How to Fold Bed Sheets
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It’s spring and that always gives me the drive to clean and organize my home. The other day it was rainy, so I wasn’t able to clean windows like I’d planned. I decided to use that time to reorganize my linen closet. As I was straightening up, I realized that you might be interested in how to fold bed sheets easily so you can keep an organized linen closet. Folding bed sheets can be daunting until you follow these easy steps.
Have you ever wondered how to fold that impossible fitted bed sheet? It doesn’t have to be a mystery. There are simple steps you can follow to fold your bed sheets neatly so you can organize your linen closet neatly.
More: Organizing and Purging Tips – Linen Closet
How to Fold Bed Sheets
Step One – Slip one corner over your hand, with your hand on the right side of the sheet.
Step Two – Slip the adjacent corner over the first corner with the right side of the sheet facing out (wrong sides together). Use the seams to line the corners up neatly.
Step Three – Slip the other two corners together in the same manner and then slip them on top of the first two corners. You will have all four corners now tucked together
Step Four – Leave your hand in the corners and using your other hand fold the sides over and lay the sheet down. Straighten the folded edges out so that the sheet makes a neat rectangle.
Step Five – Fold the rectangle in thirds and then in half so that it is the same size as the folded flat sheet.
I then used to neatly stack the matching sheets and pillowcases in my linen closet. The sheets were beautifully organized until the next time I opened the linen closet door. Inexplicably the pile of sheets had been tumbled around and some of the sheets had fallen and come unfolded. And this happened much too frequently. I’m going to say it was gremlins and elves that messed up my nicely organized bed sheets, because I don’t want to think that it might be my sweet family.
For years I was frustrated by those gremlins and my not-as-organized-as-I’d-like bed sheets. Then I figured out my secret weapon solution and it has worked perfectly in keeping my sheets neatly folded no matter what.
The simple secret is to slip the folded sheets inside the pillow case. Yep, that’s it and it works like magic.
Step 1 – After you’ve folded the fitted sheet, top sheet and second pillow case, if there is one, stack them neatly on top of each other. Slip the stack of sheets into the pillow case.
Step 2 – Tuck the top of the pillow case down inside.
Step 3 – Straighten the edges of the pillow case out.
Step 4 – Voila! Your sheet set is neatly contained in one packet. Those gremlins will have to work really hard to mess up your nicely folded sheets now.
Make your sheets and linen closet smell wonderful with this easy-to-make DIY Lavender Linen Spray.
If you’ve hung around Organized 31 very long, you know that I prefer to file items rather than stack them. The sheet packets are perfect for filing on your linen closet shelf. It’s much easier to keep the bed sheets organized neatly because it’s so simple to simply slide a set of sheets out or slip the clean ones back in. No more wrestling with a stacked pile of sheets.
More: Folding and Filing Clothing Clothes and Organizing Drawers
More: 3 Steps to an Organized Linen Closet
I’ve taught my children how to fold sheets using these tips so you know that they really are easy to do. What tips do you have for folding bed sheets?
I’m a mom of 3, a veteran, 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. Learn more about Organized 31 and me.
Funny how often we get this question! And there are multiple approaches, but I think all of us focus on folding in such a way that they “rough edges are straightened out and the pieces are neatly tucked together.
Semi-neat is the main goal, isn’t it? (But of course, my way is the right way, Seana! 🙂 )
I have tried another idea I saw online. Lay a fitted sheet flat fold each side in to make a square then fold like a flat sheet. Now I will try your Idea to see which one works best for me.
There are several methods that work well for folding sheets. With two options, Deborah, hope that one of them works well for you.
Well, the way you fold sheets is the way I was taught. But I never thought to put them into the pillow case, which is a great idea to really keep them neat and all about the same size pile. I do prefer to stack rather than file because I like to rotate. I put the neatly folded just washed & dried sheets on the bottom and take the one to use from the top of the pile. Besides sheets don’t file nicely like file folders, they just kinda sink.
But what else do you put in your linen closet? I have everything in the world in there because it’s a large closet and the only one besides the clothes closets. Incidently each bedroom has a place to store their own sheets for that room.
I hope you find placing sheets in the pillow case are as helpful to you as I’ve found it, Joan.
I keep towels, extra blankets and pillows in the linen closet along with the backstock of toiletries. It’s great that you have a place in each room for sheets – that makes it a bit easier, doesn’t it?