First thing to remember...Do NOT move on to this step until you have completely and thoroughly completed step 1, discarding.
Have you completed the sorting/discarding process with ALL of your clothing? If yes, then read on! If no, then you need to stop right here LOL! Go back to step 1 and finish piece by piece until you have gone through ALL your clothing.
Moving on…
So you have finished sorting/discarding your clothes. Now you need to figure out how to put them away. What’s the best way for this...folded in drawers? Hung in the closet? Well that answer depends on the clothing type, and ultimately what type of storage you have.
I learned first hand, and from trying this method that folding really does save space. So most of my clothes are folded. I used to be that person who hung everything because it seemed easier and less work to put the clothes away after wash day. But after I read this book last year I tried to fold more and utilize my dresser more. I was astonished with how much more i fit in there after i folded it all properly! I had actually gained space in my closet to properly store my shoes, which prior to, had been thrown in a box on the floor!
Yes, I said folded “properly”. So it seems there is a right way to fold things. The way that will maximize space, and is better for your clothes, and makes finding something easier. Right there is 3 reasons why folding is better!
When I finished the discarding step, I had cut my wardrobe in roughly half. It was unbelievable how much clothing i was holding onto for reasons I couldn’t pinpoint. Some stuff I was keeping was because I thought it might fit me again someday. But I realized that I’m not currently, and actively trying to lose weight so will they really fit again? No, they won’t, and even if they do, they likely won’t be my style any more. Have I mentioned that my style changes, as I’m sure everyone’s does at some point.
I’ll admit was apprehensive to try folding. I used to hate folding my clothing. I was happy to not even put it away and live out of a basket. But now I actually fold all my clothes after the wash is done...maybe not immediately after it comes out of the dryer but definitely within a day or 2 😬
I’ll try my best describe the folding method here, but you can always resort to Google and search “KonMari folding” and you will get a lot of results!
The key here is to be able to store them standing up rather than laying flat. Sort of like filing. I have actually heard people call it file folding for that reason. Basically you’re going to fold each thing into a simple and smooth rectangle. Maybe i should just quote the book here...
“First, fold each lengthwise side of the garment toward the center and tuck the sleeves in to make a long rectangular shape. It doesn’t matter how you. fold the sleeves. Next, pick up one end of the rectangle and fold it in half to the other end. Then fold again, in the same manner, in halves or thirds. The number of folds should be adjusted so that the folded clothing stands upright in the drawer, and fits the drawer height”.
“This will allow your clothes to be stacked on edge, side by side so when you open the drawer you can see the edge of everything inside”.
So I found that this folding method doesn’t necessarily work for all types of clothing. Some things are still best suited to be hung. This is especially true for coats, suits, jackets, dresses, and anything with a softer, fluttery material, like some blouses.
When you begin to place everything in the drawers or closet, make sure you place things of the same category side by side. Keeping like items together makes it easier to locate something. In the closet, it’s recommended that you “arrange your clothes so they rise to the right”. I didn’t understand this initially. But then it all made sense when i began to put it all in the closet. I realized that I naturally did this anyway even before i read this book!
Basically you’re placing the heavier things to the left and the lighter stuff on the right. Heavy means things with length or bulky material or dark colors. As you move to the right side of the closet the length of the clothes gets shorter, the material thinner, and the color lighter. But go heavy to light within each category.
To avoid talking forever, and losing your interest, I’m not going to get into detail on folding socks and underwear. If you really want to see it, you can find it online. Basically, you shouldn’t ball up your socks.
What i do want to talk about is seasonal clothing. Do you swap out clothes seasonally, and store your off-season stuff elsewhere in the house? I think a lot of people do. I don’t and I never have. But that’s because I’ve never had enough to warrant that process. And now that you have completed the sorting and discarding process, you shouldn’t either. I used to do this with my kids clothes, but I recently worked with them to pare down their wardrobes, and now it all fits in their dresser and closets with no problem.
I have worked with a couple clients who have always done this, and they all had the same problem...with the off-season stuff stored away, and out of sight, they forgot what was in there, and went shopping. Only to realize they already similar items when they finally got around to unpacking the seasonal stuff. Why give yourself the extra work of swapping out seasonal clothing.
What if in the winter, you end up taking a trip to a warmer climate? Do you really want to unpack a box of clothing so you can pack it up in a suitcase? LOL. Just so you can unpack it from the suitcase and pack it back in a box? Sounds like a ton of extra work if you ask me.
So get to folding, and googling, if you need help LOL
I will also share some more photos and folding tips on my FB and Insta profiles. So make sure your following those.
Happy folding!!