How To Fold A Fitted Sheet In Seconds

Fitted sheets on a mattress might not seem like a deal breaker for a great night to sleep, but you’d be surprised at just how big a difference they can make. If you’re like many, however, you know that perhaps the only thing worse than putting fitted sheets on your mattress is folding them. Their stretchy edges and awkward shape certainly make them linens to wrestle with. That’s where we’re happy to come in. Today, we're going to go over a simple, hassle-free way to fold your fitted bed sheets like the pros. 

In addition to folding your bed sheets in a manner that would put the original manufacturer packaging to shame, we've got a helpful guide on all things bed sheets. Learn about the best ways to store these linens, how to fold them if you’re crunched on time, and why using fitted sheets can absolutely change how you get a good night’s rest. 

Ready to start folding like the best of them? Southshore Fine Linens specializes in the best selection of premium quality bed linens, duvet covers, and much more. 

Step-By-Step on Folding Your Fitted Sheets Like a Pro 

Folding your bed sheets can be a headache, but folding fitted sheets can be an absolute nightmare if you don’t know what you’re doing. Luckily, our helpful step-by-step guide on how to fold a fitted sheet is here to help simplify the process. Once you try this method out, we guarantee you won't want to fold your fitted sheets any other way. 

Step 1 - Lay The Fitted Sheet Out

Start by laying the fitted sheet on a flat surface like a table or clean floor. Lay your fitted sheet out so that it is folded inside out. This way, once you fold the sheet up, It will be facing outward with the pattern right side up. This can help you quickly identify the sheet once you put it away in storage. 

Step 2- Put Bottom Corners Into Top Corners 

This next part is tricky, but with a little bit of practice, you'll be a pro at it too. Once the fitted sheet is lying flat inside out, reach both hands into the corners that are farthest from one another. For example, if you're folding a twin or queen fitted sheet, you'll want your fingers to be in the two corners that run the length of the bed sheet, not the width. Put your fingers inside the bedsheet and pinch the corners on the outward-facing part. 

Now, with each hand pinching one corner, take your right hand (while it's still pinching the corner) and carefully fold the corner of the sheet on top of the corner your left hand is pinching. 

Once you've moved your right hand over, use your left hand to pinch onto both of the corners. Using your right hand, fix the fitted sheet so that the corners you are pinching are folded nicely on top of one another, and the corners that are left dangling are folded neatly into each other as well.

Pro Tip - When you're trying to get the corners to fold neatly into each other, it can help to transfer the two pinched corners that you have in your left hand to your right hand. This way, you can use your left hand to put the other corners into each other. (Reverse this step if you are left-handed). 

Step 3 - Fold Into A Long Rectangle

Once the bed sheet is folded with both corners tucked into each other, lay the bed sheet flat down on your surface once again. You'll notice that the cornered edges settle neatly on top of the fitted sheet. This will allow you to fold the bed sheet into a nice long rectangle. For queen and king-sized fitted sheets, you might need to fold three or four times to get this long rectangle. 

Step 4 - Fold The Rectangle Inwards

Now that your fitted sheet is a long rectangle, it's time to fold the rectangle inwards as you would with a flat bed sheet. This will give you a square fitted sheet that looks like it was folded by the pros.

Pro Tip - As you work through these steps, check out this video that will help guide you along the way. It might take you a couple of times to get the hang of this method, but practice makes perfect. 

Want an Alternative Way to Fold a Fitted Sheet?

There are all sorts of alternative ways to fold a fitted sheet that goes beyond our step-by-step process above. While our guide to folding fitted sheets will undoubtedly give you a folding process akin to the professionals, there are more ways than one to fold a fitted sheet. 

Avoid Tucking Corners 

Pinching corners together remains the best way to start the folding process. However, if you find this too difficult, you can lay out the fitted bed sheet on a flat surface and simply place the corner on top of one another instead of tucking them into each other. Then, you can proceed with the rest of the folding process. Check out this similar Marie Kondo folding style that helps to cut down on wrestling corners.  

Rolling Fitted Sheets 

Rolling up your king, queen, or twin fitted sheets after you have folded them into a long rectangle can be more space efficient than folding them down into squares. This can be another great way to fold fitted bed sheets, all while maximizing small storage spaces. 

Why You Should Fold Your Fitted Sheets 

High-quality bed sheets require the highest quality care to ensure they last as long as possible. For this reason alone, folding your fitted bed sheets instead of crumpling them up and putting them into a basket is a good habit to form. You’ll also do away with unsightly and uncomfortable wrinkles and creases when you fold your bed sheets.

Folded bed sheets also take up significantly less space and can help maximize your linen closet space. Finally, folding your fitted bed sheets allows you to easily navigate your storage spaces to find the bed sheets you need more efficiently. If you have several fitted bed sheets and pillowcases, folding up the pillowcases and placing them inside of a folded fitted bed sheet can also be a great way to enhance your overall storage system. 

Should You Use Fitted Sheets on Your Mattress? 

Using a fitted bedsheet on your mattress provides more than just a comfortable night's rest. Fitted sheets can help keep you healthy, elongate the overall lifetime of your mattress and, of course, improve your comfort as you sleep.

When you use an appropriately sized fitted bed sheet on your mattress, you can fight against harmful bacteria buildup on your mattress. As you sleep, sweat, dirt from your body, hair follicles, and dead skin cells transfer onto your bed sheets. Having a fitted mattress in place ensures that this transfer of bacteria makes its way onto your removable fitted sheet and not your mattress protection cover or your mattress itself. The collection of dirt and bacteria on your mattress itself can cause it to deteriorate faster than it should. 

Fitted sheets can help alleviate these worries. When it's time to get a clean bed, all you have to do is remove the bed sheet and replace it with a new one.

Finally, it goes without saying that using a high-quality fitted bed sheet made of cotton or linen means you'll get a great night’s rest. Using bed sheets that are hypoallergenic, breathable, and do not irritate your skin can significantly impact how well you can sleep at night. 

How to Put on a Fitted Sheet

Sometimes, it can feel like you're wrestling with your bed sheet and mattress as you try to get a fitted bed sheet on. Take it from the professionals, however, that it doesn't have to be a battle. 

Putting a fitted sheet on your mattress is rather easy with this process. Always start by putting the sheet over one mattress corner and pulling it all the way down so that you know it is secure. Next, make your way to the corner that is furthest away from the one you already covered. Secure this second corner underneath the mattress. 

Work your way around the rest of the mattress until all corners are covered. Make sure that you have pulled down the fitted bed sheet firmly so that it encapsulates the entire mattress. This will ensure that it stays in place and that your mattress stays protected. 

You may be wondering what are deep pocket sheets as you’ve likely come across them when shopping for fitted sheets. If you have a thick mattress, shopping for fitted sheets with deep pockets can help ease the process of putting them on. Standard bed sheets are designed for mattresses up to 14 inches. If you use a mattress topper or have naturally thicker mattresses, deep pocket sheets are made for you. 

Tips for Folding and Storing Your Fitted Sheets 

Once you get the hang of folding your fitted sheets, it's time to practice storing them properly. Use baskets to store your sheets and place them so that they are side by side and not on top of one another. This will allow you to quickly see all your bedsheets at a glance to pick out the ones you need. You can also use different baskets to distinguish between the different bed sheet sizes you are storing.