parts from top to bottom. Start by folding the end with the collar and bottom up 1/3 of the way.
6. Fold the t-shirt over one more time. The collar/end of the shirt should be inside the folded t-shirt now.
7. It should look like this. Make sure all the ends line up evenly.
8. Raise up the t-shirt like in the photo. Make sure that the end with two folds face down, and the end with a single fold faces up.
If you have trouble making thin undershirts stand up by themselves, you can stack them next to thicker ones, or use a drawer organizing system. I use these IKEA boxes (paid link to Amazon).

Learn more ways to fold your t-shirts here.

How to Fold Sweaters and Hoodies

Hoodies and regular sweaters are file-folded the same way. The only difference is that there is the additional step of folding down the hood on your hoodies compared to the sweaters.

Remember for cardigans and other buttoned/zippered sweaters you need to zip/button them up first.

3 Clever Ways to Fold Hoodies (and Save Space)
0. For hoodies, fold the hood down first.
1. Fold the sleeves in on both sides. The second folded sleeve should overlap the first. Make sure the sides are nice and even.
2. Fold in both sides 1/3 the length of the width of the sweater. The second folded side should completely overlap the first.
3. From the top of the hoodie/sweater, fold it down 1/3 the length twice. The second fold should completely overlap the first
4. The folded sweater should now look like this. Make sure all the edges line up with each other evenly.
5. Raise the hoodie up so that the end with two folds faces down, and the end with one fold faces up.
Pro-tip: If you have a thick sweater, during step 3 you can make the first of the 1/3 folds slightly smaller than the second one to compensate for the thickness of the fabric. This way the ends will line up evenly once you fold it over a second time.

I have a guide with more ways to fold your sweaters here, and a guide on how to hang your sweaters here.

How to Fold Dresses

As a rule of thumb, you can fold informal dresses made of lightweight fabrics, or dresses that have elastane in them. Avoid folding formal dresses, dresses with detail, or dresses made of pure cotton, linen, or other wrinkle-prone fabrics.

If you worry that your dress may be damaged from folding, you are better off hanging them for your own peace of mind.

With that said, folding a dress is just as simple as folding a t-shirt or sweater.

How to Fold Dresses to Save Space (Step-by-step guide)
In the video, you can see the dress I am folding is made of lightweight stretchy fabric.
1. Start by folding in the sleeves. If your dress has long sleeves, the they can overlap.
2. From both sides fold the dress in 1/3 the length of the width of the dress. The side fold second should completely overlap the side you fold over first.
3. From the top down, fold the dress in half. Make sure the ends line up evenly.
4. Fold the dress down 1/3 the length from top to bottom. Start from the end with the collar and bottom of the dress.
5. Fold the dress down one more time. Make sure that the ends line up evenly.
6. Place the dress with the end with one fold facing up, and the thick end with two folds facing down to support the dress.
Pro-tip: Just like with the sweaters, during step 4 you can make the first 1/3 fold slightly smaller than the second one (step 5) to compensate for the thickness of the fabric. This way the ends will line up evenly once you fold it over a second time.

I made a guide with some more ways to fold your dresses that may interest you.

How to Fold Undergarments

Undergarments are usually the most time-consuming part of the folding process since they are so small and so many of them. On top of this, each type; underwear, bras, and socks are all folded a little differently from each other.

How to fold Underwear

Generally, we are able to file fold all underwear the same way whether it is a big boxer or a little thong. However, if you want to fold a certain type of undies differently, visit this specific guide on folding underwear.

Fold Men's Underwear to Save Space (Boxers, Boxer-Briefs, and Briefs)
As you can see I am using a boxer as an example. If you have thongs or strings you can consider folding them in half during step 3 (and skip steps 4-6). I will show you a great tip for storing them below in the bra section.
1. Fold both sides of the undies in 1/3 of it’s width.
2. The second 1/3 fold should completely overlap the first one.
3. From the bottom, fold the underwear up 1/3 it’s hight.
4. Fold the underwear up 1/3 of the way one more time.
5. It should look like this now. Make sure all the edges are even.
6. Raise the underwear up with the end with a single fold facing up, and the end a fold and the waistband facing down.

