Most holidaymakers can relate to the struggle of packing efficiently for travel while ensuring their clothes remain wrinkle-free and ready to wear.
Shirts and blouses, in particular, are notorious for creasing and occupying more space than required. Whether you’re gearing up for a long holiday or a short staycation away, mastering the art of folding a shirt for travel can save you time, space, and frustration when packing.
Clothing brand Chums has shared the ultimate technique for packing clothes in your suitcase whilst ensuring they stay crisp and neat throughout your journey.
Most people tend to fold their shirts when packing luggage, but that doesn’t mean they’re folding them correctly or efficiently to save space and keep shirts ready to wear.
Chums has listed a simple four-step method to fold your clothes correctly.
1. Lay out your shirt
Start by laying your shirt front-down on a clean, smooth surface, fasten all the buttons and use your hands to smooth out any creases so you can start the fold with the shirt as unwrinkled as possible.
2. Fold the arms diagonally
Place your index finger on the right-hand side of the shirt’s neckline, just at the collar. Then, fold everything to the right of your finger towards the centre of the shirt. The sleeve should form a diagonal line across the back of the shirt.
Next, fold that diagonal sleeve back onto itself so it aligns parallel with the right edge of the shirt. Repeat this process on the left side of the shirt.
This will result in a tidy, rectangular shape with the sleeves forming two lines down the rectangle. The width should be approximately the same as your shirt’s collar.
3. Fold the body of the shirt
Take the bottom of the rectangle and fold it upwards to effectively fold your rectangle in half. If it’s still quite long because you’re folding a longer shirt, make two folds instead, thereby folding the shirt into thirds.
4. Flip the shirt and add the finishing touches
Lastly, you should flip your folded shirt over so that the buttons and collar fronts are facing upwards and then put the folded shirt into your suitcase or luggage.
To conclude the clothing experts stated: “If your main priority is for your shirts to be as wrinkle-free as possible when you get them out of your suitcase, then the fold method may be best for you. This method makes it easier to stack shirts in your luggage with as few creases as possible and will help to preserve the structure of parts such as the collar and cuffs.”
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