Sarah writes about all things shopping for Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, and Cubby helping you find the best deals and the best products for you and your home. A Brooklyn-born Jersey Girl, she loves a good playlist, a good bagel, and her family (but not necessarily in that order).
There’s nothing quite like the frustration of trying to find a shirt in a dresser drawer packed full of balled up clothes. There’s no order, and everything is kind of just shoved in there. While it may be tempting to just close up your dresser drawers when they start to get chaotic, being able to have everything nicely folded and visible will make getting ready in the morning a million times easier and maximize your storage space. So, rather than just tossing that tee in the back of the drawer, fold it properly the first time so you can find it when you need it. Keep reading for the best way to fold shirts, pants, socks, even underwear!
Watch this video on how to fold everything in your closet, and keep reading for the full details.
The easiest way to fold laundry is on a clean, flat surface. So clear off your coffee table or dining buffet, and let’s get to folding.
Before we get into how to fold t-shirts, I wanted to mention which kinds of shirts you should be storing in your dresser, versus hanging in the closet. Generally speaking, you want to fold t-shirts, tanks, undershirts, or anything that isn’t heavily affected by wrinkles. We’ll cover how to fold a dress shirt, but personally I prefer to hang dress shirts to prevent creases. You always want to fold a sweater, never hang. Using a hanger will pull on the weave of a sweater, leaving stretch marks at the neck and shoulders.
This is the famous “two second” folding trick—however, on the first few tries it’ll take you just a little longer. It might seem like magic, but after a bit of practice, you’ll be folding your shirts in a jiffy!
Whether you’re packing for a trip or packing your dresser, you want to learn how to fold a dress shirt in a way that minimizes wrinkles, and protects the collar. Here’s how:
Hey, guess what? Now that you’ve learned how to fold a dress shirt, you can fold any long-sleeved shirt! Simply fold the same way.
Tank tops and spaghetti strap shirts are a little awkward looking when folded, unless you know the secret (psst – the secret is to hide the straps!).
Now that our tops are folded and put away, let’s talk bottoms. Folding pants in a way that keeps them wrinkle-free is simple.
Folding shorts is just like folding pants, only… shorter!
You probably already know how to fold socks, but let’s go over it again, shall we?
So, what about socks that are teeny-tiny? We can fold those too!
Bras are like necklaces, they get all tangled up when you’re not looking! Keep them organized by folding them like this:
Finally, let’s talk about how to fold underwear. Do you fold your undies? A lot of us don’t, but folding them sure makes it easy to see what you have available in your drawer.
Desks aren’t just for adults, and this bunk bed molds itself into a workable (and sleepable) space for kids. With a pull-out desk and organization space, your little ones will appreciate having their own space to work, craft, play, and sleep — and you’ll be happy that it can all be done in one place.
Blair is Apartment Therapy’s Style Shopping Editor, where she covers the latest brand launches, need-to-buys, and anything related to her two unofficial beats — cane and rattan. Whenever she’s not perusing for the latest home finds (a rarity), you’ll probably find her reading, watching a horror film, or on the hunt for the best tacos in New York (recs are encouraged).
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Mattress protectors aren’t only meant for young kids of potty-training and bed-wetting ages. They’re a good idea no matter what situation your mattress is in or who’s sleeping on top of it, because they protect your mattress from all kinds of spills, stains, and unpredictable messes. If you own a mattress and want it to last longer (and clean it less often), a mattress protector is a must-have. And don’t worry, it won’t look anything like those ancient rubbery protectors from the past.
Today’s mattress protectors are designed to fit easily and stylishly over any mattress. When you’re using it, you won’t notice it’s there. But when an accident happens, you’ll be so glad it’s there. Protectors are made with different fabrics, all of them comfortable enough to want to sleep on, and we tested many of them to learn which are worth your investment. Our favorite affordable option costs only $47 for a queen size, and it will change the way you think about mattress care forever.
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Manufactured by Coop Home Goods, the Ultra Luxe Waterproof Mattress Protector is made from their proprietary Lulltra fabric: a blend of 60 percent polyester and 40 percent rayon derived from bamboo. As we’ve learned from testing bamboo-based bedding, textiles made from that plant are incredibly cool to sleep on — because they naturally wick away moisture — and they have a pleasant silk-like texture that’s more environmentally friendly than traditional silk. Plus, they’re hypoallergenic. Then behind that soft, snuggleable top layer is a waterproof polyurethane backing that keeps your bed safe from the outside world.
While testing Coop’s mattress protector we ran it through the gamut of Unfortunate Household Accidents: spilled drinks, pet throw up, and potty-training messes. And it performed excellently! It kept the mattress dry and released stains easily after running it through the wash. If you know your mattress protector is going to be called upon to soak up stains on a regular basis, you’re going to have to replace it sooner or later no matter how often you wash it or which kind you buy. In that case, having a hardworking option that’s more than $200 cheaper than certain luxury models is a big help to your budget.
The one feature to keep in mind with this particular model is that the sides, where it fits over your mattress like a fitted sheet, aren’t lined with the polyurethane backing. This certainly isn’t a dealbreaker, and in our experience it didn’t negatively impact the protector’s performance. You should also pay attention to only dry it on low heat if you put it in your dryer, as higher heat levels could damage the waterproof material.
Overall, this mattress protector made our Best List because it worked as well as the more expensive options and didn’t have any kind of crinkly or rubbery feel that you might find on cheaply made ones. Just as you would put your mattress in a zip-up bag to protect it when you’re moving, we recommend getting a mattress protector to keep your bed safe from wine, coffee, and even sweat stains. AT contributor Kendall liked Coop’s “because of its awesome price, but also because it pretty much never slips off, and is undetectable and silent.”
Plus, Coop gives you 100 nights to test it out and get a full refund if you don’t like it. There’s really nothing to lose by trying it! Grab one today and help your mattress stay fresher and cleaner — without you having to do any extra work.