“I learned this ingenious trick for folding clothes in prison”

A former prison inmate shared a laundry folding trick he learned behind bars and still uses now that he's a free man.

Trell, known on TikTok as @trellthetrainer and with over 1.7 million followers, turned his life around after completing his prison sentence and now works as a personal trainer while also running his own plant-based food company.

However, he has not abandoned all of his habits from his time in prison – including the way he folds his clothes.

In a TikTok video simply titled “DIY Underwear Folding Hack,” he explains to his followers: “I know most of us are told to fold our underwear this way, but it saves so much space – it's called the 'prison roll.'”

In the video, he is seen folding a pair of Calvin Klein boxer shorts in half and then in half again before rolling them up and tucking the bottom part into his waistband.

He added, “I promise you, this will save you a lot of space in your drawer, especially when traveling.” In another video, he is seen using the same technique to roll up his socks, and he even shows how to do it with washcloths as well. In that other video, he confirmed that he learned these skills behind bars.

One user commented on his post, saying: “Now I'm packing my things and flying to the Dominican Republic. Thank you.”

Another user added: “I learned this in the military.” A third user said: “So my Jamaican grandmother went to prison? Because I was raised to fold my socks and underwear exactly like this.”

Another user added: “This is how I pack my suitcase when I travel. I can do this with clothes too.” A final user said: “I always felt like the elastic stretched when you fold socks like this.”