Many people roll socks together into a ball. The balls take a lot of space in the drawer. Rolling also causes socks to lose their elasticity. My mother rolled our family’s socks and I will admit that until a few years ago I did the same thing. Now I fold and file my socks. Folding and filing socks in a drawer saves space and allows you to see every pair at a glance.

Folding and Filing socks

1.          Lay the pair of socks flat – one on top of the other.

2.         Fold the toe on top of the heel.

3.         Fold again toward the top  (long socks will need an extra fold)

4.         Stand the socks upright in the drawer with the fat fold showing.

I organized my husband’s sock drawer

My husband does his own laundry which I  appreciate so I rarely get involved with his systems. He used a variation of the ball method; a ball with a tail. I use past tense because I decided one day that his sock drawer would be the perfect example for a blog post.

The photo is the before picture of my husband’s colored sock drawer. There isn’t room for another pair.

Caught on Facebook

This is the after picture from my husband’s Facebook post on the day that he discovered what I had done.  He has room to spare!

He can put several more pairs of socks in the drawer by pushing the rows of socks back. It works the same as when you push file folders backward or forward in a filing cabinet so that you can add more files.

This is an updated version of a blog post I wrote for my old blog over three years ago. I am happy to say that he has continued to fold and file his socks.

Socks are best organized in shallow drawers.

Women’s’ socks are best organized in shallow drawers. The 3 1/4″  high 1-runner drawer in the Elfa drawer system is the perfect size for women’s socks.  The addition of a 32 compartment organizer separates the socks into groups.

As you can see from the photo I am able to keep up to four pairs of socks in a compartment using the fold and file method.

Men’s socks are best organized in a four to five inch tall drawer. Drawer dividers that run front to back are helpful but not critical.

There are several spring-loaded dividers available from major retailers. One of my clients made drawer dividers using foam board. I didn’t use dividers in my husband’s sock drawer because I didn’t see the need for them.

Folding and Filing isn’t limited to socks

I’ve organized several closets and bedrooms lately. The folding and filing technique has been a recurring theme.  I’ve folded and filed bandanas, t-shirts, panties and socks. Folding and filing is one of my favorite techniques to teach. I love showing my clients how they can see all of their items at one time.

The fold and file method is very similar to the Kon Mari folding method taught by Marie Kondo in her 2014 best seller, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up.

I have used a version of fold and file for scarves. I have a client with a large scarf collection. Scarves, made from soft fabric are too flimsy to stand up when folded.

We cut 1/4″ foam board into rectangles to fit the drawer. We wrapped the scarves around the boards and filed them upright in the drawer. Now she can see all her scarves at once.

 

Sweatshirts and Hoodies Can Be Difficult to Store.

The fold and file method makes storing them in drawers easy. The sweatshirts can be folded like a t-shirt with the fat roll side up.

I tightly cinch the string in the hoodie and fold the hood inside the jacket. I fold the hoodie into a short bundle then tie it up like a package with the attached draw string. Kondo does something similar in her second book, Spark Joy.

 

What will you Fold and File this week?

Share your experience with the folding and filing technique in the comments.

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This blog post originally titled “Do You Fold ‘N’ File?” was published in May of 2013 on my Get Organized Knoxville Blog. This is an updated version of that post.