Martha's Method for Folding a Fitted Sheet Will Help You Master This Tricky Task Once and for All

Folding a fitted sheet can be frustrating, especially when you need to conserve space in your linen closet. When done incorrectly, this important piece of bedding can quickly become a bulky mess. Believe it or not, there is a foolproof way to fold a fitted bed linen that produces four sharp corners and a perfectly flat sheet that looks neat and tidy in your closet. The best part about this particular method? It's Martha-approved.

Our founder knows that this elusive task can be particularly frustrating. "Sometimes, don't you find, it's the easiest tasks that give you the most problems?" our founder said during a segment of The Martha Stewart Show years ago. To help her fans master this skill, Martha asked crafting expert Hosanna Houser to share her approach to compactly and neatly folding elasticized linens.

As it turns out, the first step in the process is the most crucial: "The trick of the trade is to get all of your corners folded up on themselves," Hosanna said. "Now, I want to make sure that we have a corner on each hand and that and that the inside out is facing out."

Once you have the sheet in the correct starting point, you'll be in great shape to follow the rest of Hosanna's step-by-step folding instructions, which we outline below. However, if you still can't seem to get it right, Martha recommends a different approach: "I suggest you wash your sheets, dry them, and put them right back on the bed."

How to Fold a Fitted Sheet

Ready to master this seemingly tricky task once and for all? Follow these step-by-step instructions, courtesy of Martha and Hosanna.

1. Stand holding the sheet by the two adjacent corners of one of the shorter edges. With the sheet inside out, place one hand in each of these two corners.
2. Bring your right hand to your left, and fold the corner on your right hand over the one in your left, so the corner on top is right side out.
3. Reach down and pick up the corner that is adjacent to the one that was in your right hand (it will be hanging in front), and fold it over the other two corners; this third corner will be inside out.
4. Bring the last corner up, and fold it over the others so it is right-side out.
5. Lay the folded sheet on a flat surface and straighten it into the shape shown.
6. Fold the two edges in so all the elastic is hidden.
7. Fold the sheet into a rectangle.
8. Continue folding until the rectangle is the size you want it to be.

How to Store a Fitted Sheet

Folding your fitted sheet correctly will bring you one step closer to having your dream linen closet—but the work doesn't end there. To keep these pieces (and the rest of your bed linens, for that matter) organized, fold each set—including both your fitted and top sheets and your pillowcases—and wrap the bundles with a 1 1/2-yard square of fabric inspired by Japanese furoshiki. Then, using like colors, coordinate the sets by room or by sheet size, and shelve them together. This method makes finding the linen set you need for a specific space a snap.