How to Fold a Fitted Sheet

For those wondering what’s the difference between a “fitted” and a “flat” sheet, it’s just like it sounds. A flat sheet is a flat, hemmed piece of fabric with no tailoring. A fitted sheet is a tailored piece of fabric designed to fit snugly around your mattress. It has corner seams and elastic hemming. The best fitted sheets have deep corner pockets. Some even have double ruching to fit around your mattress and your box spring.

A fitted sheet only works as a bottom sheet, but a flat sheet can be used for a top or bottom sheet. In fact, some sheet sets include two flat sheets rather than one of each.

While some might say “no,” we certainly think that folding a fitted sheet is worth it. Folding your fittedsheets into neat squares or rectangles will help you keep a clean and tidy linen closet. Your sheets will also feel smoother on your mattress when they’ve been stored folded rather than rolled up. This makes for a comfier bed. Plus, once you learn the simple technique below, it’s quite easy to fold a fitted sheet. It won’t take much extra time and will become part of your laundry-folding routine.

Practice makes perfect, so the more you do it, the easier folding a fitted sheet will become. If you’re new to the technique, practicing on a smaller sheet such as a twin sheet set will help you get the hang of it. Then move onto bigger bedding sets like a queen- or king-size sheet set.

So, how do you fold a fitted sheet? Follow the five steps below and watch the video to find out.

• Place your hands inside the top two adjacent corners of the fitted sheet. Pinch the inside seam of each corner with your fingers. Flip it so the top two corners are now inside out, then turn the sheet around so the elastic part is facing you.
• Bring the corners together. Pinching both seams with one hand, flip one corner over the other (so one is inside the other). Place one hand inside this pocket.
• Combine the other two corners into a pocket with your other hand. (Just stick your hand inside, shaking it until it matches your other hand). Bring your hands together so that both pockets meet.
• Pinching both corners with one hand, flip one pocket of corners over the other. You should now have an oblong rectangle with one elastic corner facing up. Lay the sheet on a flat surface. Straighten out the corners and edges if you need to by sticking one hand inside the pocket and smoothing out with the other.
• Fold the curved edge down so you have a straight edge. Fold in half lengthwise, then fold into thirds width-wise (or whatever size you need).

Now that you’ve mastered folding fitted sheets, let’s tidy up that linen closet! First things first, remove all your wrinkled bedding and bath linens. Re-fold them using the technique above. If they’re extremely wrinkled, you can toss them in the dryer for a few minutes with a dryer sheet to help release some of the wrinkles. Fold all sheets, flat or fitted, into the same size rectangle. When you stack them on top of each other, they will all remain in neat, organized piles in your closet.

When you’re putting your newly folded sheets back in the linen closet, make sure you keep like things with like things. Towels should all go together on one shelf. Queen bed sheets, pillow cases and shams should go on another shelf. Twin-size bed sheets, pillow cases and shams should go on another shelf, and so on. If you’ve got a great deal of storage space, consider storing bathroom linens such as bath towels, hand towels and wash cloths separately from bed linens. You’ll be on your way to a tidy closet in no time.

For an extra neat-looking linen closet, make sure the folded edge of each folded sheet faces outward. This will help you see each individual folded sheet better when you go to grab a set. It also creates smoother lines when you look into the closet.

If you really want to improve the look of your linen closet, there are a few additional aesthetic tricks.

• Purchase multiples of the same sheet sets and towel sets or choose sets that are all in the same color family. This will create a more harmonious look when you open the closet door.
• Give your linen closet a face lift before you put the items away. Don’t feel like you need to call in a contractor (unless you want to!). This can be as easy as a fresh coat of paint or a new layer of contact paper.
• Add labels to each shelf where you’d like each type of linen to be stored. This will give a cue to anyone else who shares the housework with you. Everyone will be on the same page about putting linens away. It will also make it easier to find what you’re looking for.

You can stack sheet sets directly on top of each other so they’re together when you grab them. Keep fitted sheets, flat sheets and pillowcases separate. This works especially well if you’ve got several of the same set of sheets or if you like to mix and match patterns.

If you like the idea of storing sheet sets together, here’s a fun trick. Stack the fitted sheet and flat sheet. Then, wrap them both in the pillow cases, to keep the full set bundled as one unit. For bigger sheet sets, you can even just place the whole thing inside the pillow case.

Another option is to put your linens away organized into square or rectangle baskets. If you have a tendency to rummage through the closet looking for something in particular, this helps you keep your linens from turning into a big crumpled ball. Storing older sheets, fluorescent beach towels and the like in baskets or bins hides them from the eye. It's is a nice way to create an aesthetically pleasing linen closet.

Storage bins and baskets can quickly add up. Another option to create visual dividers is to repurpose other household items. Office supplies such as file holders work great for storing small linens like wash cloths or pillow cases. Wall shelf brackets can also be installed as dividers between different types of linens.

If you’re short on space, another great idea is to install towel racks on the back of your linen closet door. This will allow you to hang some of your towels or other linens rather than storing them stuffed inside the closet shelves.