3 Ways to Fold a Hoodie

Folding clothes was never really my forte—until I spent a few years working at the Gap, perfecting my T-shirt- and jean-folding skills. But hoodies and sweatshirts can be some of the toughest things to fold (besides the dreaded fitted sheet)—they're big and bulky, and they tend to end up a little lumpier than you'd like. Fortunately, there are a few strategies for getting a perfectly folded sweatshirt or hoodie that'll fit neatly into your overnight bag or drawer.

For every method, start with a hoodie or sweatshirt fully zipped up, on a flat surface, with the back of the sweatshirt facing up.

Hoodie Folding Method #1: Marie Kondo's KonMari Method

Marie Kondo has turned folding into an art form—and her method for creating neat bundles of clothes allows you to pop them in your drawer vertically.

1. Determine the center of your sweatshirt or hoodie
2. Fold one side in to meet the center
3. Fold the sweatshirt arm in and down at an angle, so it follows the line of the sweatshirt.
4. Fold the other side and arm as you did the first.
5. Smooth the hood, ensuring that the edges of the hood are the same width as the folded sweatshirt.
6. Fold the hood in, then fold the sweatshirt top toward the bottom, leaving a few inches of gap between the top and bottom edges
7. Fold the sweatshirt again in half, to meet the new top to the bottom.
8. You can now store your hoodie in Marie Kondo style, vertically with the folded edge up.

Hoodie Folding Method #2: The Gap Method

This hoodie sweatshirt folding technique gives you a nicely squared off hoodie that'll fit beautifully on a shelf or in a drawer.

1. Pull the hood toward you, creating a squared-off top of the sweatshirt.
2. Fold one side in toward the center, then fold the arm back in toward the middle.
3. Repeat on the other side.
4. Fold the bottom up to meet the top to fold the hoodie in half—and store it.

Hoodie Folding Method #3: The Hood Pocket Method

This innovative method is great for when you're taking your hoodie on the road—it helps the fold stay together, by tucking the hoodie into the hood itself.

1. Fold the sides of the hoodie in toward the center (but not at the center), and fold the sleeves at an angle so they lay right along the edges of the sweatshirt.
2. Fold the sides in toward the center again.
3. Fold the sweatshirt up into thirds, starting from the bottom of the sweatshirt. (The sweatshirt itself should be squared off, with the hood still sticking out.)
4. Fold the hoodie back over the sweatshirt, to hold the fold in place.