How to fold underwear and bras

Do you need to fold underwear at all?

Strictly, no. Cotton briefs tossed into a drawer come to no harm, and if a heap works for you, the only cost is time spent digging. Folding pays off in three situations: a small drawer that overflows, a mixed drawer where lace and hooks snag on everything else, and a household where several people's laundry needs sorting quickly. It also makes it obvious when you have too many pairs, or too few of the kind you actually wear.

Bras are the exception. A molded cup bra thrown into a drawer can crush or dent, and a dented cup often never recovers its shape. Even if you skip folding everything else, it is worth giving bras a proper place. The same logic applies to delicate lace and silk, which catch on zips and hooks and pull threads.

How to fold briefs, bikinis and panties

This is the file fold from Marie Kondo's KonMari method, and it suits briefs, bikinis, hipsters and most women's underwear. The finished piece is a small rectangle that stands on its edge, so a drawer can be filled with rows you can read from above.

1. 01

   Lay it flat, front side down

   Smooth the underwear on a flat surface with the waistband at the top and the back facing you. Starting flat is what keeps the finished rectangle neat.

2. 02

   Fold the sides in

   Fold the left side in toward the center by about a third, then the right side over it, so you have a long narrow strip the width of the crotch panel. Tommy John describes this same side fold as the basis of its square method.

3. 03

   Fold the crotch up to the waistband

   Bring the bottom of the strip up so it meets the waistband. You now have a small rectangle.

4. 04

   Fold once more and stand it up

   Fold in half again, or tuck the lower half into the waistband for a tighter bundle, and stand the piece on its edge in the drawer. It should hold its shape without unfolding.

Thongs, lace and shapewear

Thongs have too little fabric to fold into a standing rectangle. Fold the sides in, fold the back up over the front so the waistband lines up, and fold once more into a small square, then lay them flat in a shallow box or a divided tray. Lace and silk pieces are happiest folded once and stored separately from anything with hooks, so the fine fabric does not snag; a small cloth pouch or drawer divider is enough. Shapewear is thicker and firmer, so fold it in thirds lengthwise and roll it loosely, rather than pressing sharp creases into the stretch panels, which can make them uncomfortable to wear.

How to fold underwear for men: boxers and boxer briefs

Boxers are loose and wide, so they fold best into a square. Lay them flat with the waistband at the top, fold one side in by a third and then the other, to make a rectangle, then fold the leg end up to the waistband in thirds. Stack them flat or stand them on edge. Woven cotton boxers wrinkle easily; a firm press with your palm after folding keeps them flat, and a stack of neat squares stays put better than a pile of loose ones.

Boxer briefs and trunks are knit and stretchy, so they fold smaller. Lay them flat, fold the legs in toward the center so the edges meet, fold the leg end up to the waistband, then fold in half and stand the bundle on its edge like a brief. Tommy John suggests a tucked version for a firmer bundle: fold the sides in, fold up, then tuck the bottom into the waistband opening so it holds. That tuck is useful in a busy drawer where pieces get shuffled.

How to fold bras without ruining the cups

Molded and padded bras should not be folded in half, and one cup should never be pushed inside out into the other. Glamorise, a bra maker, warns that inverting molded cups ruins their shape, and a crease across foam padding tends to show under fitted tops. Instead, fasten the hooks so they cannot snag, tuck the straps into the cups, and stand the bras in a drawer or box one behind the other with all the cups facing the same way, each nesting gently into the one behind it. A shoebox or divider keeps the row from leaning. If drawer space is short, hanging bras by the center or the band on a hook also works.

Soft cup bras, bralettes and sports bras have no rigid shape to protect, so you can fold them. Lay the bra face down, fold one cup over the other along the center, tuck the straps and band inside, and stand it on edge or roll it. Underwire bras without molded foam can be nested like molded ones, never folded across the wire. Our guide to washing a bra explains how to keep wires and elastic in good shape between wears, and if your bras are misshapen already, the fit may be the real issue; our bra size guide shows how to check.

How to fold underwear for travel

For a suitcase, a tight roll beats a fold. Tommy John's army roll works for most styles: turn the waistband down about 2 inches (5 cm) so the inside shows, fold the sides in, roll tightly from the leg end toward the waistband, then pull the turned band over the roll to hold it closed. The rolls fit into shoes, corners and packing cube gaps, and they stay together while the case gets handled.

Pack bras differently. Stack molded bras cups into cups facing the same way, place a rolled pair of socks or underwear inside the front cup to support it, and put them near the top of the case where nothing heavy presses down. A small fabric bag keeps hooks from catching on knitwear. Our guides to rolling clothes for packing and the full vacation packing list cover the rest of the case.

Organize the drawer so it stays tidy

Give each type its own row or box: everyday briefs, special occasion pieces, bras, and, if they share the drawer, socks. Stand folded pieces upright in rows so you can see every one from above. Kondo's rule of thumb is to fill a drawer until it looks full but not stuffed, which keeps the rows from falling over without crushing anything. Sorting each row from dark to light, or by color, makes choosing a pair take a glance. Our guide to folding socks uses the same upright system, so the whole drawer can work one way. Put back only clean, fully dry pieces; elastic and cotton that go in damp can develop a musty smell.