Alright, what's the secret to folding a fitted sheet?

samantha1979

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Seriously. I am 28 years old and still have not been able to fold one of these without it ending up in a wadded ball. People fold these things all the time. Do your end up in wadded balls? It is almost like I get all of the edges together, then wrap it around my arm. Looks like crap. Any tricks would be appreciated!
 

danimarie

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Oh god, I'm with you!!!!!!!!

I lay it out upside down so the crinkly part is facing up and fold the sides over once, then twice....if that makes sense. Then just continue to fold.

I haven't come across anyone that has it look like a perfect little fold.
 

pjk5900

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what you do is take the corner and cup the 2 corners together, then do the same with the other side, then put the pairs together so you have all 4 corners in one place.
then fold the side of the mattress pieces in and you should have a shorter rectangle, then fold into the size needed to put away.
Make sense?

if not I can try again to explain a little better
 

rosiemac

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I usually just roll mine up, but Gil lies it out on the bed face down if that makes sense, so that the elastic parts are facing up?. Then he takes one side and folds in into the centre, then he folds the other side over that, then folds it up from the bottom into a neat square
 

rapunzel47

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It's all in the way you hold your mouth. That, unfortunately, is a mystery I have yet to solve.
 

bonnie1965

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Originally Posted by pjk5900

what you do is take the corner and cup the 2 corners together, then do the same with the other side, then put the pairs together so you have all 4 corners in one place.
then fold the side of the mattress pieces in and you should have a shorter rectangle, then fold into the size needed to put away.
Make sense?

if not I can try again to explain a little better
This is the way I do it, too. It doesn't come out perfect for me, but sets on the shelf better than my rolled up balls
 

katachtig

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You are not alone. I confessed to this fault last year. There is hope and you will learn. The Target site has a good video.
 
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samantha1979

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Originally Posted by pjk5900

what you do is take the corner and cup the 2 corners together, then do the same with the other side, then put the pairs together so you have all 4 corners in one place.
then fold the side of the mattress pieces in and you should have a shorter rectangle, then fold into the size needed to put away.
Make sense?

if not I can try again to explain a little better
This usually works "ok" not great, but now I have sheets that have elastic on all four sides. Never had that before. When I did that, I ended up with a triangle..... hmmmm. Still turned into a wadded up ball.


Originally Posted by DaniMarie

Oh god, I'm with you!!!!!!!!

I lay it out upside down so the crinkly part is facing up and fold the sides over once, then twice....if that makes sense. Then just continue to fold.

I haven't come across anyone that has it look like a perfect little fold.
I never thought about laying it down. :thinking: I have always done everything in my power to keep it off the floor so it doesn't get dirty again. Maybe I will try to fold it next time by laying it on my unmade bed, full of cathair...


Originally Posted by rapunzel47

It's all in the way you hold your mouth. That, unfortunately, is a mystery I have yet to solve.
OH! It's like mascara! Guess I haven't figured out the right contortion yet.


DId I mention that these are King Size sheets too!!
They are huge! Think that makes it a little harder too!!
 

danimarie

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Originally Posted by Samantha1979

I never thought about laying it down. :thinking: I have always done everything in my power to keep it off the floor so it doesn't get dirty again.
Haha, yeah definitely try the bed!!! I do the floor or bed, I'm vacuum OCD so I don't really worry about dirty floors....
TRUST ME, that's not a good quality I'm proud of either!!!
 
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samantha1979

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Originally Posted by katachtig

You are not alone. I confessed to this fault last year. There is hope and you will learn. The Target site has a good video.
Ok. I looked at both threads. Thanks! I really like the idea of putting the folded sheets inside a pillowcase.... might have to try that.

I must be the only person that has tried to do this without laying it down! That will help so much! I have no idea why I never thought about that!
 

katachtig

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Originally Posted by Samantha1979

Ok. I looked at both threads. Thanks! I really like the idea of putting the folded sheets inside a pillowcase.... might have to try that.

