Tidy Nest Featured Press: How to Fold Shirts– for Stacking in the Closet and Packing in Suitcases (Homes & Gardens)

I think any organizer will tell you that one of the most requested tutorial topics is “How to fold ______”

We spoke to Homes & Gardens on our favorite methods for folding shirts - for travel & for home storage.

We’re super excited to announce that we’re a regular expert contributor to Homes & Gardens’ organization features! You can check out all our article with Homes & Gardens below.

Away Travel Packing Cubes

There are a bunch of packing cubes on the market but if we have a choice, we always prefer AWAY products.

Folding Board

If your folding skills need some help, try a folding board which will help you create a perfect fold every time

Adjustable Bamboo Drawer Dividers

Bamboo is always our first choice but these spring loaded dividers also come in various plastic colors.

For our video tutorials on folding techniques, head over to our Instagram account and check out our reels

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

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disclaimers:

photos from Amazon & Away Travel

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Nest Featured Press: How to Organize a Sock Drawer– 10 Ways to Sort Socks in Style (Homes & Gardens)

If you ask Jared, there’s nothing worse than searching for a pair of socks in a drawer of mismatched socks. And if you’re not a morning person, this sock hunt can start your day off on the wrong foot.

We always encourage clients to take time to organize the sock drawer to make your morning routine much more enjoyable.

We recently chatted with Homes & Gardens about sock drawer organization - take a look below on our tips.

P.S. We’re happy to report that we are a regular contributor to Homes & Gardens now.

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

Tidy Tips: Denim Storage

Many of our clients struggle with storing their denim. There's no right or wrong method - it depends on the space, lifestyle, collection. Scroll through to see some methods we use to store denim. 

Hang pants using pant hangers

Pro: Visually pleasing, open-end hanger design allows for fast access, non-slip coating, good for high inventory 

Con: Hangers are pricey, need to have the hanging space in closet 

Hang pants using crisscross method

Pro: Easily access the waistband to see size/style, great for closet with short hanging space, good for high inventory

Con: More time consuming to hang

Tidy Note: This is Jared’s go-to method for storing his denim because he has a ton of different styles and sizes. 

File Folding

Pro: Quantity is visible, good for low inventory 

Con:  Challenging to identify different sizes and styles, need a drawer or basket, does not work on shelves 

Tidy Note: This is Taylor’s go-to method for storing her denim because she has a low inventory and limited space. 

(One File Folding Image)

Flat Folding 

Pro: Quick method, good for low inventory, ideal for open shelves so inventory is visible 

Con: Waist band has more material than the hem causing the stack to be lopsided - to eliminate this issue, you can alternate stacking the waistband and hem sides. Difficult to remove denim from bottom of the stack 

Tidy Note: This is Shannon’s go-to method for storing her denim because she has a low inventory of denim (and her days working in retail have made folding denim second nature). 

(Two Flat Folding images)

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Quick Tidying of a Closet

This closet wasn’t in terrible shape per se; it was just a bit chaotic. Dedicating just an hour to the closet (and an hour to the shoe collection) we were able to give this closet a quick facelift. 

The best way to handle this kind of project is to get right into it. We pulled everything out and edited the contents. There were great organizing products already being used, so there was no need to order anything new. Even though this closet is edited seasonally, we still wound up with a few bags of donations, which made a big difference. If we did purchase products, we would have added in shelf dividers to keep the stacks of clothes upright. 

The closet contained different types of hangers - plastic tubular hangers in four styles and three colors and velvet hangers. Instead of buying all new matching hangers, we choose to group the different styles together within the closet. As Shannon’s mom says “like with like.” 

Pro Tip: Grouping like hangers together in a closet is a budget-friendly way of taming the chaotic mismatched hanger situation without investing in new hangers. 

We refolded everything on the shelves using the file folding method and rolling when applicable. Bulkier items were folded flat and denim was folded rather than hung. We contained as much as we could using the Y-Weave baskets from Target. 

We noticed that plastic garment bags (even the nicer ones from The Container Store) attract mold after a few years so we recommend cotton hanging bags for storing formal wear. They come in various sizes for coats, suits, gowns, etc. We used the coat and gown size. 

Finally, we wiped down all the shoe boxes (using Grove All Purpose Cleaner) and relabeled the boxes using chalkboard stickers, leftover scrapbook paper and oil based sharpies. The previous labeling system (post-its) was not working and looked very messy. 

Products found in this closet:

Amazon: Ultra Thin Velvet Hangers

The Container Store: Tubular Hangers 

The Container Store: Children’s Tubular Hangers

The Container Store: Shoe Box 

The Container Store: Natural Cotton Hanging Storage Bag

Target: Y-Weave Storage bins

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