How to Choose the Right Hanger for Your Clothing

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How to Choose the Right Hanger for Your Clothing

Clothes hangers are basic yet essential for organizing your clothes, preserving their quality, and helping them last longer. Because of their important role, there are a variety of factors you should consider when buying hangers, including their cost, durability, and impact on closet space.

You most likely have a variety of hangers in your closet, but do you know which is best for different types of clothing?

Each garment requires a hanger that is tailored to the item type and fabric. There are multiple options available, including wooden hangers, velvet hangers, and hangers that are customized for particular items.

The ideal hangers make your room more aesthetically appealing, help maximize closet space, protect your garments, and even extend their life.

Things to Consider When Buying Clothes Hangers

Clothes hangers are basic yet essential for organizing your clothes, preserving their quality, and helping them last longer. Because of their important role, there are a variety of factors you should consider when buying hangers, including their cost, durability, impact on closet space, and the kind of garments you'll be hanging.

Price

Clothes hangers are sold for a wide range of prices. The most simple and least expensive alternatives are wire hangers, which are frequently offered by dry cleaners. These hangers are inexpensive, but they don’t provide the optimum support for heavier or more delicate items.

Plastic hangers are another common and inexpensive option. They come in a variety of forms and sizes, with costs varying according to their quality and features.

Wooden hangers, on the other hand, are more expensive.

Wood hangers are of higher quality and are frequently used in high-end boutiques and luxury closets. These hangers are known for their durability and provide good support for heavier items such as suit jackets and blazers.

a woman holding up a dark brown blazer and a caramel colored blazer on white wooden hangers

Space

Closet hangers should be chosen based on how much space you have. Slim hangers are meant to be compact, allowing more garments to be stored in a small area, while others are sturdier but limit the number of items that can be hung in a given space. Whatever hanger you select should allow you to hang the clothes you wish to.

Type of Clothes

This is the most important factor since the type of hanger you use should be decided by what you're hanging. Heavy coats and sweaters require sturdier hangers that won’t bend under their weight, but silk blouses and camisoles are better placed on slim velvet hangers that won’t leave creases. If you need to hang pants, choose hangers with a horizontal bar.

Durability

When choosing clothing hangers, durability is a key element to consider. While flimsy wire hangers are cheap, they are not the most durable choice. Over time, they can easily bend or lose their form, potentially causing harm to your garments.
Plastic hangers last longer than wire hangers and can withstand repeated usage without bending or breaking. They are lightweight, inexpensive, and have a long lifespan.

However, wooden hangers are known to have sturdy construction. They are less prone to deform or bend and have a better weight-bearing capability than other types of hangers. High-quality wooden hangers are ideal for hanging coats or other heavy or valuable items.

What are the best hangers for your closet?

Plastic Hangers

Plastic clothing hangers are the most cost-effective, space-saving, and easy-to-find hangers. They are available in a variety of forms, sizes, and even colors. Unfortunately, many plastic hangers are not as durable as those made of other materials, especially when it comes to hanging heavier clothes. However, plastic hangers are ideal for lightweight clothing.

Acrylic Hangers

Acrylic hangers are the best clothing hangers for giving your closet a boutique appeal. Its simple design creates a polished appearance. And because acrylic is a reinforced material, it is stronger than plastic and can fit a wide range of apparel items, including skirts, jackets, and more.

Wooden Hangers

Wooden clothing hangers are long-lasting and robust. Though wood hangers are more expensive and take up more space than other types of hangers, they do not bend under the weight of large coats and jackets. Wood hangers also have a luxury appeal and come in a variety of shapes and colors, making them popular for open closets.

Cedar Hangers

Cedar hangers perform similarly to conventional wood in terms of strength and appearance, but cedar has special features. Cedar is a natural bug-repellant that also absorbs moisture, so it makes an excellent, multi-purpose hanger. As an added bonus, cedar hangers also release a pleasant and refreshing scent.

Velvet Hangers

wedding dresses hanging on slim gray velvet hangers

Velvet hangers are another example of an excellent thin, space-saving hanger. Velvet clothes hangers have a slim profile and silky texture that prevents garments from tearing, straining, or slipping off. They are ideal for expensive garments and delicate pieces and accessories like underwear, ties, and scarves.

Satin-Padded Clothes Hangers

Individuals who own silk and satin garments should consider buying satin-padded hangers. These hangers are designed to protect luxury fabrics with a silky cloth wrapping that minimizes shoulder marks.

However, these hangers have a couple of disadvantages. Padded hangers do not come with a horizontal bar and cannot be used to hang pants. This hanger’s padding also creates bulk that takes up almost as much space as broad wooden hangers. Padded hangers are also on the shorter side, so if you have clothing with a wide neckline, it is unlikely to fit properly.

Different Features of Clothes Hangers

Consider the features that are needed for the items you will be hanging in addition to the hanger’s materials. These features help you store your things with care and keep your closet organized.

Multilayer Hangers

Multilayer hangers are ideal for tiny closets or wardrobes with limited storage space. These hangers have one hook that fits over the closet rod and many layers of sliding bars from which to hang several articles. These wide-ended, multilayer hangers are great pants hangers because the open ends allow pants to easily glide on and off.

