How do you fold ’em?
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My husband thinks I’m anal.
(I think that’s pretty lame.)
Just because I fold my towels so they will all stack up the same?
Some people have clean houses –
with no dust to be found.
As long as the towels stack up straight, dust bunnies can keep hoppin’ around.
Okay, talking about lameness, this post? Pretty lame. But seriously folks is it too much to ask that the towels be folded all the same way? My husband, and now my kids, do a lot of folding, so I really don’t care how they’re folded so much anymore (and believe me, there are many ways people recommend to fold towels), just as long as they’re folded and folded alike.
I know it’s silly. But I want them to match.
I want them to stack neatly in the cabinet – be straight and uniform. I suppose I should be happy that they’re folded and put away at all, straight or not. I’ll work on that, but in the meantime let me show you what I mean.
See…the same.
Different.
Can you tell?
Sure you can. The results above are from two folding approaches. Here’s number one…
And here’s the second folding technique…
Tadah!
Did you see the difference? I know you did. Now, is it anal that one would start a job or task in one fashion and continue in that same fashion throughout the task?
No. I think not.
On the contrary, I think that it’s just plain haphazardness on the part of a towel folder to start folding towels one way and switch to another technique. Why would you do that? Why? The horrors!
So, please, for me, fold your towels all the same way – whatever way you choose, just so it’s the same for each and every single towel. They deserve at least that much.
Now I’m curious, how do you fold your towels?
Hey Hope! Come here and show me how you fold your towels. I’m taking a poll.
You’re doing a grand job sugah pie…
Lookin’ good!
Nice.
Hey Hope, sweet child of mine, you wanna fold the rest of the pile?
Hope?
Hello?
Bueller?
Shoot. I thought I snagged her for a while. She’s slick and fast.
And gone.
So, again, how do you fold your towels?
Are they neatly stacked all in the same direction? Do you fold in half and half and half? Or thirds? Or are you a ruler measuring towel foldererer?
I concur with the towel folding. They all must be done the same way. I started laughing when I saw this post becasue this is one of the only things I request in the house. ( second being the toilet paper must be over, not under. )
I fold ’em in thirds. Usually. Sometimes I do half and half and half. Don’t ever look in my linen closet, is what I’m saying.
Like you…triple fold..and they all have to match..is there any other way. Excuse me now..I have to feed the dust bunnies
I am TOTALLY the same way… Towels must be folded in the same fashion. Dust bunnies may run rampant. My husband does what I like to call the ‘bundle and wedge’ system when it comes to folding. It’s not good. But he tries.
I don’t know what drives us to be this way… I guess somewhere deep inside Martha Stuart has affected us all. 😉
I like to fold mine in half and then again….
PS I love your table and chairs. Can you share where whey came from???
Hey Eleanor!
My husband made the table from some heart pine wood that a family friend that owns a sawmill had. The chairs were a deal we picked up (he actually found them too) at a furniture outlet for $27 a piece. Thanks for asking – he’ll be happy to know someone admires it.
~ Amy
When my kids were young and I was a SAHM, I folded towels and wash clothes to stack neatly inside the cabinet. Now that I work full-time, and my kids do most of the laundry, towels are tossed unfolded into the cabinet. Wash cloths are tossed into a basket. Nanny, don’t look inside my cabinets!
Anal as the rest. My towels must be folded the same way since they are stacked on open shelving in both bathrooms or they look way too messy. Because of that, I have even been known to refold towels that have been folded the wrong way.
Yes all people need to fold their towels the same way. I am the only folder. I fold in half, then in thirds, because that’s the only way they will fit in my cabinet. Back when I use to had less towels, I rolled them and they were stored on a open shelf. Very cute. I remember coming to your blog when you first started, and I really like what you have done with it. I’ll make sure I stop by more often. 😉
You just saved me a trip to the shrink. I am NOT crazy. I am YOU!!!
I feel ya sister! Neat towels please 🙂
I fold them like your first option. It’s the best way in my opinion. Because you can unfold it partially and hang it on the towel bar. The side flaps will still be folded into the middle and so it looks neat. You can’t do that with the second option.
Another option is to fold in half, then in half, then in half – HORRIBLE! This is how my hubby USED to fold his towels. Now, he just doesn’t fold. Ha ha! BUT my kids fold MY way. If they do it wrong, they re-fold. Sorry, that’s life in this house. 🙂
How about toilet paper? Over or Under? OVER, of course!
There’s just a right way and a wrong way. 🙂
Anal? I think not. Anal would be organizing
your towels by color or something. I’m a version #1 folder.
My mother-in-law taught me stating that she
thought it was how Martha Stewart did it. I’m not
sure if that’s right but all I know is that
my towels being orderly is often the ONLY
order that exists behind that door!
