The Marie Kondo way to fold shirts is the trendy new shirt-folding technique that you’ve probably seen once or twice (or a bazillion times) all over your social media feeds. But here’s a secret: Your mama was folding undershirts long before Marie Kondo, and you’ll be folding ‘em long after the tidying up craze fades.
You probably fold your shirts, and how you do that is totally up to you, but gentlemen, do you fold your underwear?
We wear them every day—well, most of us, that is—but what does underwear-care look like, and what are some of the best tips and tricks to keep them looking fresh? And, how the heck are you supposed to fold them?
We’ll tell you.
Read on for everything you need to know about keeping your butt huggers in perfect condition.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Why Master The Art Of How To Fold Underwear
It’s pretty easy to mindlessly toss your undies into a dresser drawer and call it a day, but the advantages of taking a few extra minutes to learn how to fold them might be more than you expect.
Folding your skivvies can:
Save Time: Underwear is the very first piece of clothing you slip on when you get dressed. Digging around your dresser drawer for the right pair is frustrating and not to mention time-consuming. And who really wants to start their day this way? Not us!
Space Saving: Undies, even boxer shorts, don’t consist of a whole lot of fabric, but you would be amazed at how much less space they take up when they are folded the right way.
Help You Ditch Unwanted Underwear: When your chonies are organized, all nice and neat, it’ll make life much easier to find which ones you don’t wear anymore or are old and need to get ditched.
Make Packing Better: When you know how to fold your bloomers properly, you can fit so much more in your travel luggage, and it’ll actually stay organized and neat wherever you go.
Reduced Wrinkles. Nobody likes wrinkles. Thankfully, folded undies mean fewer of these nuisances, so whether you are the only one seeing them or not, you’ll be a lot more put together beneath the belt.
Provide The Health Benefits That Are Linked To Organization: Folding your underwear is a way to be more organized, and believe it or not, there are a lot of science-backed benefits to keeping organized like reduced stress, improved eating habits, enhanced productivity, and so much more. So do your health some good and fold those undies!
Four Ways To Roll Your Underwear
There are a few different techniques for folding your bloomers. For ideal storage in your undie drawer, flatten your boxer briefs out into a perfect neat square. For a more stackable result, fold your undies into a tucked square. And finally, for maximum space-saving, use the army roll (aka the ranger roll) method to pack everything efficiently.
The Perfect Neat Square Method
The easiest and arguably the quickest way to save space in your unmentionables drawer is by simply folding them into a perfect, neat little square.
Step 1:
Place your boxer briefs facing up on a clean flat surface and smooth them out the best you can. Face the crotch section towards you and run your hands over it to make sure it’s wrinkle-free.
Step 2:
Grab the right side of your boxer briefs and fold it into the middle of your underwear. Then fold the left side over the right side that you had just folded in, so you’re left with a rectangle.
Step 3:
Tuck in any flared sides from the crotch or any extra fabric. Then take the crotch side of the undies and fold it about ⅓ of the way up towards the waistband.
Step 4:
Take the section that you just folded ⅓ of the way up and fold it up one more time until it meets the waistband.
When you are all done, your square might not be completely flat because of all the fabric, but you’ll have neatly folded undies that are perfect for stacking!
The Tucked Square Method
Learning how to fold your favorite pair of undies into a neat square is the perfect first step in organizing your underwear drawer. But if you want a folding method that is a little more compact, that’s better for, say, travel, you just need to make a small adjustment.
Step 1:
Place your boxer briefs facing up on a clean flat surface and smooth them out the best you can. Face the crotch section towards you and run your hands over it to make sure it’s wrinkle-free.
Step 2:
Grab the right side of your boxer briefs and fold it into the middle of your underwear. Then fold the left side over the right side that you had just folded in, so you’re left with a nice rectangle.
Step 3:
Fold the waistband side of your boxer briefs halfway down towards the leg openings or crotch.
Step 4:
Take the bottom part (crotch or leg opening) of your boxer briefs in one hand while holding the waistband open with the other, and tuck the bottom part directly into the waistband.
Step 5:
Lastly, flip your undies over, so the waistband part is face down, and you are ready to store and pack!
The Army Roll Method
This popular method for rolling your undies will save you the most room while keeping them folded, no matter how much they move. The army roll (also known as the ranger roll) is so effective that it’s a common folding technique used in the military to stay organized and conserve as much space as possible.
The army roll method has the most steps, but you’ve got this!
Step 1:
Place your boxer briefs facing up on a clean flat surface and smooth them out the best you can. Face the crotch section towards you and run your hands over it to make sure it’s wrinkle-free.
Step 2:
Then flip the waistband over and pull it down roughly two inches so you can see the inner fabric as if you are about to turn your underwear inside out.
Step 3:
Take the left leg of your undies and fold it towards the middle. Then take the right side and fold it over the left side. Smooth out the fabric with your hand, so you’re left with a nice rectangle.
Step 4:
Grab the bottom of your boxer briefs (crotch or leg opening) and roll it all the way up toward the waistband, keeping your roll as tight as you possibly can!
Step 5:
For the final step, hold the rolled part of your boxer briefs with one index finger tucked under each end of the waistband and your thumbs on the other side of the fabric. Push the waistband all the way up and towards you with your index fingers while pushing the rest of the fabric down with your thumbs.
Keep doing this until all of the rolled underwear has been tucked nicely into the elastic waistband.
With this effective method, you can quickly turn a bunch of fabric into a neat compact roll that won’t come apart!
Quick Tips and Tricks To Keep Your Undies Oh-So-Fresh
Now that you know exactly how to fold your underwear, let’s run through a few quick tips and tricks to keep them lookin’ fresh:
- Wash your boxer briefs with care in cold water
- Stick with a gentle cycle
- Always use a good quality color-safe detergent
- Turn your undies inside out when washing
- Maintain your underwear by always cutting loose threads when visible
- Always wash your undies right after wearing, fold properly, and store
A Final Word
We get it—you’ve never folded your undies, and you’re not about to start. But did you know that having a clean and organized underwear drawer can provide you with a handful of great benefits?
It’s true. Organizing your longjohns can help to reduce stress, save space, save time, and makes it easy to tell which boxer briefs have reached their limit and need to take a hike.
Need a little motivation to get organized? Consider adding a few badass pairs of undies like the ones found at Culprit to your underwear collection. When you have nice things such as good quality undies that gently cradles your balls as if they were a delicate baby bird, you’re going to want to take care of them to keep them in pristine condition—trust us on this one.
Try Culprit today and get your underwear drawer in check!
Sources:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/household-advice/a678570/stain-mistakes-not-to-make/
https://www.verywellmind.com/tips-on-getting-organized-3145158
