How to Fold Laundry Efficiently

Folding laundry promptly and correctly minimizes ironing and therefore work.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Laundry
• Flat surface
• Dust cloth or feather duster

1. Be sure you have a very handy flat surface, such as the top of your washer and dryer or if you are very lucky a long counter. Use the dust cloth to wipe away any lint or dust that might be there.

2. Start your folding as soon as the dryer is done! It's better to have the clothes slightly damp than over dry. If you are hanging your clothes to dry, try to fold them as soon as you take them off the line, right into the laundry basket if you have no table or counter to work on.

3. As you pull each item out of the dryer or off the line, fold it carefully and make neat stacks of: shirts, t-shirts, pants, underwear, towels etc. If the clothes belong to more than one person, you could make a stack for each person instead of by item type. Having them in groups makes putting them away easier.

4. Even if you plan to hang some items on hangers, it's still better to fold them neatly until they get to the hangers, than to leave them in a crumpled pile. They will be much less wrinkled this way.

5. By folding the clothes as soon as they are dry and not leaving them to cool in a tangled heap in the dryer, they are much less wrinkled and much easier to iron. Many things don't even need to be ironed if taken out and folded or put on hangers right away.

Tips & Warnings

• Before you put the wet clothes into the dryer, shake them out and remove any tangles, they will dry faster and be less wrinkled if they can tumble freely.
• If you hang your clothes on a line, try to hang them with wrinkles and creases in mind - hang shirts so the line runs vertically from neck to hem, use clothes pins to hang pants the way the are on hangers at the store - so the creases are neat at the sides and the side seams are centered, with clotes pins at the waistline.
• Try to wash towels and sheets in their own loads, if you have enough. It is easier to fold all towels and put them away, than to have them all mixed in with clothes that have to go to different rooms. Plus, they can be linty on your other items.
• Don't over load your washer or dryer - it wastes energy and isn't good for your laundry.

[miasavc]

on 1/8/2009 I practice folding clothes right away after drying them. Great tips!

[andre7514]

on 12/26/2008 Thanks for sharing this information. It was very helpful with organization with laundry. 5*

[vallain]

on 9/22/2008 I just finished the laundry 5 min. ago. Guess I followed most of your guidelines. Will do better next time.

[MIghtyDreamer]

on 8/27/2008 You can see on the streets someone who does and doesn't do what you've stated in step five of your article. For REAL. good tips

[ebnickiea]

on 8/26/2008 wow-perect article for me--my husband is always complaining about how horribly I fold his laudry!