Anal is knowing how to properly fold a fitted
sheet. (I’ve been shown how to do that once, too
but was so stunned that some bright, mathematically
gifted woman discovered a way to do it that the method
quickly left my brain!).
Oh I have to fold them half, half, and then half. it is how my momma folds her towels and how my granny folds hers. I get ticked if they aren’t folded the exact same way. I’m even funny as in I pay attention to the seams on the towels and the inside of the towels have to be folded inside and not on the outer side. I’m so particular!
OK Girls and Guys, too, I am surprised that so many of you seemed to be so concerned over how your towels are folded.
Amy, I have to admit the towels you found in your stack that were folded the second way were probably from when I was there while you were in Napa Valley, Ca.
The towels I hang on the towel bars are folded the first way but are usually not used and are for show or use by company. Everyday towels are folded the second way. Why? I don’t know. My Mother always folded the first way but I found it easier to fold in half first then thirds then in half again. I think it was because it fit on my lap while I was folding. Also at home growing up we always had a lot of beach towels to fold and to fold them the first way you’d have to stand up like Hope did in your photos. Call me lazy or rebellous but I am what I am. I also stopped using a linen closet as a linen closet years ago ’cause they always seemed to never stay straight. I store linens in the bedroom closets they belong in and towels in the respective bathroom vanities. As for blankets each bedroom closet has it’s extras and for keepsake quilts I have a blanket rake so they can be seen. What would have been the linen closet has usually became a craft, game or toy closet.
As for table linens they hang on hangers in my coat closet. Which is closer to the kitchen and dining room than what the linen closet would be. And when was the last time someone hung a coat in the coat closet.
Now, if you want to know what I am anal about it’s how I wash clothes. Bed linens are washed separately from anything else as are dish towels. Bath linens are washed separately as well. I don’t want what has been on my behind (ie. washclothes and towels) to be washed with what is going to be on my dishes and silverware(ie. dishrags). I think this comes from going to someone house for dinner and finding a hair on my dinner napkin as I began to eat. It was as if I’d found it in my food. But I was quiet about it, but just didn’t eat much. And for me that was really hard, both the being quiet part and the eating just a little.
We all have our different ways of thinking and doing and isn’t it wonderful that we can all still be in the same family (God’s).
Love to all you sisters and brothers, Amy’s Mom
Hey Mom!
Once the towels are in the cabinet I don’t notice how they’re folded. That you did my laundry while I was out of town was a blessing that I appreciated – no matter how they were folded.
~ Amy
Hi, They just gotta match. Is that too much to ask? Hey, from your pics it looks like you keep a pretty neat place. Do you allow messies who wanna be cleanies to comment on your blog? Just askin’?
Hey Sam!
What you don’t see in the picts are my closets, drawers, cabinets, truck, garage… ;-]
~ Amy
Ohhh…. so glad to see I’m not the only one that feels this way! 🙂 Got to have them all the same… Yes!
Right now…I’m into half and half and half.
I fold ours in half cause we don’t really have those wonderfully thick & LARGE bath sheets like some do…I do like to line them up all the same way on my shelves…BUT, in my old age, if someone else folds them for me, I say THANK YOU (very sincerely) & leave them just “as is”. 🙂
I gave up folding a couple of years ago and started rolling our towels. They actually fit in the small cupboard (read we can close the door all the way) where they are stored and no longer do the stacks fall over and make me crazy. Now if I could just get the rest of the family to roll them so they are all the same depth……
Haha, oh I love this.
We actually roll ours in my family. First they are folded the long way, then the short way, and finally rolled. When they are tucked into the cabinet, the folded edge shows. This way, also, they are easy to place in the wall rack in the bathroom.
I never knew there could be so much discussion about towels, but I guess we’ve all got to store them somehow. 🙂
Thanks for the laughs!
Looks like a solution that works for everyone is needed because as it is I think you are asking an awfully lot of your family. In that the technique you fold has to be one of the hardest and least practical way to do it. There are all sorts of way to fold that will give that nice uniform look without having to go to a place that has area enough to lay the towel all the way out and fold in thirds lengthwise.that is a time consuming meticulous way that doesn’t fit living everyday fife. There are many alternatives like Fold in half lengthwise then half again same direction then fold two third in and the last one third in. Nice uniform shape quick to do and not a major production. And it can be done standing up which for children is important. Your photos standing up illustrate in order to do your fold you have to some height, be tall enough and you have to have pretty long arms to accomplish it. Pretty tough for the kids and way to fussy for the guy. Help them reach your goal in a way that’s easier and more practical. So instead of fighting you they can do it quickly and easily, then they can proud that what they do makes the closet look nice too. Instead of just being unhappy with you. A terrible phrase but there is more then one way to skin a cat, but true. Seek and find your win wins in life because it should be all about the We not just the me. Wishing everyone a lovey linen closet