File folding our apparel — also known as the KonMari Method of folding — has helped us to keep our drawers organized and uncluttered then that nosotros can always discover the wear items we demand without searching through stacks of messy shirts and pants!

File Folding and Organizing Clothes with the KonMari Method

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In 2015, I read a trivial book called The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up past Marie Kondo. Along with changing the way I think virtually decluttering our home, it too had a significant impact on the way I fold and shop our clothes.

I recently shared a detailed guide to the unabridged KonMari Method, but I wanted to dig even deeper into file folding and organizing wearing apparel because information technology is the area I receive the well-nigh questions most!

Table of Contents

Click on the links below to exist taken to a specific part of the post.

  • Choosing the Clothes that Spark Joy
  • Benefits of KonMari -ing Your Clothes
  • File Folding Dress
  • How to Fold a Shirt
  • How to Fold a Long Sleeved Shirt
  • How to Fold Camisoles
  • How to Fold Pants
  • How to Fold Shorts
  • How to Fold Socks
  • How to Fold Underwear
  • How to Fold Bras
  • File Folding Video
  • Marie Kondo Folding FAQs
  • Does KonMari folding make the wearing apparel more than wrinkled?
  • How do you keep the clothes from falling over when using the file folding technique?
  • With KonMari folding, how practise y'all tell the deviation betwixt similarly colored shirts?
  • Doesn't file folding have a really long time?
  • How do yous know what to hang and what to fold?

Choosing the Clothes that Spark Joy

Marie Kondo has a very specific gild that she has her students go through when tidying their items, and clothing is first on the list!

Before we fifty-fifty get into folding anything though, Marie instructs her students to do a thorough decluttering of their wearing apparel, keeping merely what "sparks joy."

To practice this, she says to get together upwards every single vesture y'all own and put it in one big pile. (If you happen to own a huge amount of clothing and putting it all together in a pile doesn't seem realistic, effort taking out every article from one category of vesture at a time– all of the tops at once, all of the dresses at once, all of the pants at once, etc.)

Decluttering Clothes with the KonMari Method

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Seeing my clothes all together at in one case was helpful when I went through the KonMari process myself because it showed me just how much clothing I owned! Information technology as well made it easier to compare pieces and figure out what I truly loved and what was prepare to be discarded.

To decide if an detail sparks joy or not, Marie recommends treatment each item. Even it it seems difficult to pinpoint exactly what "sparks joy" at the offset, as students get further and further into the tidying process, making decisions gets easier and easier!

Discarding items can be tough, especially if the items are still in good shape. Marie advises students to exist grateful that the dress served a purpose in the by– even if information technology was only to show yous what you lot didn't dearest!– and then let information technology go. (And if information technology's in good shape, information technology can be donated and volition exist able to spark joy for someone else!)

Benefits of KonMari -ing My Dress

Even if information technology feels challenging, keeping only items that I truly beloved really does pay off in the long run! I recently did a mini KonMari session with my clothes because my cupboard and drawers were starting to feel cluttered, and fifty-fifty though I am the furthest affair from a clothes equus caballus, I ended up existence able to donate a large trash bag full of items.

Afterwards paring down my items, I've found that I really article of clothing more of my wear because every single item in my cupboard and drawers fits comfortably and is reflective of my style.

Organized Closet After Using Marie Kondo's KonMari Method

Getting dressed in the morning is quicker considering I don't take to look through all of the "meh" apparel to find something I really beloved.

And my closet has stayed much neater since my purge because at that place is plenty of room for everything, and I'm motivated to go on it looking squeamish!

File Folding Apparel

One time I have discarded whatever clothes that practice non spark joy, it's fourth dimension to figure out the best way to store the apparel that I have left.

Marie Kondo recommends folding as many clothes as possible– using the file folding method that she is famous for– simply because clothes folded with the KonMari Method take upwards much less space than hanging clothes.

No matter which commodity of habiliment we're folding, the goal is to get it into the shape of a small rectangle so that it tin can stand on its own.

Shirt Folded Using Marie Kondo's KonMari Method

Before I discovered file folding, I used the more traditional stacking method to store my clothes in drawers, and they looked like this:

Messy T-Shirt Drawer Before Photo

The drawers weren't terrible, merely when I changed to KonMari folding, I loved that I could run across every single article of clothing in the drawer.

