My Mother-in-Law Showed Me This Simple Towel Storage Trick — and It’s a Game-Changer

Laundry is one of those mandatory chores in life, and it can sometimes find a way to creep up on you. It definitely does in my home. While I’m always looking for unique ways to maximize storage or keep my bathroom closet tidy, I was pleasantly surprised when my mother-in-law indirectly showed me her towel storage secret, and it has been a staple in my home ever since.

I remember folding laundry with my mom as a child. She would dump the pile of laundry out on the couch, toppling shirts and socks and towels everywhere. It was always a bonus if the pile was warm, and I could wrap myself up in a cozy cocoon.

My mom always had a method to her folding. First, she would dig through the pile, grabbing the towels and corresponding washcloths to fold before anything else. Next, she would hold up a towel across her front, securing a corner at each end. She then folded it in half once and then folded it down again. To get the towel tightly folded, my mom would fold it vertically down another two times so it resulted in a nicely tucked triple-folded towel. She did it so often that I can close my eyes today and still see her sitting on the couch and neatly stacking towels in the laundry basket.

With my mother’s method of organizing towels, the washcloths were always folded and put away separately. Usually, they were stored in a narrow drawer in the bathroom vanity or piled high in the bathroom closet. 

But I didn’t learn about a true game-changer until I witnessed my mother-in-law’s method. When I reached into her bathroom closet to grab a towel during an initial visit to her home, I noticed there were no washcloths to be seen. Did they just not own any? When I unwrapped my towel, though, the matching washcloth was folded in the towel itself. This was a simple yet revolutionary epiphany for me. No more going to two different locations for my towel and washcloth.

I found that combining both styles of my mom and mother-in-law have made my towels look better and stay more organized. By keeping to my mother’s way of folding the towels, I can fit more of them into my closet, and by including the washcloth inside the towel like my mother-in-law, I have made it easier to grab what’s needed. It’s a simple yet space-saving tip that I’m happy to share.

Do you have any space-saving storage tips or folding techniques? Share it with us in the comments below.