how to fold socks
Raise your hand if your sock drawer is a mess! If your hand shot up into the air faster than Hermione Granger trying to answer a professor’s question, then rest assured that you’re far from the only one with this messy problem. Believe it or not, many of us were once in your shoes (or socks, rather) before we learned how to fold socks the right way.
To answer your unspoken question: Yes, there is a right way (and plenty of not-so-right ways) to organize and fold your socks. Some people fold over the cuffs, which can wear down the elastic on their most beloved pairs of crazy socks. Others simply toss all their loose socks into a single drawer, which eventually leads to an overflowing sock drawer and endless rummaging for a sock’s missing mate. The insanity!
Are you ready to end the struggle of folding and storing socks? Read on about how to fold socks the right way and get your sock drawer organized, once and for all.
How to Best Store and Organize Socks
Before we teach you how to fold socks, it helps to have a storage and organization method in place. If you toss your neatly-folded socks into one drawer all willy-nilly, you’re bound to end up with a jumbled mess by the time laundry day rolls around.
How should you store and organize your socks? Here are a few of our best tips:
Clear out old socks: If you recently loaded up your sock drawer with a bunch of fun ankle socks for women for the spring, you probably need to make some room before you can get organized. Go through your drawer and remove any socks that look worn out. If you find an old sock with a cool pattern, look into ways to repurpose old socks before you toss or donate them.
Find an organization method that works for you: If you want to store your funny knee high socks in a separate drawer from your everyday work socks, then go for it! If you’d rather organize by color or how often you wear them, that’s fine, too. Do what makes sense for your daily routine, and you’ll be more likely to stay organized.
Use sock drawer separators: If you don’t already own a sock drawer separator, you might want to look into this simple yet genius invention. A sock drawer separator will help keep your socks from resorting to their usual messy state and make staying organized a lot easier.
Avoid creating tension: After being on your feet all day, you need a rest, right? So do your socks! As you learn how to fold socks below, resist the urge to add an extra step that might create tension in your socks. That means no tight balls and no tying them together. Your favorite pairs of socks will last much longer if you treat them with the care they deserve.
How to Fold Socks: Two Methods
The KonMari Method
First up: the KonMari Method. Popularized by none other than pro organizer Marie Kondo herself, this minimalist-inspired approach to tidying up a sock drawer is fast, simple and elegant. We’re all about this method because it’s easy to do and shows off our favorite crazy socks in all their wacky glory!
Ready to fold your socks, Marie Kondo-style? Here’s how:
- First, place one sock directly on top of its mate.
- Next, visually cut the sock into thirds (for ankle socks), fourths (for mid-length socks) or fifths (for knee high socks).
- Fold along the imaginary lines you made, as though you were folding a letter.
- Place the sock in your drawer standing up. This gives your sock drawer a boutique feel.
The Square Method
Next up is the square method. We’ll admit, this method sometimes gets flack online for being too time-consuming, but hear us out. The square method is extremely helpful if you’re packing for a trip and can’t store your socks in a neat little box, a la the KonMari Method. It also goes by much quicker the more you practice!
Here’s how to hold socks using the square method:
- First, lay one sock down in a vertical line with the heel facing up.
- Next, lay the sock’s mate horizontally across the vertical sock, also with the heel facing up. Your socks should now be in a cross shape.
- Take the toe end of the bottom sock and fold it over before tucking it underneath the horizontal sock. Fold over the cuff.
- Then, do the same thing to the other sock. Grab the toe end, fold it over and tuck it underneath. Fold over the cuff once more.
- You should now have a square sock with two cuffs sticking out. Grab one cuff and tuck it into the fold in the sock.
- Repeat with the other cuff, and tada! You now have a folded sock in the shape of a square.
Folding Socks to Save Space and Time
There you have it. You now know how to fold socks like a true sock fairy! We promise that folding and storing your socks gets a lot easier with practice. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be whipping through laundry day in a flash. What will you do with all that spare time you now have? Well, you could always check out Goodly for more crazy socks!
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