Boys' t-shirt drawer, Home Organization - The KonMari Method of folding clothes helps us keep our dresser drawers neat, tidy, and uncluttered! filing method of clothes folding, declutter, decluttering, clothes organization, organizing clothes, kids' clothes organization, IKEA SKUBB boxes, Marie Kondo, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

File folding likewise allowed me to fit more items in each drawer, which especially came in handy in my boys' room. Connor and Caleb share one small dresser, then the only possible manner to fit all of their clothing items in such a limited space was by file folding — information technology was a full game changer!

The KonMari Folding Method

Because file folding can experience confusing to execute, I created super short videos of the most common type of clothing items below, along with explanations for each type.

How to Fold a Shirt with the KonMari Method

How to Fold a Shirt with the KonMari Method
  1. Starting time by laying the shirt out flat, with the front side facing up.
  2. Fold 1 side of the shirt across the center.
  3. Fold the sleeve of the shirt dorsum.
  4. Fold the other side of the shirt across the centre, stopping a picayune earlier the edge.
  5. Fold the other sleeve dorsum.
  6. Fold the peak of the shirt toward the bottom of the shirt, stopping a footling before the edge.
  7. Fold the folded edge of the shirt over toward the bottom.
  8. Fold over the shirt once more to create a small rectangle.
  9. Stand the shirt upright.

How to Fold a Long Sleeved Shirt with the KonMari Method

How to Fold a Long Sleeved Shirt with the KonMari Method
  1. Outset by laying the shirt out apartment, with the front side facing up.
  2. Fold one side of the shirt across the middle, with the sleeve laying flat.
  3. Fold the sleeve back beyond the folded portion of the shirt, laying the sleeve flat.
  4. Fold the sleeve so that it lays forth the folded portion of the shirt.
  5. Fold the other side of the shirt across the center, stopping a niggling before the border and letting the sleeve lay flat.
  6. Fold the sleeve back across the folded shirt, laying the sleeve apartment.
  7. Fold the sleeve and so that information technology lays along the long rectangle that y'all accept created with the shirt.
  8. Fold the top of the shirt toward the bottom of the shirt, stopping a little before the edge.
  9. Fold the folded edge of the shirt over toward the bottom.
  10. Fold over the shirt once more to create a small-scale rectangle.
  11. Stand the shirt upright.

How to Fold Camisoles with the KonMari Method

How to Fold a Camisole with the KonMari Method
  1. Kickoff by laying the camisole out flat, with the front side facing up.
  2. Fold one side of the camisole across the center.
  3. Fold the other side of the camisole across the heart, stopping a little before the border.
  4. Fold the camisole in one-half, including the straps, leaving a small gap betwixt the cease of the straps and the bottom of the camisole.
  5. Fold the folded border of the camisole over toward the bottom.
  6. Fold over the camisole again to create a small rectangle.
  7. Stand the camisole upright.
  8. I like to store my camisoles in the narrow SKUBB boxes from IKEA.

How to Fold Pants with the KonMari Method

How to Fold Pants with the KonMari Method
  1. Commencement by laying the pants out apartment, with the front side facing up.
  2. Fold the pants in half widthwise, with the pant legs stacked.
  3. If the seat sticks out, fold it over against the legs of the pants.
  4. Fold the ankles of the pants up toward the waist, leaving a gap before the waistband.
  5. Fold the folded border of the pants over toward the waistband.
  6. Fold over the pants over again to create a small rectangle.
  7. Stand up the pants upright.

How to Fold Shorts with the KonMari Method

How to Fold Shorts with the KonMari Method
  1. Start by laying the shorts out apartment, with the forepart side facing upwardly.
  2. Fold the shorts in half widthwise.
  3. If the seat sticks out, fold it over confronting the legs of the shorts.
  4. Fold in half, folding the waist of the shorts toward the leg openings.
  5. Stand the shorts upright.

How to Fold Socks with the KonMari Method

How to Fold Socks with the KonMari Method
  1. Start past laying the socks out apartment, with both socks facing the same direction.
  2. Stack one sock on top of the other sock.
  3. Fold the toes of the socks toward the middle of the socks.
  4. Fold over socks once more to create a small rectangle.
  5. Stand the socks upright.

