Should you or should you not fold your laundry?
When I work with people on their laundry routines, folding clothes and putting them away is often their BIGGEST pain point. It’s usually the part of their laundry routine that takes the most time and effort. But they also feel like they should be folding their clothes.
I get the sense that people are asking for permission to not fold their clothes. Like folding clothes (or not!) holds some sort of moral value for them. If I fold my clothes I’m being good, productive, responsible. If I don’t fold my clothes I’m being bad, lazy, irresponsible.
Let me assure you, there is no moral value in folding your clothes. If you don’t want to fold your clothes, don’t!
Here are some reasons why it may make sense to fold some (or all) of your clothes.
Your clothes will likely be less wrinkled (depending on how they are folded).
It is easier to see what clean clothes you have left (especially if you fold and store them vertically).
Folded clothes generally take up less space.
Folding clothes (rather than hanging) can put less stress on the clothes and prevents them from stretching out (think knit sweaters)
And then there is the option to hang clothes. Hanging clothes is always an option and some people find it easier and more convenient than folding. I tend to hang clothes that I really don’t want to get wrinkled (like collared shirts) or flowy tops and dresses (they are hard to fold and store vertically).
Consider what you absolutely want to fold and run a 2-week trial to see how it feels to leave the rest unfolded. Consider how you feel and whether you would rather have the folded clothes or the saved time/effort.
A few alternative if you choose not to fold your clothes:
Hanging clothes is a great option!
Drawer dividers for unfolded underwear and socks can be helpful to keep things somewhat orderly.
You can lay items flat in a drawer. Consider the tasks of folding clothes on a spectrum. On one side you have clothes very neatly folded and put away. On the other side you have clothes wadded up and crammed into a drawer (or laundry basket on top of your dresser.) If you decide to stop folding most of your clothes you can still decide to use drawer dividers to divide tops from pants. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It doesn’t have to be total order or total chaos.
If folding and putting away clothes feels like a monumental effort, I think you should strongly consider not folding at least some of your clothes. Test it out and see how it works for you!
