The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Kalyn at Creative Savings.
It’s absolutely crazy how many T-shirts I’ve collected throughout the years. From youth group events to Summer camp staff tees, my dresser drawer has become so stuffed I can hardly fit any more in there!
I have since weeded some of them out by converting a few old ones into T-shirt rags and paint frocks, but I still didn’t have an efficient way to store them. Every time I’d try to make neat stack or two inside my drawers, they would flop over, or get messed up while I was searching for just the right comfy shirt to work in. It ended up becoming a t-shirt nightmare, and did not look pretty.
The simple solution was to organize them differently. My neatly folded stacks obviously weren’t working, so I decided to turn these tees on their head {quite literally}, and haven’t looked back since. I’ve been implementing this particular system for the past six months, and I absolutely love it.
Not only do I have more room in my T-shirt drawer, it looks way more neat and organized, and is super efficient!
How to Organize Your T-Shirts
Step 1: Empty out your t-shirt drawer and wipe it down with a dry dust rag. It always helps me to see the entire space I’m working with first, before I start organizing it!
Step 2: Fold your t-shirts properly. This is key to a nice looking drawer. I like to lay mine out on a flat surface, fold it in half lengthwise, tuck in the sleeve, fold in half from top to bottom, then end with one more half-fold.
Step 3: Stack each t-shirt on top of one another after folding.
Step 4: Grab your stack of tees, and turn them so the tops are facing down. Then place directly inside your t-shirt drawer against the side and front.
Step 5: Fill in the extra space around the tees with tanks, shorts, or lounge pants, because now you have room!
You may have to squish down the tops of the tees just a little depending on how short or tall your drawer is, but this seriously works in any space. I think they look so much better than before!
I’m so excited about how this project turned out, and it didn’t take me long at all to complete. You could totally do this in about 5-7 minutes and you’ll always be able to find the right tee…fast.
I practically live in these when I work from home, so it’s a must to make my favorite ones readily accessible!
How do you keep track of your t-shirts?
Kalyn Brooke is a full-time writer and blogger at CreativeSavingsBlog.com, where she gives a fresh perspective on frugal living, and the kick-in-the-pants you need to create a budget from scratch. She lives in beautiful Southwest Florida with her news-photographer husband and the most adorable bunny you’ve ever seen. She loves making to-do lists, reading good books, eating chocolate peanut butter ice cream, and pursuing big dreams….all carefully planned out, of course.
Linking up: Design Dining and Diapers, 36th Avenue, Six Sisters Stuff, Skip to My Lou, Home Stories A to Z, Your Homebased Mom, Thirty Handmade Days
Elizabeth says
I fold them the same way as you do. But then I roll them and place the rolls in rows in the drawer. Spouse can easily see what is what and loves it. The height of the drawers is no longer a factor.
steph says
Oh! That’s a great idea! Do you end up stacking the rolls, or keep it a single layer?
A.B. says
I love that idea. My dresser drawers are the wrong height for putting them on their edge to work well. That, and I have shirts in many different sizes so the stack is uneven.
robin says
I read this idea somewhere else and man what a space saver and he doesn’t pull the whole bunch out when searching for just that certain t shirt. The idea is the best.
Robin
Kalyn Brooke | Creative Savings says
Yes, it makes it SO much easier to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Alex says
It also works well if you have a gym clothes drawer. I put all of my gym clothes in a single wide drawer – tops in one row, my bottoms in another row, bras and socks in the third row. Sans the socks, everything is folded and “filed” in place. IT also makes for easy rotation of your gym outfits if you take the time to put stuff away toward the back of the drawer and pull stuff out from the front.
Donna McBroom-Theriot says
I don’t have a dresser. I have shelves in the closet and they are folded like they do in the stores. They are stacked according to sleeve (none, short, 3/4, long) and then color. Just hate me now! lol Loved the post.
Kalyn Brooke | Creative Savings says
Love that you are so organized!
lori says
Just get a few clear plastic boxes to use as “drawers” on your shelves. I leave the tops off for easier use.
Donna McBroom-Theriot says
I do have the undies in clear plastic bins (without lids) but the other items fit nicely and stay folded.
Jennie says
Love it. Wow what a space saver. Got lots of room in the drawer now.
Paula says
I love your idea. I just re folded all t-shirts. My husband and I are able to see what’s what. No more stacking!
Terry says
Rolling them, as Steph does, also keeps them from getting wrinkled. I roll all my shorts, T’s and other cotton type garments when packing for a trip. It’s amazing how much you can squeeze into a bag that way, and cut down on wrinkles when you reach your destination!
Ann says
I used to hang my t-shirts in the closet but found they always got pulled off the hangers all the time! My husband and I started using your method and that way there neat and tidy and I can fit ALL of my shirts in the same drawer and won’t fall over with stacking or If i want to find a particular shirt I don’t have to go rooting around in the drawer and messing up the neatness. My husband and I also roll our t-shirts when we travel because it takes up less space and they don’t come out squished and wrinkled
Kaley Hobbs says
Thank you so much for this great idea!! I just did this and I’m so happy! Such better organization.
Nisa says
nice. my drawers are small. I’ll try this method. thanks
Linda says
Thanks for the inspiration!
Do you think this would also work on the IKEA wire baskets? http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10177606/
Rudi Pittman says
I used your method to organize the t-shirts in my drawers today and it worked quite well. It’s a bit of a toss up because if you put them in collar side up you’d be able to see the size of the shirt but putting them collar side down lets you see more detail of the shirt in most cases. For socks and boxers and Pajama pants I used the “roll up method”. I split the t-shirts up with one drawer having white t-shirts and white undershirts and a couple other drawers (2 different pieces of furniture) having the color shirts. Appreciate the webpage!