How to fold (and store!) your sheets

You will need to fold the fitted sheet carefully to create nice clean lines. I like to take a few seconds to create the sharp corners of my fitted sheet before I start folding; you can use the corner seam to find the corner, and flatten it out compared to the sharp corner you usually get when folding a fitted sheet.

You can do this method pretty quickly, but taking a second to press and flatten the fabric thoroughly at each step to get a clean line along the edges and less air (and loose fabric) in the middle will get you closer to a perfect rectangle than a quick fold. One editor even uses an iron to flatten her sheets thoroughly.

Also, give yourself some slack! Be mindful of the fabric of the sheets you’re folding. More structured sheets like percale may be a little easier to hold in place while you fold, while softer sheets like bamboo and synthetic nylon can feel like you’re trying to make a shape out of water. Still, with a little patience you can create a pretty solid square shape, or if you’re impatient and still have six more sets of sheets to fold, you can create a substantial square shape.

Beyond the Shelf Pile

If you hate the way your sheets look even after you fold them, you may want to try storage bags or bins for your sheets. If you don’t have a linen closet in your home, these are useful for keeping sheets under the bed or for storing off-season sheets.

You can also get dust bags to protect your sheets, but not all sheets come with dust bags, and some dust bags are explicitly designed to only fit machine-pressed sheets inside them. (I love Quince’s dust bag, though.) You can also replicate this experience by stuffing all the sheets into a single pillowcase, which is an easy way to keep them together. But they won’t stay folded as nicely in any bag.

best sheet storage

The best sheet storage is $2. I’m serious. I added three of these Ikea storage bags to one order and was surprised at how much I liked them. Those two sets are the perfect size for thick flannel sheets, or you could even store three sets of lightweight bamboo or cotton sheets in them.

Most people I asked said they own about three sets of sheets, so if you have two sheets to keep and one to put on the bed, a bag size is perfect. And they’re $2! Buy a dozen of them for your whole house! Or buy six and spend just $12! They’re a little small for a soft comforter or pillow but more than capable of handling a blanket.

Great sheet or blanket storage

The Company Store’s storage bags are gorgeous and come in several sizes, so you can choose one for your sheets, pillows, or quilts. I can easily fit four sets of my heavy linen sheets inside this one and have a little space left over (though not enough for a fifth set) and I’ve even used it to store quilts. I like that it opens halfway down the side so I can see most of the bag without moving it around, and it has a little label spot so I can write down what kind of sheets or bedding is inside.

The Container Store makes a similar bag that’s a little cheaper – Underbed Zippered Storage Bag ($25)—which I liked for the sheets too, but the material at the Company Store was a little nicer, and I like that I can get multiple sizes for different rooms but all the storage bags coordinate. Both have handles and label spots, and can fit larger beds.

Skip storage

When I was moving house, I used vacuum storage bags for my sheets, but I will never use them again. Why? All of my sheets coming out of the vacuum bag smelled like plastic. They were all clean before they went into the bag, but I wanted to wash every single set before sleeping on them again. Plus, vacuum bags can be surprisingly bulky and when you squeeze out all the air, they tend to take on weird, clumsy shapes. Choose a fun storage bag instead, I beg you!