Originally published October 28, 2013 and updated July 14, 2019.
A while back a reader asked me the best way to fold and organize jeans. I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried everything when it comes to folding and organizing my jeans. I’ve hung them in half over a hanger. I’ve hung them lengthwise from a pants hanger. I’ve folded and stacked them on a shelf in my closet. I’ve rolled them and stacked them on the same shelf in the closet. I’ve folded them in a dresser drawer. I was looking for the best way to neatly fold jeans (and to fold pants, too) and save space in my closet. Then I found how to fold jeans and organize them so that my closet stayed nice and neat.
Nothing was working for me. Hanging jeans takes up a lot of valuable real estate in your closet since jeans tend to be bulky. I particularly hated the stack of folded jeans. The pair I wanted to wear was never on the top. I had to do a whole dance to remove the pair I wanted from the stack and then return the stack to its neatly stacked position. Ugh. I’ve got a life to live and not enough time to play re-stack the jeans.
Then I realized that I could fold and file my jeans just like I do my t-shirts and linens. to organize them and save space. You know, fold jeans like a professional.
But before you start folding your jeans, take 10 minutes and follow these purging tips for jeans to find which jeans you should really keep, fold and organize.
5 Reasons to Fold Jeans
- Jeans don’t tend to wrinkle or stretch out of shape so you can fold them and they’ll still look fresh.
- If you have limited hanging room, folding jeans makes more space for the clothes that need to be hung up.
- Folding jeans allows you to store them either in a drawer or on a shelf.
- When you fold them, you can file them so it’s easy to quickly see and grab the pair you want.
- Folded jeans can be compressed to save space if you have limited closet or clothes storage space.
How to Fold and Organize Jeans
I start by laying my jeans out flat.
Lay them out this way to prevent wearing crease line down the front and back of legs of the jeans.
Lay them out this way to prevent wearing crease line down the front and back of legs of the jeans.
Next, fold the jeans in half.
Again, do it this way to prevent wearing lines down the legs of your jeans.
Per a reader’s suggestion, fold the jeans with the back pockets on the outside (in the photo below the pockets are folded in 
Then fold the jeans in half by bringing the hem up to the waistband. Be sure to smooth out any large wrinkles.
And fold them in half one more time.
When your jeans are folded into this square, you can file them in a bin, box or basket. Place the jeans with the folded edge up to keep them neater. Filing your folded jeans like this makes them easier to access. 
Simply place the box of filed jeans on a closet shelf and you’ll be able to easily see and select the pair of jeans you want. No more wrestling with the stacked pile of jeans. This is the best way I’ve found to fold and organize jeans and to fold pants, too.
If you like these tips on how to fold jeans, then you may be interested in these additional folding tips.
- How to Fold a Sweatshirt
- How to Fold Socks
- How to Fold Pajamas
- How to Fold and Hang Sweaters
- How to Organize T-Shirts
Pin for later so you can always find these tips on how to fold jeans, clothes and more.
I’m a mom of 3, a veteran and military spouse. I’ve moved into 20+ homes all around the world. My passion is helping busy people make the space and time for what’s really important to them.
Holly says
Hi Susan – I’ve been looking forward to this post since you said you were working on it! Jeans are always the bain of my organizing existence. I’m a big roller. I roll everything. You are starting to convince me there are other ways… love the new ideas! Hugs, Holly
Cynthia Landrie says
Finally! An answer to all of those jeans hanging the the closet taking up space! This is the best idea ever! I need to reorganize my closet and get my pants in order!
Sharon Noble says
I am a retired military wife and I love your organizing ideas. They make so much sense. We moved 14 times in 22 years. Where were you when I needed you, Susan??? lol Enjoy your day and thank you.
Elisabeth says
With 8 children in a 1200 sf home, I may have found my new favorite website. THANK YOU! With teen boys… jeans have become the bane of my existence…
Mary says
Thanks for the jeans instruction
susan says
Hope you find it useful, Mary. Happy organizing.
Andrea Vaughan says
I have the smallest closet (and am sharing it with my boyfriend), so I’ve resorted to folding a good portion of my clothes. It never occurred to me that I could do jeans folding to save extra space, but I will certainly be trying this. Thanks for the tip!
susan says
I used to hang my jeans up, but now that I fold them I’m so much happier with how my closet works for me.
Amy says
Thank you for the information on folding jeans – which is something that I did not think that needed to know, but when I watched it, decided that this idea is better than the folded jeans in my dresser drawer! Thank you. And thank you for the party.
Stephanie says
Hi Susan, thank you for this article. I am looking for a box to fit my jeans in, do you have any recommendations? I really like the box you used in the pictures in this article, could you please tell me where you got it please? Thank you very much! Kind regards! 🙂
susan says
I’m so glad that you found the tips helpful, Stephanie. I made the box with a simple sewing tutorial. Do you sew? If so, I can send you a link to the tutorial. Otherwise, you can purchase bins and baskets at Target, Walmart, The Container Store and Bed, Bath and Beyond. You can also check my Amazon shop for products that I recommend. Let me know if you’d like the link.
Meredith says
Very helpful. But how do you fold them in small drawers in an rv?
susan says
You can fold them another time or it might be more helpful to do the first 2 folds and then roll them, Meredith. It depends on the size of the drawer and of the jeans. Feel free to email me the dimensions of the drawer if you’d like a personalized answer.
Nana says
This is a good idea, but I’d highly recommend the outside pocket showing when all the folding is complete. This way each pair is immediately identifiable by the pocket design.
susan says
Great idea, Nana! I’m going to update the directions to include your suggestion.
Billie-Rose says
I’ve always folded my jeans like this but with the pocket outward but I never thought to file them! (Although I file my 18 month old baby boys pants! Just never thought to do mine) I stack them and they are always getting messed up when I am searching for a pair. I will try doing my jeans too! Can you please send me a link for the sewing tutorial for the bin you store your jeans in?! Thanks!
susan says
You’ll love filing your jeans, Billie-Rose! It really is a game changer. I just emailed you a link for a similar tutorial to my fabric bin.
Heather says
What a great idea! With our changeable weather I have the same problem with the pair I want never being on top. I just need to find a place to put a bin…(my shelf is way too high)
Susan says
I hope you find this tip helpful. I’m all about making things easier in my day-to-day life (the rest of life is already difficult enough!).
Erin Staples says
This is a CLEVER idea and way to organize and fold ALL of my jeans! Thanks – plus it will help save space in my closet!
Susan says
Filing rather than stacking jeans makes mornings surprisingly much easier. Hope you find these tips helpful, too, Erin