Updated November 28, 2023.
Wish you knew how to fold a shirt in a way that lets you store 10-20 more shirts in the same space required to hang 10? Learn the best way to fold shirts from none other than Marie Kondo, the inventor of the magical KonMari method of organizing who also just so happens to be the most organized person on the entire planet.
How to fold a shirt with short sleeves the KonMari way
On page 68 of Marie Kondo’s new book Spark Joy, Kondo writes that “Folding works best if you approach it like origami.” Which means after each fold, be sure to smooth your palm over your shirt before going on to the next fold. This helps your shirt keep its shape longterm and makes it so that you can store your shirt upright and save space.
Now let’s roll, we mean, fold:
Step 1
Fold one side of the shirt across the center.
Step 2
Fold the opposite side of the shirt the same way, stopping a little before the edge, to form a rectangle.
Step 3
Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise to reinforce the shirt’s shape.
Step 4
Fold the shirt again in half or in thirds. For an extra long shirt, you might have to fold it four or five times.
Step 5
Stand the folded shirt upright on a table.
If your shirt stays standing, congrats! You just mastered the KonMari method of folding shirts.
But you’re not done yet. You still have to put your shirt away. Store the shirt standing upright in a drawer, or effortlessly store it in Clutter, and then repeat the process with your other shirts.
If your shirt falls over, it could mean that the rectangle is too wide, or the height of your folds in Step 2 or Step 3 is too high or too low. Experiment with folding your shirt until you get it to stand upright, an accomplishment that Marie Kondo calls the “golden point of folding.”
Watch Marie Kondo in action:
How to fold a shirt with long sleeves the KonMari way
To fold a long-sleeve shirt, fold its edges toward the center to make a rectangle, just like how we showed you to fold a short-sleeve shirt. And remember, smooth each fold with your palm before moving to the next fold.
The key to shirt-folding success: Fold the long sleeve all the way over to the opposite edge, and then fold it down toward the bottom while following the line of the shirt. Try your best to avoid making the sleeves overlap each other, which would only make the shirt take up more space than necessary.
Ready to see the KonMari method of folding a long-sleeve shirt in action?
Watch the below video from Ebury Reads, and enjoy the power of being able to store more shirts in your drawers and Clutter bins than you ever thought possible:
Bonus: While knowing how to fold a shirt like Marie Kondo is great and all, nothing beats knowing how to organize everything in your entire home. Download our new KonMari Cheat Sheet!
Have stuff you can’t part with but don’t have space for? Check out Clutter for full-service, hassle-free storage.
