Most of us have proverbial skeletons in our closet ― a dark, shameful secret nobody knows about us.
But for me, the skeleton IS the closet.
Clothes burst out of my half of the wardrobe whenever I can pull its constantly-jammed door open. My “stuff and run” approach to putting away cleaned laundry is probably my most mortifying habit.
It wasn’t always this way ― I used to have an organised system, with everything hung up neatly by size. Sharing a small wardrobe with my partner has simply been too steep a learning curve for me, it seems.
So it’s a good thing IKEA and Marie Kondo have shared the folding mistake that’s led to my downfall (and multiple clothes avalanches).
What’s the worst way to fold clothes?
According to IKEA’s site, simply laying folded clothes on top of each other in a drawer or wardrobe is a recipe for disaster.
They say that rolling, folding vertically, or standing items are all preferable to “stacking”.
“This way, items are easier to see and grab than if you simply stack them one on top of the other,” they add.
Organising legend Marie Kondo agrees. Her signature style is sometimes called “file folding clothes”, because it sees them standing up on their sides like documents rather than lying one on top of the other.
The method means “you’ll prevent wrinkles, save space and express gratitude” for your wardrobe, rather than simply bunching all your clothes together, forgetting they exist, and desperately rooting through the depths of your drawers every time you want to wear THAT t-shirt.
How can I fold clothes so they stand up?
Some items, like socks, seem to resist the more organised method. But Marie Kondo’s site reveals that getting some common items like jeans, t-shirts, and jumpers to stand to attention is pretty simple.
At its core, her approach involves finding a way to fold clothes into an oblong shape and then folding that oblong once more, like a book.
If you don’t think that suits some of your clothes, or simply can’t be bothered, a Redditor confirms the effectiveness of IKEA’s advice.
“Skip folding. Roll your clothes,” u/cromation said.
That might just be how I get out of this chaotic closet rut...