It’s a dilemma we all go through when making the bed or doing laundry – how in the world do we fold a fitted sheet? Those annoying stretchy corners make it hard to get everything lined up, and it’s difficult to get a neat fold.
No worries – with these instructions, you won’t mess up your tidy linen closet. If you need help folding a fitted sheet, you’ve come to the right place. It’s just a matter of getting the corners to line up and tuck into each other so that you form a rectangle. After that, you can fold the sheet into thirds and store it away.
No more awkward folds and bulky sheets in your linen closet. Here’s how to fold fitted sheets so you can store them properly – and if you need practice, we won’t judge!
What is a Fitted Sheet?
You may have heard of two kinds of bedsheets – a flat sheet and a fitted sheet. The flat sheet (also known as a “top sheet”) goes between you and your doona cover. It’s also often used as a cover for the bed.
The fitted sheet, meanwhile, is what goes over your mattress. It usually has elastic edges on the top and bottom corners to hold the sheet in place. The other kind of fitted sheet has elastic all around the edges.
Folding Fitted Sheets
The folding method isn’t too different whether your sheet sets have elastic corners or elastic edges all around. The important factor is getting one corner of the sheet inside the other, which creates a neatly-folded shape.
Here are some step-by-step instructions:
To fold a fitted sheet, first, turn it inside-out with the elastic edge facing you. Hold the sheet by the top two corners, then fold it in half lengthwise, creating a long rectangle.
Flip one corner over to the opposite corner, so that it turns inside out. The top corners should now fit together, one inside the other, sitting on your left hand. Move these corners to your right hand, then use your left hand to find the third corner.
Tuck the third corner into the last corner. Lift them up so the bedsheet is horizontal.
At this point, you should have two corners tucked over both your hands, with the sheet stretched out. Fold the sheet in half one more time, so that all four corners meet and are tucked into each other.
Lay the folded sheet out on a flat surface, such as your bed. The elastic edges should be on one side, forming a J shape. Starting with that J side, fold the sheet horizontally one to two times so it forms a rectangle.
After that, simply fold the sheet vertically once or twice, and ta-da! A perfectly folded fitted sheet.
General Linen Care
It’s essential that you change your sheets every other week, if not weekly. This keeps your linens fresh and ensures you’re not sleeping in a build-up of sweat, oils, and shed skin. (Also, don’t forget bed bugs.)
As for how to wash bedsheets, that’ll depend on the type of fabric. Cotton and bamboo sheets need a gentle wash cycle in cool water, while linen sheets can tolerate hot water. Just make sure to use a mild detergent!
Once you know how to fold fitted sheets, store your sheets properly inside your linen closet. This will help in maintaining their shape and colour, plus you won’t have to dig around to find a set to use next. Also, it’ll keep your sheets wrinkle-free!
If you don’t want to go through the effort of washing your sheets, you can strip your bed and ask your professional cleaning service to pop in a load of laundry for you. We offer laundry services as an add-on to house cleaning, so your fitted sheets – and the rest of your linens – will be fresh and clean, perfect for a good night’s sleep.
