Buhata
Login Start for Free

Home › Life Terms

Chores, cleaning and home care

KonMari folding

Marie Kondo's way of folding clothes into small rectangles that stand upright in a drawer, so every item is visible at once instead of stacked.

What It Means

KonMari folding is the folding technique Marie Kondo teaches as part of the KonMari Method. Each garment is folded into a small, firm rectangle that stands up on its own, and the rectangles are stored upright in a drawer, side by side, like files in a cabinet. Her official site says folding and standing clothes this way prevents wrinkles and saves space compared with stacking them.

Try It: Fold a T-Shirt the KonMari Way

Grab a T-shirt and follow along, one step at a time. The steps come from konmari.com.

Step 1 of 4

Lay it flat

Lay the shirt flat on a table or bed and smooth it out.

How It Sounds at Home

  • "I KonMari'd my T-shirt drawer."
  • "Now I can actually see all my shirts."
  • "Fold it so it stands up, like the others."

The Breakdown

How to do it

  1. Lay the garment flat and smooth it out.
  2. Fold both sides toward the center so it forms a rectangle, tucking in the sleeves and any extra fabric.
  3. Now bring the rectangle's ends together, folding it in half.
  4. Adjust the size of the last folds until the rectangle is firm enough to stand upDaily scrumThe 15-minute Scrum event where the Developers meet each working day to check progress toward the Sprint Goal and adjust their plan. See more on its own.
  5. Stand the folded pieces upright in the drawer, in a row, so you can see every one from above.

Try it today. Take everything out of one drawer, fold each item this way, and put them back standing up. You'll see at a glance what the drawer holds.

Where it fits in the method. Marie Kondo's official site puts clothes first in the order of tidying, because they're the easiest category to make decisions about. In the KonMari Method you choose which clothes to keep before you fold, so only the pieces you're keeping go back in.

Where It Comes From

The fold comes from Marie Kondo, whose KonMari Method teaches tidying by category. Her official site, konmari.com, carries step-by-step folding guides and a page of common questions about the fold.

Good to Know

Some garments are harder to fold this way than a T-shirt, and the official site keeps a page of common questions about the fold for them. Follow each item's care label for washing and drying before it's folded and put away.

FAQ

How do you do the KonMari fold?

Fold both sides of the garment toward the center to form a rectangle, tucking in the sleeves. Then fold the rectangle in half so it ends up small enough to stand upright on its own.

Why does KonMari fold clothes vertically?

Marie Kondo's official site says standing clothes upright instead of stacking them prevents wrinkles and saves space, and every item stays in view.

What should I fold first?

Clothes are the first category in the KonMari Method. A single drawer of T-shirts is an easy place to practice the fold.

Do It in Buhata

Tasks with a repeat

Add "Fold and file one drawer" to Buhata's Tasks for this weekend, and tick it off once the drawer is done.

Open Buhata

Related Terms and Categories

  • Decluttering

    Clearing out what a home no longer needs by sorting belongings into what to keep and what leaves the house, one small area at a time.

  • Capsule wardrobe

    A small set of essential, versatile clothes and accessories chosen so most pieces combine with each other into many outfits.

  • Closet audit

    Going through everything in a closet piece by piece to decide what you wear and keep, what needs repair, and what leaves the house.

  • Vertical storage

    Storing things upward on walls, doors and tall shelving instead of spreading them across floors and counters, so a small space holds more.

Chores, cleaning and home care

Sources

KonMari (Marie Kondo's official website), "How to Fold Clothes with the KonMari Method"; KonMari, "Common Questions About the KonMari Fold"; KonMari, "About the KonMari Method"

Last updated .