10 Tips on How To Fold Socks
Out of all the clothing guys have, socks are most troublesome to keep organized. From missing socks to mismatched pairs and trying to fold 2 socks together neatly, it’s tempting to just throw them in the drawer without matching the colors or keeping them organized.
But if you’ve invested in high quality Performance Ankle Socks or just want to keep your life (and drawers) organized, you should spend the extra time to fold them away to start your days off right, and by following these 10 easy tips, they will be a quick (and painless) process.
1. The Ranger Roll
First, we’ll start off with a classic: the ranger roll.
This folding technique was coined by the U.S. Army and is still used in the military today. The point of this fold is to give the most possible room to soldiers in their bags during combat to make room for other more important gear.
Fortunately for you, this takes a few quick seconds so it’ll help you battle the urge to just dump your socks messily into your sock drawer.
Here’s how the ranger roll works:
- Step 1: Straighten your socks and lay them parallel to each other on a flat surface.
- Step 2: Place both socks directly on top of one another.
- Step 3: Roll the socks from the bottom up until there’s nothing left to roll.
- Step 4: Once everything is rolled up, hold the inside of the sock with your fingers while placing your thumb underneath the roll.
- Step 5: Pull the outside hole down with your fingers while still grabbing the inside.
- Step 6: After this, tuck the remaining hole into the newly-formed ball-shaped fold.
Simple.
2. The Kondo Fold
The KonMari method stems from the art of decluttering and organizing, which was created by Marie Kondo.
This folding will spark joy in your life and it gives a cleaner and neater presentation than most other folding techniques on this list. Not to mention, it’s super easy to learn and complete.
- Step 1: Lay your socks on a flat surface as one pair; one on top of the other.
- Step 2: Grab the toes of the sock and fold them inward, roughly one inch from the top of the sock.
- Step 3: Fold inwards to the center.
- Step 4: Finally, fold the sock in half so it can stand upright.
Your final product should look like the notecards you wrote your name on and put at the front of your desk in grade school. The socks should be a small rectangle-shape and be able to stand up on their own.
3. The Cross Fold
Next, after you’ve mastered the previous two sock folds, let's move onto the next folding technique that’s a bit more challenging.
The cross fold is probably the hardest to master on this list, but it looks awesome if you can get the technique down. If you are purely interested in saving time and space, this folding method is not for you.
- Step 1: Lay your socks on a flat surface and place one across the other to form a cross shape.
- Step 2: Grab the toe of either of the socks and fold that towards the middle of the cross.
- Step 3: Tuck that toe pocket in, being careful that it’s not loose or there’s not any extra fabric laying around.
- Step 4: Then, grab the top of the one folded sock and bring it to the center.
- Step 5: Repeat steps two to four with the other sock.
The final product should be a small square with multiple visible layers. Again, this fold can be tricky, but it makes for a nice cross pattern that’s easy to stack.
4. The “Flip-and-Tuck” Method
The next two methods are great time savers.
Here’s how you would complete the flip-and-tuck method.
- Step 1: Lay both socks on top of each other on a flat surface with the heels facing up.
- Step 2: Fold the opposite ends over, roughly halfway.
- Step 3: Fold the heel/toe ends so they’re touching the opposite end, then proceed to tuck the toes into that end.
The result is a quick fix, albeit not the neatest or coolest-looking fold, but it certainly saves time.
5. The “Fold-and-Tuck” Method
As mentioned above, these are the two quick and easy fixes.
Here’s how to complete the fold-and-tuck method.
- Step 1: Lay both socks on top of each other on a flat surface to form one pair.
- Step 2: Grab the open end, flip it inside out, and tuck both socks about halfway into the hole.
The final product should be a little ball with the toes dangling out. Looks kind of off but it’s definitely the fastest method.
6. How Do You Fold No-Show Socks?
The two quickest and easiest methods above (the flip or fold methods) are the best for no-show socks. Since there’s obviously less fabric, the Cross Fold may not work well for no-shows.
7. How Do You Fold Long Socks?
Any of the methods above should work well for longer socks.
As a bonus, there’s a lot more fabric to work with, so you can absolutely go ahead and try some of the more complicated folds to make your dresser a little more stylish.
The cross fold, specifically, would be one we highly recommend trying since they would look great stacked in a drawer.
8. How Do You Keep Socks From Unfolding?
Hopefully, if you have the right pair and material with plenty of stretch like the All Citizens Performance Ankle Socks, the elastic will keep the socks together and never unroll.
9. Should You Ball Your Socks?
We highly recommend NOT balling your socks.
Your socks are constantly being put through a lot of stress - they are stretched, stepped on and rubbed against every second of every day. When you ball them up, the elastic and fabric are in a constant state of pressure and stretch which can wear them out much faster and eventually lead to them ripping and tearing a lot quicker than anticipated.
10. Does Folding Socks Make Them Last Longer?
It absolutely does.
Not only will a proper fold give your socks relief from all the pressure and stretch, but it also makes you a neater person and keeps clutter out of your life.
Even if you only open your sock drawer once a day, it’s still going to be a huge relief when you open it up and it doesn’t look like a sock bomb went off.
Always, always fold your socks.
And one final pro tip: folding socks doesn’t have to be a complete time waste - pop on some music or a podcast or just let your mind wander as you get folding.
Socks for Every Man
At All Citizens, we’re dedicated to democratizing comfort by making premium, performance products at much more accessible prices.
This all starts with our Performance Ankle Socks. All of our socks come equipped with proper ventilation so it never feels like you’re walking around in a puddle. The design is anatomical, so they have a custom fit for each foot, and there’s a high-pile cushioned footbed that feels like walking on clouds.
Each pair is made from recycled fish nets and plastic bottles, which diverts waste from landfills, oceans and incinerators and lessons our dependence on fossil fuels. And unlike other premium brands, we don’t overcharge our customers for a premium product. Grab a 6 pack bundle of performance socks that are sweat-wicking, quick-drying and are incredibly breathable for just $36.
Sources:
How to Fold Socks Military Style | Brit Guides
Marie Kondo's Folding Techniques: Here's How to Fold Shirts, Tops, Socks and More | Newsweek
