When you've landed on the perfect outfit that includes your favorite pair of jeans, it's a major disappointment to pull them out of your drawer and find them creased with pesky wrinkles. The bulky garment often takes up too much space in ours closets when hung, and is commonly relegated to shelves or dresser drawers, but folding our jeans and pants is often what leads to unwelcome lines that often require ironing or steaming. Who has time for that every time they get dressed? Not us. To help, we're sharing an easy technique that will teach you how to fold jeans and pants without wrinkling them. 

Related: The Best Way to Fold All of Your Clothes, from Jeans to Sweaters

First things first: Make sure you're working on a clear and flat surface, such as your bed, the floor, or a table. Tuck in any pockets that were unfurled during the wash and smooth the denim so there's no bumps or creases. Next, fold the pants in half lengthwise, bringing the pockets together so it looks like there's just one leg. If the seat sticks out, fold it in to make a rectangle. Next, bring the ankles towards the waistband to fold the jeans in half. "Depending on how thick your jean material is and the height of your drawer, fold them in half again or in thirds by bringing the lower edge towards the waistband," explains professional organizer Melissa Keyser. This "file folded" method keeps the jeans in an upright position—so you can easily see all of your pairs and grab what you need without pulling everything out—sans wrinkles.

For pants with creases, Keyser advises against the seat tuck method used for jeans. Instead, she says to follow the manufacturer's creases as a guide. Start by laying the pants down and smoothing the fabric as you did with your denim. Then fold the pants in half by bringing the ankles up to the waistband, being sure to line up the seams and the creases; fold again. While this method works, Keyser says she prefers to hang dress pants or trousers made with flowy fabrics, like loose linen or silk. If this isn't an option, fold linen using the same process outlined for creased pants. "When determining to fold versus hang an item, I like to use the fabrics as a guide," she explains. "If it moves around when you wear it and would need to breath—think loose linen and chiffon—let it dance around in the closet on a hanger. If it's really structured, like formal dress pants, don't force them into shapes they don't naturally go, and hang those, too."

If you have yoga or workout pants in your laundry basket, Keyser says to start by folding those in half lengthwise—bringing the seat in—then fold the pants in half, then in thirds thirds by bringing the waistband in towards the center. "Or, try rolling them!" she says. "Bring the legs together, fold the seat in, and then roll from the leg up."