How to Fold Clothes the KonMari Way

Before you start folding, it helps to know what you're aiming for. The KonMari method has one target for every garment: a smooth rectangle that can stand upright on its own. When you're done, the item should hold its shape without flopping over. That's what makes vertical storage possible - every piece stands in the drawer like a file in a cabinet, visible from above.

Lay the garment flat on a surface. Take one side - left or right edge, including any sleeve - and fold it inward toward the center of the shirt. You want the folded edge to reach roughly the middle of the garment, not past it. This narrows the shirt down to a strip about a third of its original width. The video labels this move step 01: "Fold one side toward the center."

Fold the opposite side toward the center the same way, so both edges meet in the middle. Then fold the whole thing in half lengthwise - but here's the part that matters: leave a small gap at the top edge instead of folding all the way to the edge. That gap is what prevents a wrinkle crease from forming at the fold point. You should now have a long narrow strip.

T-shirts follow the exact same sequence. Lay the shirt flat, fold one side with its sleeve toward the center, fold the other side to match, then fold lengthwise with that small gap at the top. The video demonstrates this on a pale yellow t-shirt so you can see how the sleeve tucks in cleanly on both sides before the final lengthwise fold. The shape and steps don't change between garment types.

Take the long strip you've made and fold it in thirds from bottom to top - bottom up to the center, then the top portion down over that. The result is a compact rectangle that stands on its edge. When you hold it upright and let go, it should stay standing. That's the test. The video shows this on the yellow t-shirt with vertical dashed lines marking where to fold left and right thirds together.

Long-sleeved shirts and thin sweaters need one extra move: fold the sleeves in before you do anything else. Fold each sleeve back along the body of the garment so it lies flat. Then proceed with the same three-part fold - sides toward center, lengthwise with a gap, then into thirds. The video shows a tan thin sweater at this point, with two horizontal dashed lines indicating where to fold the garment into thirds vertically.

Pants start differently. Fold one leg over the other so both legs line up, then fold the waistband down to the hem so the pants are half their length. From there, use the same finishing fold - into thirds - to create the standing rectangle. The video demonstrates this on dark blue jeans with on-screen text: "03 Fold in half or thirds." Shorts with wider legs may only need two folds instead of three.

The last part is where it all comes together. Stand each folded item on its edge in the drawer, front to back, like files in a filing cabinet. The finished shorts shown at this point - olive green, folded into a neat rectangle - represent what every item in your drawer should look like. When everything stands upright, you can see every garment at once without pulling anything out. Darker colors tend to stand more firmly than lighter fabrics, so if something keeps falling, try adjusting the fold to make it slightly tighter.