How to Fold Socks
By Ainsley Drew
Get Your Socks Together!
If you’re like me, you may find yourself looking for your phone while on the phone, wearing two different shoes out in public, or forgetting where you put those things that you told yourself you wouldn’t lose if you put them there. Basically, you - and me - we’re a mess. But there’s hope for us as we learn to control the controllable! We can start small, like, let’s say with our sock drawer. After all, isn’t spring the time for cleaning? Or did I mix it up with another season? Wasn’t it just January for a year?
Maybe your aim is to make your closet look like a perfectly assembled Rubik’s Cube, or maybe you’re just looking to find two pairs of socks in your drawer that haven’t yet gotten divorced. Either way, let’s learn how to fold a pair of socks so your closet can look like this...
Now you can do it with cuffs, crosses, or military-style…there are just as many folding methods as there are lengths of socks. For the sake of brevity, we’re gonna go over the two easiest ways that even the messiest human can fold their socks for on the go or right at home. (If you’re searching for more advanced methods, we’ll give you a list below.)
Additionally, we’re gonna assume you’re rocking some crew socks, not no-see-’ems or knee-highs, ok? Good.
The Flip & Tuck Method (or, as I call it, the Socktopus)
Step 1. Lay your socks on a flat surface, one on top of the other so that they look like one sock.
Step 2. Take one cuff of one of the socks and flip it inside out, while tucking both socks halfway into the cuff. The toes should be hanging outside of the tucked part, kind of like the tentacles of an octopus.
The Fold & Tuck Method
Step 1. Lay your socks on top of one another, heel-side facing up.
Step 2. Fold the cuffs over halfway.
Step 3. Fold the toes over to meet the cuff ends, then tuck the toes into the top cuff.
Ta-da! Your socks are awesome, and now they’re organized, too.
If you’re an overachiever, which clearly I am not, you can go beyond Flip & Tuck and Fold & Tuck. There are levels to the sock folding game, and you can advance to these below:
Square (Like origami, but for your feet!)
Roll (Poppy seed, brioche, kaiser, and sock!)
Military (Attention!)
Here's another way to fold your socks scientifically conducted by Sock It to Me themselves!
Beyond folding, you can tackle the drawer or shelf itself. Begin by taking everything out of the drawer or off the shelf and wiping the surface down with a damp cloth. Then take that pile of socks and start sorting! You can start by size: place your crews in one area, your no-shows in another, and your dress, knee-high socks, etc. in another. You can also group them according to their color or pattern if that’s more of your thing.
If you’re going to just toss all those loose socks in the drawer and get by on a wing and a prayer to find two that match, good, me too. But if you’re like, no, I just went through all of the trouble of grouping them, there are neat sock drawer organizers that you can purchase (or make your own) to further simplify your socks. Just remember that drawer size will dictate just how many pairs you can put in there: small drawers hold on average, 7-14 socks, while medium drawers hold 14-24, and large can handle 24-40. Shelves are roughly the same estimate. Now if you’re completely overwhelmed by the idea of folding stuff, let alone organizing anything, may I offer you some procrastination by browsing for your next pair of fun socks to buy? Why not take a look at some of our latest offerings before you start doing something silly, like alphabetizing your bookshelf.
GOOD LUCK!
