Folding Towels
Folding towels is easy, unless you don’t know how to fold towels to fit the space where you are going to store them.
This was my problem. I don’t know who designed the bathroom in my house, but they forgot that there should be somewhere to put a few towels. They did, however put in this 12 inch deep shelf / ledge thingy right over the bathtub (and right next to the standing shower).
Great shelf, too bad it isn’t wide enough to hold my towels.
Not pretty, and very untidy looking. I tried putting them in a basket – but the basket hung over the shelf too only making things worse. 🙁 The simple truth was that I fold fat towels and those fat towels looked like crap. Then, I saw this post on Pinterest and was inspired to figure out a way to fold my towels so they could fit on the 12 inch shelf in my bathroom. In the process, I figured out two ways to fold my towels: Narrow and Deep. The narrow towel fold works great on my 12 in shelf, and the deep fold works great in our hall bath where the cabinet above the toilet is deep.
See? Doesn’t it look much better now? I thought so too! (Hmm, think I need to whiten some of my towels!)
So let’s get on with the tutorial, so you too can have neat and tidy folded towels that will fit your narrow or deep shelves! And if you are looking for new towels these are my favorite luxury towels and these are my favorite budget towels (perfect for the kiddos…and I recommend getting them in a darker color to hide those messy kid stains).
How To Fold Towels – The Narrow Towel Fold
The narrow towel fold is perfect for narrow spaces (like above) and it’s really easy to do. I’m showing you how to do this on a table, but you can do this standing up as well.
Step 1
Fold the long side of the towel in half. (This is really easy to do while you stand).
Step 2
Fold in half again, this time bringing the long side down. (Again, easy to do standing up, just tuck the long end under your chin and fold in half).
Step 3
Bring the hemmed edge towards the center – almost 1/3 of the way in – but not quite. It’s easiest to do this part on a flat surface. So if you are standing in front of the dryer folding (like I do) here’s when you put the towel on a flat surface (like the top of the washer or table top).
Step 4
Bring the other side towards the enter till it meets the edge.
Step 5 – All Done!
Just rotate the towel 90 degrees so that the fold faces forward. Now you have a narrow folded towel that will fit your narrow space!
Let’s see that Before and After shot again….
Now that we know how to fold towels the Narrow Fold way – what to do about those deep shelves where a deep fold would be useful?
Oh what a shameful mess. Seriously. This is the cabinet where we keep the towels in the hall bath. Which means if a guest came over and needed a towel, this is what they would see. UGH. Again, my fat towel folding technique was not working here either. I needed a deep towel fold to fit on these shelves.
WOW! What a big difference! Those are all the same towels, folded using the deep towel fold, and look! I gained space! I rolled up the wash cloths (which weren’t even in there to begin with) and put them in between the stacks on the first shelf. Then I had enough room on the top shelf to put in that big bottle of bubble bath. I think I’m going to look for some deep and narrow baskets with a handle to put between my stacks and make things even prettier.
How To Fold Towels – The Deep Towel Fold
The deep towel fold is best accomplished on a flat surface. It’s not hard, and your towels will be able to fit on all your deep shelves (like above).
Step 1
Lay out your towel and fold one of the long sides towards the middle – about 1/3 of the way in.
Step 2
Fold the remaining long side towards the center.
Step 3
Bring the two halves together. This is how wide your towels will end up being when you are done.
Step 4
Now fold the two ends towards the center leaving a gap in the middle. The gap ensures your towels don’t have a big bulge in the front.
Step 5
Now just bring the two halves together for your final fold. I usually put my hand in the gap and just flip one side over.
Step 6 – All Done!
Now just rotate the towel 90 degrees where the fold faces forward. You now have a long, skinny folded towel that will fit on your deep shelves!
Look how much more room you have! What a space saver! Let’s see that before and after shot again.
So now you know how to fold towels narrow or how to fold towels deep so they will fit any space in your home. Happy towel folding!