How to fold a t-shirt

Naturally, there's not enough room in your wardrobe at some point. If you're already stuffing your clothes into compartments all over the place, even the cleverest t-shirt folding technique won't do you any good. If you want your shirts to stay wrinkle-free, first tidy up your wardrobe with our ultimate list of wardrobe organisation ideas to sort things out. If you now have a lot of space on your clothes rail, hang your t-shirts individually on hangers. They will definitely stay wrinkle-free. However, if there simply isn't enough room on the rail after sorting out your wardrobe, where are you supposed to put your t-shirts? Place them on shelves and in drawers - just fold them up small and they'll be fine!

Whether you want to put your shirts neatly in the wardrobe or pack them in your suitcase wrinkle-free, you can use the classic method on how to fold t-shirt, so they don't wrinkle and take up as little space as possible:

• Lay your t-shirt face down on a flat surface, such as a table, and smooth it out.
• Grasp the bottom edge and the top shoulder edge on one side and fold the fabric inwards to the middle of the back. Fold your t-shirt on the opposite side in the same way.
• Then fold the sleeves outwards and smooth everything out.
• Finally, fold the bottom edge of your t-shirt upwards so that it is flush with the collar and shoulder. Smooth it out again and you're done. Folds up nicely to fit in your suitcase or on the shelf of your wardrobe.

The Japanese organising consultant Marie Kondō gives interesting tips in her guidebooks. She is one of the hottest advisors when it comes to tidiness, and her books have become bestsellers. Kondō's t-shirt folding technique is similar to the classic method - with one small but subtle difference. The expert advises folding t-shirts but storing them in shallow drawers rather than in the wardrobe. Why? Because there are no more t-shirts at the bottom of the pile, which in the best-case scenario are wrinkled and in the worst-case scenario are never to be seen again. If you don't have any free drawers, baskets or clear boxes will do the trick. Kondō adds another step to the t-shirt folding instructions above: Fold your t-shirt one more time from the bottom to the collar/shoulder area, creating an even smaller package. This now goes into the drawer or box with the narrow side up, so to speak, the “edge” of the shirt. An ideal solution to save space in your wardrobe and keep an overview. 

Can't find the right t-shirt folding technique for you? If you're not happy with your folding skills, try using a folding aid. You can find such equipment in stores under names such as t-shirt template, clothes folding board, or washing folder. You'll need a bit of practice folding t-shirts, but with the instructions below you're sure to get the hang of it after a short while. And this is how the t-shirt folding technique works with the clothes folder:

• Place your t-shirt face down on the clothes folding board.
• Fold the sleeves inwards with the corresponding elements.
• If you now fold the lower part of your t-shirt board upwards, you will automatically fold your shirt! Simple, isn't it?

You don't even have to spend money on a folding aid - just make your own model out of cardboard using templates on the Internet. It works just as well.

For more useful advice and storage inspiration have a read through our other articles on how to store stuffed animals, how to store scarves and the best hat storage ideas.