How to Fold Towels Like You’re at the Goddamn Spa

It’s winter. The days are short, the nights are cold, and the post-holiday serotonin levels, they are a-dropping. Omicron and inflation are surging and it’s Dry January, a time during which, many of us attempt to cope without booze. You know what this moment calls for? Some nicely folded fucking towels.

I realise that may sound ridiculous — and maybe it is. But is giving yourself — or your houseguests — an elegant touch to prettify your dull yellow bathroom and save space in the wrinkled hellscape of your linen closet any more ridiculous than de-cluttering a countertop or occasionally buying flowers because you feel good when you look at them?

It does take more time. Will I do it every batch of laundry? No chance. But when I saw the end result, eight neatly stacked rolls staring back at me where a chaotic assemblage of cotton in various states of unravel usually resides…well. Do you know what victory feels like? It feels a lot like neatly rolled towels sporting a clean, V-shaped tuck and not falling to pieces every time you look at them (or grab one of their shelf-mates).

Therefore, may we present, the towel-folding method you didn’t know you needed.

The spa towel folding process

Housekeeping business owner and TikTok sensation Vanesa Amaro, the self-appointed “Queen of Cleaning” who has nearly five million followers, shared the method in a viral video.

First, lay your towel on a flat surface — a table or firm bed can work. Grab the corner with the tag and fold it over to make a small triangle, taking time to make the triangle smooth and bump-free. Then, bring the top horizontal edge down to meet the bottom horizontal edge (a move I refer to as the Paper Aeroplane Step, because it resembles the beginnings of a paper aeroplane). Carefully flip the whole thing over, so the pointed corner is on the upper right.

Then — for the grand finale — starting from the long edge on the left side, roll the towel tightly and smoothly until only a tiny corner remains. Tuck the remaining small triangle into the rolled towel for a crisp, symmetrical finish. And voila, in just a few moments, you’ve elevated your bathtub aesthetics, de-escalated linen closet chaos, and given yourself momentary reason to feel like an organised champion.