I must be the only person that has tried to do this without laying it down! That will help so much! I have no idea why I never thought about that!
Because it is easier to just wad it up (or do as I always have which is to have one set in the laundry at all times).
 

carolpetunia

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Martha Stewart gave a lesson on this once -- I'm sure there are instructions somewhere on her website.

But may I suggest my own method instead? I reach into the dryer, grasp one corner of the sheet, and quickly roll the whole thing up in a big loose wad. Then I carry it to the linen closet, select the appropriate shelf, stuff the sheet in, and slam the door before it can tumble out.

I call this the "Life Is Too Damn Short To Fold Sheets" method.
 

pami

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Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Martha Stewart gave a lesson on this once -- I'm sure there are instructions somewhere on her website.

But may I suggest my own method instead? I reach into the dryer, grasp one corner of the sheet, and quickly roll the whole thing up in a big loose wad. Then I carry it to the linen closet, select the appropriate shelf, stuff the sheet in, and slam the door before it can tumble out.

I call this the "Life Is Too Damn Short To Fold Sheets" method.
I am going to use that method the very next time I wash!
 

shopcat

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This is a hard one to describe..
I put the corner pockets facing me, sticking my hands up into them, & bring them together like you are folding a regular sheet...take one corner & flip/turn it over the other one in the other hand. I'll lay it down on the bed to smooth it out & fold the crinkly stuff in to make it as evenly rectangular as possible, then continue to fold it like a regular sheet..
 

starryeyedtiger

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Originally Posted by pjk5900

what you do is take the corner and cup the 2 corners together, then do the same with the other side, then put the pairs together so you have all 4 corners in one place.
then fold the side of the mattress pieces in and you should have a shorter rectangle, then fold into the size needed to put away.
Make sense?

if not I can try again to explain a little better
That's similar to how I fold mine
My mom cleans houses for a living (she owns her own cleaning business) so she tought me when I was little how to do laundry/etc. Granted though -i can never get my fitted sheets to look quite as good as hers! She's had a lot of practice!
Mine usually wind up looking neat enough to fit well into the linen closet. I hate balled up sheets in my closet because it makes it look a cluttered. Colin on the other hand....he puts them in a ball and throws it in the linen closet
 

sophiec

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OK, here's how my mom taught me to fold fitted sheets, especially if you're by yourself. Take 2 corners at the points made by the seam, either the head of the foot of the sheet, and fold the sheet in half lengthwise. Be sure to hold the rest of the sheet off of the floor. You then take these 2 folded corners, open a door in your house, put the sheet corners in the opening at the doorknob area and close the door on them. This is your second set of hands. Once it is secured in the door, grab the other end, back away from the door, and fold the opposite corners together in the same way. Then you hold those 2 corners together, run your other hand along the top of the sheets until you reach the center, and fold in half to meet the corners that are in the door. Now open the door while holding the corners that are in the door, and put the 4 corners together. You now have a small rectangle to complete the folding however you wish.
 

bella713

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Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Martha Stewart gave a lesson on this once -- I'm sure there are instructions somewhere on her website.

But may I suggest my own method instead? I reach into the dryer, grasp one corner of the sheet, and quickly roll the whole thing up in a big loose wad. Then I carry it to the linen closet, select the appropriate shelf, stuff the sheet in, and slam the door before it can tumble out.

I call this the "Life Is Too Damn Short To Fold Sheets" method.
OMG that is EXACTLY what I do
 

calico2222

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Originally Posted by ShopCat

This is a hard one to describe..
I put the corner pockets facing me, sticking my hands up into them, & bring them together like you are folding a regular sheet...take one corner & flip/turn it over the other one in the other hand. I'll lay it down on the bed to smooth it out & fold the crinkly stuff in to make it as evenly rectangular as possible, then continue to fold it like a regular sheet..
That is the way my mom folded fitted sheets, and she could fold them as small as flat sheets where they even had a crease in them from being folded. God love her, she TRIED to teach me, it just didn't take. I can do a sloppier version of that unless it has elastic all the way around the sides. They do get balled up and stuffed in the closet.
 
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