How do I fold clothes to save space?

Filing clothes upright instead of stacking them, and the folds that suit each type of garment.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 30 min
Read: 2 min

Short answer

Fold into compact rectangles and stand them upright in the drawer rather than stacking them. You see everything at once, nothing gets crushed at the bottom, and the same drawer holds noticeably more.

Stacked clothes have two problems: you cannot see what is underneath, and pulling something out disturbs everything above it. Filing them vertically fixes both, and it fits more in because each item supports the next.

What you'll need

A flat surface
Drawer dividers or boxes (optional)

Step by step

Fold each item into a rectangle roughly the height of the drawer.The exact folds matter less than ending up with a consistent rectangle that stands up on its own.
T-shirts: fold the sides in, then fold into thirds.Sleeves tucked in, then fold bottom to top twice. It should stand on its edge without support.
Trousers and jeans: fold in half lengthways, then in thirds.Jeans are stiff enough to stand easily. Softer trousers may need a third fold.
Jumpers: fold arms across the back, then in half or thirds.Never hang knitwear — it stretches at the shoulders permanently. Folding is the correct storage for anything knitted.
Stand them upright in the drawer, filed front to back.This is the change that makes the difference. Every item is visible and reachable without disturbing the rest.
Use dividers or boxes to stop them falling over.Shoe boxes, drawer inserts or fabric boxes. A partly empty drawer needs support or everything topples flat.
Roll for suitcases rather than drawers.Rolling suits packing — it fills gaps and reduces creasing. Folding suits drawers, where flat rectangles stack better.
Keep only what fits.An overfull drawer defeats the system entirely. The organising is not the problem when there is simply too much.

Tips

Fold straight out of the dryer or off the line while items are still slightly warm — creases fall out and it takes less time.
Packing cubes apply the same principle to a suitcase and make unpacking trivial.
Store out-of-season clothes elsewhere. Half the volume makes any system work better than any amount of clever folding.

Common mistakes

Stacking clothes flat in a drawer — You can only see the top item, and retrieving anything else disturbs the whole pile.
Hanging knitwear — Gravity stretches it permanently at the shoulders. Knitted items should always be folded.
Filling a drawer to capacity — The system relies on being able to lift an item out cleanly. Overfull, it stops working within a week.

Questions people ask

Is it better to roll or fold clothes?

Fold for drawers — flat rectangles stand up and file neatly. Roll for suitcases, where rolling fills gaps efficiently and reduces hard creases.

How do I stop folded clothes falling over in a drawer?

Use dividers, boxes or even cut-down cardboard to create compartments. Items support each other when the space is subdivided rather than one wide drawer.