Outsmart messy spots and annoying problems with these easy folding tricks for earbuds, socks, plastic bags, and more.
By Kelsey Kloss, Reader's Digest
Earbuds
Keep earbuds from tangling. Make the “rock ’n’ roll” sign with your fingers, and place the earbuds across your pointer finger and pinky. Hold earbuds against your pointer finger with your thumb. Form figure eights with the cord around your outstretched fingers. Wrap the last few inches around the center and tuck the jack.
Grocery bags
To sort saved plastic bags, lay with the handles on top and fold three-inch sections across the bag. Starting at the closed end, make a diagonal fold to create a triangle. Continue folding triangles until you reach the top of the bag. Tuck handles into the fold. Toss into a designated basket.
Chip bags
To seal a bag without a clip, fold the top left and right corners inward to meet at the center. On the opposite side, tightly fold the top down three to four times until you reach the chips. Place your thumbs under the diagonal flaps; invert to flip over to the other side.
Socks
Lay a pair of socks flat, one sock on top of the other. Fold the toe toward the top of the sock, leaving one inch from the top. Next, fold up the bottom to meet the toe in the center. Fold in half to stand upright in your sock drawer (this makes it easy to see all of your socks at once).
Yogurt lids
No spoon for your yogurt? Fold one from the foil lid. Vertically fold the sides of the circular lid toward the center to nearly meet. Fold the top corners inward twice more each, alternating sides to fold over each other. This forms a handle. Indent the bottom (still flat) to create a scoop. Dig into yogurt.
