how to hide folders in ubuntu

You can just add "." in the beginning of your file/folder (e.g .mystuff)
If you want to hide files and folders without renaming them:

Create a file named ".hidden" (without the quotes, of course) in the directory containing the files/folders you want to hide
If you can't see the file, press Control-H or go to View->Show Hidden Files
Open up the file in the text editor (I had to do this as root for some reason, you may not need to)
Add the name of a file or folder you want to hide
Save the file, exit the text editor, and open or refresh Nautilus (F5)
You should not be able to see the file or folder


Hope this helps