With a little folding practice, you can keep fitted sheets crisp, smooth, and easy to tuck into the linen closet.

On par with programming the VCR, folding fitted sheets is one of the baffling mysteries of our time. In the old days, you would have learned this tidying technique from your mother. But chances are, today's moms also have collapsed stacks of wadded sheet balls hiding in the linen closet.

Our simple folding trick will disentangle your closet and banish wrinkles in your extra sheets--no origami skills required.

 

1. Folding fitted sheets works best on a flat surface, such as a table or bed. Lay the sheet right side down, elasticized corners facing up. Neatly turn in corners and edges so they're straight. Grab the right top corner, flip it inside out, pull it toward you, and tuck it inside the bottom right corner. Now tuck the top left corner into the bottom left corner. At this point, the sheet is folded crosswise, with the top half of the sheet folded into the bottom half.

 

2. At each layered corner, place a hand beneath the diagonal fold to flatten and smooth.

 

3. Fold the sheet in half lengthwise so the layered corners are on top of each other. Tuck so that three of the corners fit into one. Smooth edges.

 

4. Fold the sheet in half lengthwise again, then fold crosswise. (Instead of folding crosswise, you could fold into thirds.)

Here are more helpful hints for the linen-challenged:

• Keep wrinkles to a minimum by pulling sheets out of the dryer
  and folding them while they're still warm. If the sheets have
  cooled, throw a damp washcloth in the dryer and resume drying
  for 10 more minutes.
• If you use your sheets in sets, store them that way. Sandwich the folded fitted sheet and pillowcases inside the folded flat sheet.
• It's a good rule of thumb to have three sheet sets for every bed. That way you can have one set on the bed, one in the laundry, and one in the closet.
• Designate individual shelves in your linen closet to
  accommodate different sheet sizes.
• For the look of ironed sheets without all the work, just iron the pillowcases and the part of the flat sheet that will be folded over.

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