Does your closet look like this on a good day? Be honest.
If your closet or drawers look like a bomb hit them, it may be time to rethink how you store your shirts. Whether your apartment has a crappy closet (or a roommate or S.O. has the lion’s share of said closet), you may be short on hanging space.
Knowing how to fold a long sleeve shirt can come in handy for everyday needs, especially travel. I personally hate arriving at my destination ready to party work and having to hunt for the rusty hotel iron. Blech.
Today I’ll talk about four ways of folding men’s long sleeve shirts that keep your clothes neat and make your life easier.
How to Fold a Long Sleeve Shirt With Collars
You should fold dress shirts carefully to keep collars neat and minimize wrinkling.
- Button your shirt, then lay the shirt on a flat surface, front side down. Smooth out any folds or wrinkles.
- Fold one sleeve toward the shirt’s center, then follow with the other sleeve. The sleeves should lay flat and cross each other in the middle of the shirt body.
- Bring the bottom third of the shirt up to cover your shirt cuffs.
- Fold the already folded portion up again so that it meets the shoulders.
- Your shirt is now folded neatly. If you’re packing multiple shirts for travel, stagger the tops and bottoms alternately so you save space and keep the collars from getting crushed.
2. How to Fold a Long Sleeve Shirt Without Collars
This basic shirt folding technique is the easiest way to fold a collarless shirt, like a long sleeve tee.
- Lay the shirt face down on a flat surface. Smooth out any folds or wrinkles.
- Fold the shirt in half vertically so that the sleeves are perfectly on top of each other.
- Grab both sleeves and fold them over the body of the shirt vertically. The sleeves will extend past the edge of the body of the shirt.
- Fold the sleeves down so that they are parallel to the shirt’s body. Note: The top of the sleeve will be at a slight angle at the top when you do this. Your shirt will look like one long rectangle at this stage.
- Now fold the shirt up into halves or thirds, depending on the depth of your shelves or drawers.
3. How to Fold a Long Sleeve Shirt Using the KonMari Method
Marie Kondo, bless her heart, made a name for herself teaching us all how to live in tidier, more organized homes. So, of course, she knows something about how to fold a shirt. Here’s the KonMari method for folding long sleeve shirts.
- Lay your shirt on a flat surface, right side up, and smooth out any wrinkles or folds.
- Imagine the body of your shirt divided into three equal parts vertically.
- Fold one side of the shirt inward along one of these lines, so the sleeves lay almost on top of each other.
- Fold the top sleeve back on itself so that it’s perpendicular to the shirt’s body.
- Then fold the sleeve down to be parallel with the shirt’s body.
- Repeat steps 3-5 with the other side of the shirt.
- Fold the shirt up in half or in thirds, depending on which will fit your shelves or drawers.
Note: This method is best for long sleeve tees, not necessarily for dress shirts.
4. Tug’s Favorite Hack: Use a Shirt Folding Board
Are all these methods too much of a hassle? Don’t worry – I’ve got your back. Be the envy of every GAP employee and get your very own shirt folding board. These easy-to-use doohickeys guarantee a perfect shirt fold every time, and for well under $20, why not try one?
My Shirts Are Folded — Now What?
No matter how you’ve just folded your shirts, now it’s time to store them. You can either stack them vertically or horizontally in your drawers and shelves.
If using drawers, stack them horizontally, folded side up, like this:
If using shelves, stack them vertically, folded side out, like this:
If you do end up folding your shirts using any of these methods, send your mom a picture of your drawers or closet. It’ll make her day, no doubt.
What are your thoughts on these shirt folding techniques? Leave a comment below and let me know.
For more men’s style and fashion tips, check out my other blogs.