How to Fold Underwear with the KonMari Method

How to Fold Underwear with the KonMari Method
  1. Start by laying the underwear out apartment, with the back side facing up.
  2. Fold the bottom of the underwear up toward the waistband.
  3. Fold one side over to the centre.
  4. Fold the other side over.
  5. Roll the bottom of the underwear upwards toward the waistband.
  6. Turn over so that the waistband is at the front.
  7. IKEA SKUBB boxes piece of work well for storing underwear.

How to Fold Bras with the KonMari Method

How to Fold Bras with the KonMari Method
  1. Commencement by laying the bra out flat, with the back side facing upward.
  2. Fold in each side of the bra'due south ring.
  3. Fold down the bra straps into the cups.
  4. Plow over and shop with the front of the bra facing up.
  5. When storing multiple bras, nest them inside one another.

Marie Kondo Folding FAQs

I've been file folding for several years now, and every time I share a photo of our KonMari -ed drawers on the blog or social media, I seem to go the same questions, so I wanted to exist sure to respond the virtually common ones here!

Clothes Folded Using File Folding and the KonMari Method

Does KonMari folding make the clothes more wrinkled?

One of the most common questions I get about folding t-shirts using the KonMari Method is, "Does it make the shirts more wrinkled?"

I have really found the contrary to be true. My shirts seem less wrinkled with this method than when I was stacking them all up in a big pile.

T-Shirt Drawer Organized with KonMari Folding

As I fold, I am sure to pull the clothing taut so that everything is nice and smooth, which keeps wrinkles from forming.

Since I am not piling items on acme of 1 another, they don't get smushed in the drawer, which likewise helps them come out wrinkle-gratis when we're prepare to wear them.

How do y'all go on the wearing apparel from falling over when using the file folding technique?

My apparel and the boys' clothes are modest enough that when I fold them into a small rectangle, they are able to easily stand on their own without falling over.

Home Organization - The KonMari Method of folding clothes helps us keep our dresser drawers neat, tidy, and uncluttered! filing method of clothes folding, declutter, decluttering, clothes organization, organizing clothes, kids' clothes organization, IKEA SKUBB boxes, Marie Kondo, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Sometimes, fifty-fifty if they're modest, shirts that are dri-fit fabric are harder to get to stand up because the material is so slippery. In that instance, I try to file them in the drawer next to the sturdier cotton shirts to give them a little extra help continuing up.

Clothes File Folded in a Drawer Using the KonMari Method

(Psssstttt… Want to add a pretty pop of pattern to the bottom of your drawer? Learn how to line drawers with contact paper!)

Men'south wear items, like Donnie's, are larger, which can sometimes be a footling more than difficult to go them to stand up up on their own. I typically practise an extra fold in his shirts to make them smaller, which helps.

To help go on Donnie's clothes upright and then the drawer stays neater, I also use drawer boxes for added support. My favorite boxes are the SKUBB boxes from IKEA, which come in three different sizes.

The SKUBB boxes work perfectly for Donnie's t-shirts…

Home Organization - The KonMari Method of folding clothes helps us keep our dresser drawers neat, tidy, and uncluttered! filing method of clothes folding, declutter, decluttering, clothes organization, organizing clothes, kids' clothes organization, IKEA SKUBB boxes, Marie Kondo, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

…and I use them for a fiddling extra support in my sock drawer likewise.

Home Organization - The KonMari Method of folding clothes helps us keep our dresser drawers neat, tidy, and uncluttered! filing method of clothes folding, declutter, decluttering, clothes organization, organizing clothes, kids' clothes organization, IKEA SKUBB boxes, Marie Kondo, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

For Donnie's shorts and athletic pants, I needed a box that was a little larger, and I establish these ones, which ended up working perfectly.

Home Organization - The KonMari Method of folding clothes helps us keep our dresser drawers neat, tidy, and uncluttered! filing method of clothes folding, declutter, decluttering, clothes organization, organizing clothes, kids' clothes organization, IKEA SKUBB boxes, Marie Kondo, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Expandable drawer dividers similar these would work to help go on items upright too!

With KonMari folding, how do yous tell the difference between similarly colored shirts?

