The Simple Art of Folding at Home Correctly

Raise your hand if you hate laundry day more than just about any other day of the week, even more than Sunday (which also happens to be our laundry day). You’re not alone. Anyone who claims they love washing and folding at home is lying, and they also can come over to our house any time they want. But why do we despise doing laundry so much?

It’s not even the act of washing that really pains us…it’s what comes next that takes so much time, energy and patience. Folding clothes can seem like torture when the pile of shirts seems to be never-ending. But maybe folding isn’t actually the problem; maybe you’re just doing it wrong. And why does it even matter? As long as your belongings are washed and put somewhere where you won’t trip on them, isn’t that enough? Not exactly. When your clothes/towels/belongings are folded well they instantly make you feel more organized, and it can suddenly free up space in your closet and home that you never realized you needed.

The feeling of seeing the clothes arranged

Plus, seeing a well-organized closet filled with perfectly aligned clothing can feel like a breath of fresh air and bring anyone with OCD intense joy. Dr. Drew Ramsey, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, argues that “tidying up can be life changing…when people are organized and tidy, they feel more powerful. If you build that into your life, that helps you in everything.» Start folding properly people, the experts agree it could change your life.

So how are you supposed to fold? Of course, the tactics differ based on the article of clothing you are dealing with, but know that there is a correct and easy way to fold everything, including that fitted sheet you usually roll into a ball because you don’t know how to handle the elastic corners. Let’s get started; here we rounded up some of the best tips to help you with folding at home.

T-shirts

To make your t-shirts look perfectly folded, leave it to the folks at Martha Stewart to have a quick and fancy trick to get it right. It looks complicated, but it’s not if you watch this video and practice a few times. We tried it and we’re never going back. Just start with the shirt flat on a table surface, face up. Pinch the shoulder in between the neck and sleeve, and pinch about half way down the shirt about an inch in from the side. Then you fold the top of the shirt down to the bottom, uncross your hands, shake the shirt out to get rid of wrinkles, and fold the other side over.

Dress Shirts

Typically, you hang dress shirts in your closet, but if you are traveling or packing your clothes you need to know how to fold them properly as well. As per Business Insider, start with the shirt flat on a surface, face down and then fold one sleeve in so it is aligned with your other sleeve, and then fold it back downward toward the bottom of the shirt. Repeat on the other side, and then fold the bottom of the shirt up to meet the top so the shirt is folded in half and looks like a square shape. Then flip over so the shirt is face up, and you’re done.

Underwear & Bras

Organizing and folding your lingerie can be challenging—so many small delicate fabrics and so little space. Bras should be folded one cup into the other, which not only frees up space in your drawer but also help maintain the shape and structure of your bra over time. Thongs and underwear should be folded so that the sides (that parts that sit on your hips) are folded into the center, and then you fold the crotch up so that you are left with a square shape. This way you’ll be able to better sort and store all your undergarments, and find them more easily when it’s time to get ready.

Socks

As Today reports, according to author Marie Kondo in her best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, your socks should always be stored flat, unfolded, in a drawer. It’s not even a matter of how to maximize space or gain better access to your socks. In her opinion it’s because you socks “take a brutal beating in their daily work, trapped between your foot and your shoe. The time they spend in your drawer is their only chance to rest.” Sounds wacky, but we’re willing to try it.

Fitted Sheets

If there’s one thing in your home that you dread folding the most, it’s probably your fitted sheet. You’ve tried a few techniques and they all fail, and in the end the sheet is wrinkled and looks like a mess so you just shove it in the back of your linen closet until it’s time to change your bed and repeat the whole process. Sound familiar? Well lifestyle guru and Woman’s Day columnist Clinton Kelly has some tips to help.

First, fold the corners of the fitted sheet into the corners on the opposite sides. Then repeat with the corners once again, tucking them into the corners on the opposite side. By now the sheet looks a little less bunchy and more like a rectangle. Then you simply fold the sheet in to create straight edges and voila. The video tutorial is really helpful and makes it look so much easier than you thought all these years.

Towels

Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to fold towels, especially larger bath towels. This technique, as per HGTV, ensures that larger towels dry fast and that towels can be properly stacked to maximize storage space. Start by standing up and holding the towel in front of you by the upper corners, so that it hangs down the length of your body. Then fold the towel in from one side 1/3 of the width, and then repeat on the other side so you have 3 folded layers. Then fold the towel down in half, and then again in half, so your folded towel resembles a square.

The post The simple art of folding at home correctly appeared first on Hispanic World.