When you are folding your laundry and putting it away, you may notice how your method is taking up a lot of space. There are many ways to fold your clothing, but there are certainly more efficient methods to doing so. If you fold your clothing correctly, you can save a lot of space in your drawers and reorganize your wardrobe easily.
If you fold a shirt well enough, you may be able to avoid wrinkles and other wear that comes from having your things folded up like creasing. A proper fold can maintain the natural state of the clothing without you having to do a lot of work for it. By learning how to fold, you can be confident that your clothes will stay just as they are in your luggage.
There are a few different methods you can try when learning how to fold your own clothes. This is great for those who aren’t confident in their abilities, but still want to practice and see which way fits them the best. Without further ado, here is our simple guide on how to fold shirts properly and efficiently.
Folding a Standard T-Shirt
A t-shirt is one of the most basic items in your closet but also can be difficult to fold and take up a ton of room if done incorrectly. Often, your shirts may just end up crumpled in a ball in your drawers. It can become a hassle to constantly have to rifle through your drawers for a shirt if you don’t even know which one you’re looking for.
If you want to avoid a constant state of disorganization, then it may be a good idea to fold everything the same way. This means you should decide if you want the front of the shirt facing up when you’re done folding, or what is the best way to fold your clothes so you can easily identify them. In this case, we are going to teach you how to fold so the front of the t-shirt is on display when you’re finished.
To begin with, lay the shirt face down on a flat surface like a desk, your bed, or a chair. Make sure the shirt is flat on the surface and is able to be maneuvered around, so you will want a little bit of surrounding space available. Then, you will want to smooth all of the wrinkles and creases out so you have a completely pristine surface.
If you have to iron the shirt beforehand, then do so. Any wrinkles that are left on the shirt when you fold it will only deepen while folded, so the shirt will need to be ironed regardless. Then, you are going to fold the shirt into thirds by bringing the sleeves in the center.
Do so by grabbing the garment by the hem and the sleeve and folding one side into the center at a time. When you are doing this, you want to make sure the sleeves sit neatly on top of the shirt when folded. If they are a little longer or peskier to fold, fold the shirt into thirds and then take the sleeves and fold them across the shirt, then pull them back towards you to sit nicely.
The sleeves are by far the most difficult part. From there everything gets a bit easier. Take the bottom of the shirt at the hem and fold it up to the collar, which will make the shirt appear like a folded square. Finally, now that you have a new square, you will want to take the new bottom of the fold and fold it upwards one more time to complete the process.
By doing this final fold, you are bringing the image on the front of the shirt back to the top of the fold and it will be easy to identify in your drawers. It also compacts the shirt without causing any more wrinkles or creases in the process, so you can feel better about how your clothes are holding up while folded.
Folding Dress Shirts
A dress shirt can be intimidating to fold because you want to keep it in the best possible shape before wearing it, and you know that it will wrinkle easily. If you are worried about wrinkles, do some research into the material used in your clothing to see how easily they will. Materials like nylon, polyester, and Merino wool all used by Western Rise are great options for clothing that maintains its natural state and doesn’t need a lot of fuss.
When folding a dress shirt, lay it front-facing down just like the t-shirt method and flatten out all of the wrinkles. Make sure everything is laying extremely flat and tugged out by pulling out the hem and sleeves so they are taut. Start by folding the right side of the shirt a third of the way in similar to how you would with a t-shirt.
Now comes the fun part: make a diagonal fold with your sleeve by pulling it down and to the right. The sleeve should now be facing downwards almost like your arm is behind your back, lined up as evenly as possible with the hem of the shirt. Repeat this step on the other side so the sleeves are now both set in place.
If your shirt has extra length at the bottom or a shirttail, you will want to make a small fold at the bottom to get rid of the excess fabric. Now with the dress shirt still folded facing down, take the hem at the bottom and fold it up to the collar to create a rectangle. Your shirt buttons should be facing upwards at this point, making the front visible to you.
Western Rise for Wrinkle-Resistant Clothing
A great way to make sure your clothes are staying wrinkle-free and maintaining themselves while being folded is to ensure the materials used are high-quality. That is why Western Rise prides ourselves in using premium fabrics that make sure your clothes can resist scents, dirt, water, and more for extra-long wear periods and maximum comfort. Investing in clothing materials that do the work for you means you have to do less worrying about it later.
Our Limitless Button-Down is a great example of a shirt that can be worn for any occasion yet still gives premium comfort and stretch so you will want to wear it daily. The best part about our clothes is that you can wear our pieces multiple days in a row and not be able to tell the difference. With fabrics like our cotton blend, they are made with such attention to detail that they have all properties to fight odors that you would normally pick up over the day.
Folding your shirts does not have to be stressful or take up a lot of time or space in your life. You can fold a shirt quickly and effortlessly and they will look as good as new if you follow our simple guide to folding clothes.
Sources:
3 Ways to Fold a Shirt | wikiHow
How to Fold a T-Shirt Quickly | The Manual
How To Fold A T-Shirt In Under 3 Seconds (T-Shirt Folding Tips) | Real Men Real Style