Since many times with the file folding method, the design of the shirt will stop up on the inside, many people worry that they won't be able to hands tell which shirt is which.

This hasn't really been a trouble for us at all; I am familiar enough with the color and texture of our wear items to exist able to know which is which.

Little Boy's t-shirt drawer, Home Organization - The KonMari Method of folding clothes helps us keep our dresser drawers neat, tidy, and uncluttered! filing method of clothes folding, declutter, decluttering, clothes organization, organizing clothes, kids' clothes organization, IKEA SKUBB boxes, Marie Kondo, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

If I have a few shirts that are similar, I can easily peek in the side to run across which design is on the front without messing up the fold, and it is withal quicker than sorting through a pile of stacked t-shirts to notice the i I want.

If you had a agglomeration of t-shirts that were the same color and textile and it was becoming a problem, y'all could e'er tweak the KonMari fold so that the design ends upwards on the outside to make it easier to tell them apart– you lot won't become put in "KonMari jail," I promise! 🙂

Doesn't file folding take a really long time?

When I outset started using the KonMari folding technique, information technology did take me longer than my previous "stacked" method of folding; still, now that I have been doing it for years and years, I am just as fast at file folding every bit I was at the traditional fold.

Boy's pants and shorts drawer, Home Organization - The KonMari Method of folding clothes helps us keep our dresser drawers neat, tidy, and uncluttered! filing method of clothes folding, declutter, decluttering, clothes organization, organizing clothes, kids' clothes organization, IKEA SKUBB boxes, Marie Kondo, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Plus, I really salve a good amount of fourth dimension when I'm getting apparel out of the drawer because I can see everything at once rather than having to search through piles for the clothing particular I'g looking for, so overall, using KonMari folding is actually saving me time.

How exercise you know what to hang and what to fold?

Marie recommends folding every bit many wearing apparel every bit possible, but she does make a few exceptions.

InThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Upwards, she says, "My standard is this: hang whatever dress that wait like they would exist happier hung up, such as those fabricated with soft materials that flutter in the breeze or highly tailored cuts, which protest at existence folded" (page 78).

I typically hang all of my non-tshirts, so blouses, collared shirts, vests, blazers, and cardigans. (I do fold my sweaters so they don't become nubs on the shoulders!)

Organized Closet After Using Marie Kondo's KonMari Method

I hang all of my dresses and skirts as well.

Dresses in Closet Organized with the KonMari Method, Marie Kondo

For the longest time, I hung my jeans, but I recently started folding them instead, and I'm really liking the change so far!

Jeans File Folded in a Drawer with the KonMari Method

Marie instructs that clothes should be hung by blazon (all jackets together, all suits together, all dresses together, etc.) and and so past length, with longer items on the left, sloping upwards to shorter items on the right. This is considering, as Marie claims in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, "Lines that slope up to the right make people feel comfortable" (page 79).

Again, I don't follow this rule to an absolute "T," just I like to at least make certain that all of my clothes are grouped by category then I tin can easily find what I'm looking for.

Related: File folding also works perfectly for packing! See how to pack an organized suitcase .

So that'south file folding and clothes according to the KonMari Method! I promise that this mail service was able to answer some of the most common KonMari questions and give you some ideas for organizing clothes in your ain home!

If it was helpful for yous, don't forget to pivot the paradigm beneath so you can come up back to this post and reference it later!

The Filing Method of Folding Clothes, aka the KonMari Method
  • Marie Kondo and the KonMari Method: The Ultimate Guide
  • The KonMari Method: Organizing Books
  • How to Organize Paper with the KonMari Method
  • Organizing Komono (Miscellaneous Items) with the KonMari Method
  • The KonMari Method: Organizing Sentimental Items
  • The KonMari Method: 1 Year Afterward

[Psssttt… Don't miss our top 100 tips for organizing every unmarried room in your firm!]

Accept you tried the KonMari Method in your home? I'd love to hear your thoughts nigh it in the comments!

Sources

The Life Irresolute Magic of Tidying Upwards Book

Spark Joy Book

SKUBB Boxes

Target Bins for Organizing Donnie's Pants and Shorts

Thank you so much for following along! Accept a wonderful twenty-four hours!

This post contains chapter links. For more than information, see my disclosures hither.