How to Fold Fitted Bed Sheets – Step by Step Guide

Our carefully crafted step-by-step guide will help you learn to fold fitted bed sheets with ease and never stress about it ever again.

Written by:

Dusan

Last Updated: Tue, July 16, 2019

When storing things you don’t use, the goal is to fold them in a way that they don’t wrinkle and take as little space as possible. That is particularly true for people who struggle with storage space, and need to be extra careful to keep everything in order. While most of us can manage to fold flat sheets and pillowcases, fitted bed sheets can be a nightmare.

You don’t know what to do with those elastic edges and billowy corners, so you get frustrated and end up just crumpling it into a ball of mess, and throwing it in the back of your linen closet. That way it takes too much space, it gets all wrinkled, and every time you look at it, it reminds you of that time you got so frustrated and gave up. But don’t worry, there is a way to do it.

We will show you a few tricks on how to fold your fitted sheets, and with our step by step guide, it will be incredibly easy. Read on to learn this useful skill, and you won’t have to stress about it ever again. You can even show it to your friends and make their lives a little easier as well; they will be thankful for sure.

4 Easy Steps to a Folded Fitted Sheet

People have been struggling with folding fitted sheets for as long as they’ve been around. It’s like these things are made to be unfoldable. Luckily, we have experimented a little bit, and we came up with an easy solution that should do the trick every time. Follow these step by step instructions to fold your fitting sheet successfully without getting frustrated during the process:

Lay your fitted sheet down on a flat surface with elastic edges showing. While this is usually done on the bed, you can also do it on the table or even floor, just make sure you have enough room.
Observe each of four seams that are located in each corner of the sheet, as they will help you to fold it properly. Take the bottom two corners, and fold them up into top two corners in a way that they align completely. You can also do it lengthways if it seems more natural to you, but it should be easy either way.
Now you should have a more rectangular shape with more enclosed elastic edges, which is much easier to work with. To prepare for the next step, you can fold your sheet in half, or put the bottom third up and the top third down, depending on the size of it. The goal is to get straight lines and to get as close to a rectangle shape as possible. Remember to pat everything down after each fold, to get rid of the air, and to get a flatter crisp finishing product.
Fold the rectangle inwards into a square shape to a size you find appropriate for storing. Flatten it as you go, and you should have a folded fitted sheet in these four easy steps.

Alternative Way to Fold Your Fitted Sheet

We found the previous method to be the easiest, but if you are not convinced about it, we have an alternative for you. Follow these steps for a wrinkle-free, perfectly folded bedding:

Lay down your sheet on a flat surface and identify short from long edges. Make sure it is inside out.
While standing, take two adjacent corners of a long side, and place your hands inside them.
Bring your right hand to your left hand and fold that corner over the one in your left-hand while flipping it, so that the right side is facing out.
Keep your left hand tucked in those two corners while using the right one to stretch and straighten the rest of the sheet that is hanging.
Reach down to grab a corner that is hanging and then bring it over the ones you are already holding in your left hand. The top one outside layer should be now facing inside out.
There is only one corner left, so bring it over with your right hand and fold it over as you did with the rest of them.
Lay down the sheet on a flat surface in a current folded state so that the elastic edges are facing up. Flatten it out additionally with your hand.
Now is the time to fold it in thirds to hide the elastic and get a rectangular shape.
Proceed to fold until the sheet is the size that you want, and remember to pat it in between to flatten it as much as possible. That way, it won’t wrinkle, and it will look crisp when you take it out.
Store it in your linen closet.

If corners unfold at any moment, you may need to shake out your sheet and start over. Try both described techniques and see which one suits you better. They should be equally efficient, although the first one appears to be a bit simpler.

How to Fold Pillowcases and Flat Sheets

Now that the hard part of the folding is done, you can proceed with your other bedding products. For your pillowcases, lay them down on a flat surface and then fold them once length and crosswise to get a square.

