# Neato folding technique **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 3, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378 "2004-07-03T16:42:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/1 "2004-07-03T16:42:32Z")
I posted this in the laundry thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5030712#post5030712) [T Shirt Technique](http://www.milkandcookies.com/links/15594/). It’s like a really lame magic trick! ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/2 "2004-07-03T16:43:48Z")
There is sound, but it’s work safe. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/3 "2004-07-03T16:53:37Z")
Cute! My sister-in-law showed me something similar with a kimono when she returned from Japan. I still can’t do it. There’s a twist thing in the wrist that evades me - I end up with the stupid shirt tied around my arm. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/4 "2004-07-03T22:51:12Z")
That is cool. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/5 "2004-07-03T23:50:42Z")
Man, the Japanese can fold _anything_! ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/6 "2004-07-04T00:54:42Z")
Woah! I might actually start folding my t-shirts now. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/7 "2004-07-04T01:22:16Z")
Any tips here? All I can do is get them to twist into a triangle… but bad. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/8 "2004-07-04T03:02:27Z")
I can do it! _bounce_ It took me about 15 minutes to figure out, and all my clothes are on hangers anyway, but it’s impressive nonetheless. Although I can’t quite get the folds as crisp as they are in the vide. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/9 "2004-07-04T03:10:18Z")
I got it on the first try!!! That is so much fun! I just folded all my son’s dirty t-shirts for practice. Won’t he be surprised when he does his laundry! At first I was thinking, yeah, anyone can fold neatly when they have a big space to work in, but then I tried it in my lap and it worked fine. ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Train\_Song](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Black\_Train\_Song](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Train_Song)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/10 "2004-07-04T03:12:56Z")
The triangle happens when your hands are crossed the wrong way. …I think. I tried it too. What a blast. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/11 "2004-07-04T04:12:54Z")
The tank tops are harder. There’s a twisty thing that you do with your wrist. I ended up with a twisty tank top. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/12 "2004-07-04T04:21:48Z")
I kept getting it wrong, then I realized that you pull your left hand out and back when lifting. It’s hard to see in the video cause they do it quick. TA DA! ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/13 "2004-07-04T05:27:49Z")
It works really well in practice. I’ve actually been folding my undershirts in the months since this first popped up. My favorite part is that you can snap/flick the shirt to get the folds crisper. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neato-folding-technique/253378/14 "2004-07-04T05:44:06Z")
This folding video was circulating a while back. The two techniques are identical except in this video the shirt starts out rotated clockwise by 90 degrees. [http://web.mit.edu/wuster/www/media/fold.wmv](http://web.mit.edu/wuster/www/media/fold.wmv)