Cascading Hangers

Cascading hangers, like multilayer hangers, enable you to maximize wardrobe space by providing a vertical storage solution. Cascading hangers, which typically consist of one primary hanger with descending hooks for extra hangers, require enough space below the closet rail for your items to hang freely.

Hangers with Clips

Clip hangers are perfect for skirts or pants because they keep clothing in place. These hangers are typically found in clothing stores since they prevent items from being wrinkled.

When purchasing this type of hanger, the clips should be strong but not excessively tight since this might produce creases. The simplest approach to avoid these dents is to use hangers with vinyl or rubber on the inside of the clips.

Non Slip Hangers

Non Slip clothing hangers are often constructed of velvet or metal with a rubber-covered arm to prevent items from falling off. These hangers are excellent for hanging delicate items made of silk and satin, as well as dresses or tops with delicate straps. Notches on the edges of these hangers stop thin straps from slipping off.

Moisture and Insect-Repellent Hangers

The majority of moisture and insect-repellent hangers are made of cedar wood because cedar repels pests such as moths and may absorb excess moisture. These features are especially useful if you live in a humid climate or keep your clothes in a moist location.

The Right Hanger for Each Type of Garment

Delicate Fabrics

a collection of brightly colored summer clothing on padded satin hangers

Satin and velvet hangers are ideal for delicates such as kid's clothing, luxurious fabrics, and formal attire. Satin-padded hangers have cushioning that prevents the hanger from damaging your delicates. Velvet hangers are usually space-saving and allow you to hang more items in a given space.

Shirts

Women's shirts and blouses often include hanging loops. Don't cut or remove them, even if they appear unnecessary. The loops are intended to relieve strain on the garment's thinnest areas when it is hanging.

Thick wooden hangers are fantastic shirt hangers. They keep collars in shape and allow shirts to hang naturally without falling off or wrinkling. For more delicate fabrics like silk, use velvet, cushioned, or flocked hangers to avoid ruffling or mishandling.

Dresses

There are several clothes hangers that are appropriate for dresses. The dress’s design will help determine which style of hanger is best, whether velvet, wood, metal, or satin. Dresses, for example, frequently require hangers with notches to secure thin straps.

Skirts and Pants

The best pant hangers and skirt hangers typically feature clips that secure them in place and are aesthetically appealing. But if you don't have a lot of space, multilayer hangers are a wonderful option for hanging trousers since they allow you to quickly slip the folded pants in and out from the open end of the hanger. Hangers with a horizontal bar can also be used to hang skirts and pants.

Suits and Coats

Suits and coats are weighty items that require a sturdy hanger. The finest hangers for these heavy winter pieces are frequently constructed of solid wood that offers support and helps these items keep their shape. Suits and coats benefit from thick and curved hangers because the curves maintain the shape of the garment while giving the support these heavier items require.

Hangers for Accessories

Hangers for accessories often look different than typical hangers.

Tie and Belt Hangers

Tie and belt hangers are often made up of many rods that allow the accessories to be easily slipped on and off. Alternatively, they may contain hooks through which the belts or ties can be threaded.

Scarf Hangers

a scarf hanger holding scarves on separate hoops

Scarf hangers, like multilayer hangers, provide various layers from which to hang scarves. It's smart to choose scarf hangers that have hoops or hooks so that the scarves may be easily pulled through.

Bag Hangers

Bag hangers are often short and feature hooks that allow bags to be neatly hung. They are typically made of strong plastic that can handle the weight of a single or multiple bags.

FAQs

What is the best hanger that prevents stretching?

A cushioned or velvet hanger is ideal for preventing stretching. Its soft surface cushions a garment, keeping it from falling off or stretching out. These hangers' delicate grasp and support help keep the form and integrity of the clothing item, preserving its original shape.

What are the best hangers for your closet?

Several things must be considered when selecting the best hangers for your wardrobe. Padded or velvet hangers provide soft support for delicate materials. Slimline hangers make the most of available closet space. Hangers made from wood are long-lasting and have a traditional appearance. Select the hangers that are appropriate for your items, maximize space, and suit your unique taste and preferences.

Are expensive hangers worth it?

More expensive hangers may be worthwhile long term. They usually feature high-quality materials and workmanship, assuring long-term durability. Higher-quality hangers prevent stretching, keep garments in shape, and extend their lifespan by providing support. While the initial cost may be higher, the long-term benefits make them a good choice for clothes protection.

a woman sitting next to her Hayden Hill organic cotton storage and hanging bags
A Hayden Hill organic cotton Short Hanging Bag and two Hayden Hill storage bags. All bags have see-through organza panels for easy viewing of your garments inside

Hangers play an important role in protecting and extending the life of your clothing as does the way you store your garments. When not in regular use, we recommend storing your clothing in high-quality storage bags. Hayden Hill bags offer your most treasured items superior protection. While made of breathable cotton, they protect clothing from dust, light, moths, mold, and condensation.

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