You should do the same with your flat sheet, although it will need a few more foldings. Put it down on an even surface and then start matching the opposite ends until you get a size that matches your folded fitted sheet.

After everything is folded and ready, store your items in a linen closet where they won’t wrinkle and can stay fresh until you need to use them.

How to Organize Your Linen Closet

Have you always dreamed of a linen closet from a home decoration magazine, but yours somehow still looks like tossed piles of sheets and towels, despite your best efforts? We have some tips and tricks to help you get that magazine look you’ve always wanted. With a few additions and a little bit of creativity, you can organize it nicely and avoid mixed piles of bedding and towels.

The first thing you want to do is to review all the items you have in there. Be honest with yourself; if you haven’t used something in a few years, you probably aren’t suddenly going to love it and start using it every day. Whether you don’t like a particular design or the feel of a specific material, you are probably better off getting rid of those items. It’s better to donate them to somebody who is going to use them or throw them away if they are already worn out. It’s so much easier to organize when you get rid of all the unnecessary stuff and have less to deal with.

You should cover the shelves of your closet with a liner since certain wood, or melamine shelves can cause your sheets to fade and lose color over time, so you probably want to avoid damaging them. With so many patterns available, this will give your closet an improved modern look.

Make sure to always wash your sheets and towels before storing them, so you always reach for a clean item when you need it. It’s best to fold them while they are still warm from the drier, but if you want to go an extra mile, you can iron them after drying. Follow the folding methods we described, and you’ll have even wrinkle-free stacks of sheets.

Organize your linens by category to avoid mixing up. You can do this by type, size, color, location of use, or any other basis you find appropriate. If you have different sets of sheets for every room in your house, it is reasonable to separate them based on that. However, if you don’t have preferences and all the sheets and towels are used by every member of the household, you can pick another way to categorize them. Also, make sure to put your most used items in front and center so that you can access them more easily.

Use bins, baskets, and boxes to create different zones to separate your linens. That way, you can keep everything neat and easy to locate. Also, use zipper and space saving bags to store any extra bedding you might have like pillows and blankets. And don’t forget to label everything; that way, anyone who opens the closet in need of something will know precisely where to look for it. You can get over the door rack for tablecloths. Hanging them will prevent wrinkling, keep them dust free, and easily accessible for any occasion you need them.

A cool trick to always keep your bedding together is to fold the whole set, and then put it in a pillowcase. How many times have you looked for a piece of linen that you know is there, but couldn’t find it? With this neat trick, you will avoid all that, and all of your sets will always be at one place.

Nobody likes to see moths, mildew, or to sense an unpleasant smell in their linen closet, and that’s why you need to keep it fresh always. You can do so by putting a box of baking soda your closet floor to absorb bad odors. Toss in a few lavender bags for a pleasant smell and to keep moths away. You can also put in scented soaps, and remember never to put dirty or wet linens inside.

Additional Tips For Better Folding

Always keep this additional information in mind for beautifully folded, wrinkle-free linens:

Make sure there is enough room for folding, preferably a surface where you can lie your linens down and flatten them completely. A bed should do the trick, but if you don’t feel like it’s enough, you can use a table or floor.
It is best to fold your linens while they are still warm from the drier. If you want, you can iron them beforehand, but this step is not entirely necessary, and you’ll be okay by just folding them right away.
Keep your linen closet organized at all times by using our tips, and don’t forget to stuff your bed sets in an unfolded pillowcase to avoid mixing up.

Finally, if you feel like all your sheets are worn out and you need some new ones, check out our guides on how to buy the perfect sets. We have reviewed and written many pieces on all bedding products, so be sure to look around for anything you need.

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Dusan

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Dusan is a biologist, a science enthusiast and a huge nature lover. He loves to keep up to date with all the new research and write accurate science-based articles. When he’s not writing or reading, you can find him in the kitchen, trying out new delicious recipes; out in the wild, enjoying the nature or sleeping in his bed.