Again, I made a more detailed guide with more underwear examples and different folding techniques if you want to see some other clever underwear folds.

How to Fold Bras

In general, we need to be more gentle when folding bras with underwires, cups, or lots of detail.

If you have any plain bras with none of these things, or for example sports bras without cups, you can follow the steps in the first video.

However, you are still going to play it more safely by following the steps in the second video.

3 Ways to Fold Sports Bras (to Save Space)
This is the sports bra video. Continue to the next one for your bras with cups, underwires, or lots of detail.
How to Fold Bras (With Padding or Underwire)
A man folding a bra.
1. Lay the bra down with the backside facing up. Close the clasps.
2. Fold the straps down into the cups of the bra.
3. You can either place the bra in the dresser like this, or optionally you can put a matching pair of underwear inside one of the cups. Then you also need to fold the bra in half from one side to the other like on the right side of the photo.
4. Stack the bras next to each other vertically like in the photo.
A drawer organizing system like the IKEA Skubb (Amazon paid link) is very useful when file-folding bras since they usually have trouble standing up on their own.

I wrote a guide with more details on folding more types of panties and bras over here that you can check out next.

How to fold Socks

There are many easy ways to fold socks, the main problem is that most common folding techniques tend to reduce the lifespan of your socks significantly by stretching out the elastane around the ankle.

I recommend using the file-fold, or even better the rose fold. However, for our purposes, the file fold will be a lot quicker and easier.

3 Clever Ways to Fold Socks (and NOT DAMAGE the Elastics)

If you have ankle socks you can skip step 3.

1. Place the socks on top of each other with the heel facing down.
2. fold the socks in half.
3. Fold the socks in half again, make sure that the ends line up evenly.
4. The socks should look like this now.
5. Place the socks with the end with the single fold facing up, and the other end facing down.
If you are having trouble making the socks stand during step 5 continue to the troubleshooting section below.

I also have a complete guide to folding all your clothes in this style which is great for travel and for saving space.

Stacking and Troubleshooting

If you are having issues with any of the folds, or wonder how to store the clothes in your dresser, this section will be very informative.

Organize The Folded Clothes in Dresser

Generally, file-folded clothes need to stand next to each other in your dresser drawers (or on your shelves) to support each other. Otherwise, they have a tendency to fall over when you for example open your dresser.

I recommend using something like these organizer boxes, but you can also use some shoeboxes or plastic boxes from around your home.

But in the beginning, it will be fine to just place them back in your dresser. Try to place the first folded item in the back of the drawer, then another in front of it (and so on) so that the structure of the drawer supports the folded clothes.

Stack the file-folded clothes next to each other so they can support each other.
Place the weakest folded clothes against the wall of the shelf/drawer/box.
Place the file-folded clothes of the same size next to each other. Try to keep the same shape of the clothes you want to stack together.

I also wrote another guide to organizing your wardrobe using boxes and other neat tricks that may interest you.

Troubleshooting

As you are learning to fold your clothes, you will run into some problems like the clothes not standing up properly, or that they fall apart when you try to stack them in your dresser.

After years of answering YouTube comments, I have heard it all. So I made this little cheat sheet that you can refer to as you fold your clothes.

More Folding Techniques

The troubleshooting section is actually a page ripped directly out of my premium file-folding guide.

There is an accompanying video as well, but I wouldn’t feel good about posting that as I have many paying customers for the guide.

If you’re interested in the premium guide where I go over a bunch more clothes in a similar fashion to this guide, you can check out the sneak peek video below.

Fast File Folding Guide (Sneak Peek)

Tap here to access the guide

If you’re not ready for the premium guide, I also have A LOT of dresser organizing articles available freely on the website. Here is one on whether you should fold or hang your clothes.

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By Author Tor Rydder

Posted on  - Last updated: