5 Easy Ways to Fold Heavy Sweatpants (Plus a TikTok Hack!)

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Quickly shorten your sweats or fold them to fit into a drawer
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Nothing’s comfier than a good pair of sweats, but all that soft fabric can be a pain to fold neatly if you don’t know what you’re doing. Folding sweatpants is easier than you think, and we talked to organization experts Ashley Moon and Julie Naylon to show you 4 different quick and simple ways for any situation, whether you’re rushing through laundry or packing for a trip. We’ll also show you a nifty TikTok hack for making long sweatpants fit better!

Folding Sweatpants

To cuff long sweats, fold the cuff up a few inches and place an elastic around the inverted cuff. Fold the hem down over the band, and tuck it into the leg. To fold sweats for organizing or packing, lay them flat with the crotch face-up, fold the crotch inward, and fold the legs toward the waist in thirds.

Section 1 of 6:

TikTok Hack for Shortening Sweatpants

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  1. Take the bottom hems of the pant legs, and turn them inside out so that they’re folded up over the pant leg by about 3–4 in (7.6–10.2 cm). Note that it’s easiest to do this hack while you’re wearing them!
    • To crop the legs even shorter, fold the hem further up your leg. This helps them fit better without having to shrink them through alterations.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Take an elastic band, like a hair tie or a rubber band, and slip it over the inside-out cuff so that it’s about centered. This will be the new “cuff” of the sweatpants. [1]
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Now take the very edge of the pants—which you just folded up, and fold them back down over the elastic band so that the band stays in place but is hidden by the folded hem.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Finally, use your fingers to “roll” the hem inward, so that it’s inside the sweatpants’ leg and held in place by the elastic. Essentially, you’re just folding the hem into the leg of the pans and using an elastic band to cinch it in place around your leg. Easy peasy! [2]
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Section 2 of 6:

Basic Sweatpant Fold

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  1. Lay them on a flat surface. Use your hands to smooth out the fabric as much as you can, erasing any ridges or wrinkles.
    • This is a simple, quick, and easy everyday fold that leaves very few creases and wrinkles, so you look great in your sweats next time you wear them.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    You’ll notice that the crotch sticks out, which can make it tricky to achieve a tidy fold. No worries! Just fold the crotch inward so that the pants form more of a rectangle. [3]
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Now, bring the bottom hem of the sweatpants up about a third of the way toward the waistband. Then, fold them up another third, and then another, until the fold reaches the waistband. Nothing to it! [4]
    • Or, if you’re not great at eyeballing thirds (we’re right there with you), fold the legs up to the midway point, then fold the waistband down to the midway point, and finally fold the bundle in half where they meet.
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Section 3 of 6:

Nate Berkus Hack to Fold Sweatpants in a Drawer

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  1. 1
    Fold the sweatpants in half lengthwise on a flat surface. Lay your sweatpants down on a flat surface and fold them in half as you normally would—in half lengthwise with one leg stacked on top of the other. [5]
  2. 2
    Fold the pants in half again to bring the hems up to the waistband. Fold the pants in half again, but this time you must fold them at the midpoint between the waist and ankles. Bring the ankle portions up to the waistband so that the hem of each leg is touching the top of the pants. [6]
  3. 3
    Take the gusset that’s sticking out and fold it inwards. In his viral video , Nate Berkus names this step as the trickiest but most important step in the folding process. Grab the crotch section that’s sticking out from the side and fold it on top of the folded pants to create a straight line. [7]
  4. 4
    Fold the sweatpants in thirds to create a brick-shaped final fold. Then, fold the legs up to the hem again, making sure that the gusset stays tucked. Fold the legs up once more. You should now have a brick-shaped item without anything sticking out on the side. This shape will make your sweatpants fit perfectly in your drawer. [8]
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Section 4 of 6:

Space-Saving Ranger Roll

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  1. Lay them on a flat, solid surface, which will make it easier. Smooth the fabric with your hands until there are no wrinkles or ridges. Otherwise, it won’t be as compact as it could be. “Rolling really does maximize the space in a suitcase,” says Naylon. “So if you can roll, that will definitely use up all the space properly.”
    • This method is excellent for packing sweatpants for a trip, or for fitting them into drawers when you don’t have much storage space.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Take the waistband and turn it down over the pants so that it’s like you’re starting to turn them inside out. Make it so that the waistband more or less touches the top of the sweatpants’ pockets. [9]
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Fold the pants in half vertically. Take one leg of the sweatpants and fold it over the other. [10] Take care to match up the legs as closely as possible, and smooth the fabric with your hands as you go to keep it nice and neat.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Take the bottom cuff of the pants and, as snugly as you can, start rolling them up toward the waistband. [11] The tighter you roll, the smaller your final bundle will be.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Once the pants are rolled up to the waistband, take the inverted waistband and pull it up and around the rolled bundle. [12] Tuck any loose edges into the band, and you’re done! Now you have a small and secure, rolled-up pair of sweatpants ready for travel.
    • Moon says, “When you roll, you can sometimes, depending on the dimension, stand them up so you can see them all at a glance.” Try standing the sweatpants on-end for easy access.
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Section 5 of 6:

KonMari Fold

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Lay them on a flat surface with the crotch facing up, and use your hands to smooth out any wrinkles. Then, fold one leg over the other, taking care to line up the seams as best you can. [13]
    • This is one of the methods made famous by Marie Kondo, an organization and clean living celebrity.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    When you fold one leg over the other, you’ll notice that the crotch sticks out. Fold the crotch onto the legs to make the sweatpants more closely resemble a rectangle, which will make for a neater result. [14]
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Take the cuffs of the legs and bring them up to the waist of the sweatpants, but not all the way. Leave about 2–3 in (5.1–7.6 cm) of space. This will come in handy in the next steps. [15] Now, the sweatpants are folded more or less in half.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Now, take the legs of the sweatpants and fold them up to the waist, so that the legs are double-folded. Again, leave a bit of a gap between the folded edge and the waistband—aim for where you folded the legs the first time. [16]
    • For thicker fabrics or an even smaller bundle, fold this portion in thirds up to the waistband, and skip the next step.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Now, fold the legs toward the waistband one final time, this time folding them so that the edge meets the edge of the waistband. You’ll be left with a tidy little bundle! [17]
    • Depending on the thickness of your sweatpants’ fabric, you may need to fold more or fewer times to achieve that sturdy bundle.
    • For thin sweatpants, fold the legs 3 times, as these steps show. For thick fabric, you might only fold them once, then fold them again in thirds rather than folding them in half 3 times.
  6. Part of the advantage of the KonMari method is easy viewing and access to your sweatpants while they’re in your drawers. To store them, set them upright so that they’re “standing” on the waistband and the fold you created, almost like a tent. “It's file, don't pile,” says Moon. “You want to be able to see everything without having to dig or guess or mess it all up again.”
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Section 6 of 6:

Leg Roll for Travel

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Work on a flat surface and use your hands to smooth out the fabric. Make sure the crotch faces upwards, then fold one pant leg over the other, taking care to match up the legs as closely as possible.
    • This is similar to the roll fold but a bit more secure and won’t come undone as easily if you’re traveling and jostling your bags, for example.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Take the top leg and fold it in half so that it sticks out perpendicularly from the pants. We’ll use this to “bag up” the completed roll in a moment. [18]
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Take the waistband and start rolling tightly down toward the hem of the legs. You’ll pass by that folded leg on the way down—don’t worry, just keep going and let the leg hang loose.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Fold Sweatpants
    Now you have a tightly rolled bundle with a loose leg that’s sort of like a tail. Take this loose leg and turn it inside out over the bundle so that the bundle is snug and cozy inside the pant leg. Toss it in your drawer or suitcase! [19]
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      • Sweatpants aren’t usually hung on a hanger—their soft, bulky material resists wrinkles, so there’s no need—but if you like, simply fold one leg over the other, then drape them in half over the hanger to store in a closet.

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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtube.com/shorts/nkYK0V6Wo8k?si=wh6rwQFPfg4dy06d
      2. ↑ https://youtube.com/shorts/nkYK0V6Wo8k?si=wh6rwQFPfg4dy06d
      3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDY1XxTAPic&t=65s
      4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViugId-DJCY&t=17s
      5. ↑ https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/nate-berkus-sweatpant-folding-hack-37359836
      6. ↑ https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/nate-berkus-sweatpant-folding-hack-37359836
      7. ↑ https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/nate-berkus-sweatpant-folding-hack-37359836
      8. ↑ https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/nate-berkus-sweatpant-folding-hack-37359836
      9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYDHJi81al8&t=24s
      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/fuD-ZZydsVg?si=42NVqlO9sud6CF7J&t=171
      2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=64&v=yIVg82Qa9GM&feature=youtu.be
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/fuD-ZZydsVg?si=PMrLWzxl-gUmJYOF&t=186
      4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjkmqbJTLBM&t=199s
      5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PawY_tdVlK0&t=22s
      6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjkmqbJTLBM&t=203s
      7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PawY_tdVlK0&t=39s
      8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjkmqbJTLBM&t=203s
      9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDY1XxTAPic&t=34s
      10. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDY1XxTAPic&t=48s

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