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Uniform Hangers

5-19-08 hangers.jpgWe wouldn't describe ourselves as neat freaks, but there are a few things we're kind of anal about, one being our closet. And one of the easiest ways to pull together the look of this space is to make a small investment and purchase uniform hangers.

 
 

We find this simple upgrade, along with hanging all clothes in the same direction, makes a closet instantly feel less chaotic. And not to get all Joan Crawford on you, but wire hangers are pretty much bad news. Replacing them with something with a bit more body will ensure that your clothes never have those little "peaks" at your shoulders from resting on a thin hanger for too long. This could be a bit excessive, but maybe taking along a few of your own hangers when picking up dry-cleaning would help banish the stray collection of wire ones from your home, and also cut down on waste. Or, you could ask your dry cleaner to forgo wire hangers altogether and switch to these. Thoughts?


Image via Clemente.

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organizing, hangers, organization, closets

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Comments (42)

I only use wood hangers in my closet and they are all the same.

It's the best thing that I could have done for my wardrobe!!

posted by Keisha Kornbread on May 19th 2008 at 11:53am
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Ditto
It's an easy upgrade - I think IKEA charge $8 for 8 beechwood hangers

posted by bepsf on May 19th 2008 at 11:55am
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I totally agree. We just got our closet customized and all the built in cabinetry is just beautiful. But without the uniform hangers it would look a mess. We use the slim flocked hangers from Bed Bath and Beyond. They take up a lot less space than wood hangers and clothes cant slip off of them because of the flocking.

posted by GlamGirl on May 19th 2008 at 11:56am
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a few years ago I changed to all white plastic hangers and I thought it was great- last year I switched to all wood hangers and it's even better. Using all the same hangers is the second best thing to do for your closet- in looks and function.( The first is not to cram your closet full to the brim- fabric needs to breathe)

posted by lorijo on May 19th 2008 at 11:57am
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hear hear!!! i used to have those crappy plastic ones forever, i never could abide a wire hanger. mostly because they were unwieldy and lots of my stuff was really too heavy for em. then i realized that ikea has those bad ass wood ones for soooo cheap it was a "no brainer" and i always get nod of approval from my friends when i pull out a sweet, sturdy wood hanger for their jackets... and at $2.99 for 8, http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20079605 how can you go wrong. plus when New York goes global warming deep freeze in the future, guess who will have kindling....

posted by ubertimmo on May 19th 2008 at 12:01pm
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Agreed. Although, I also have my shirts color coordinated.

posted by amt230 on May 19th 2008 at 12:04pm
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I did this awhile back, and it's so much easier on the eyes and mind. The color plastic ones are so played out.

Not having uniform hangers has ALWAYS been a bone of contention.

Uh...

posted by btoddster on May 19th 2008 at 12:07pm
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Frankly, Joan Crawford gets a bad rap when it comes to hangers! I replaced all of mine with wooden ones from IKEA and my clothes are not only happier, but my closet looks ten times more organized.

posted by mlt43 on May 19th 2008 at 12:10pm
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The downside to uniform hangers is that no one style of hangers does everything equally well. Wood hangers are bulky, and not at all useful for the sort of slippery items padded hangers are meant for. They're also a poor choice for hanging skirts, unless you want big ugly creases down the middle of your skirt. Visual unity isn't always the most important consideration.

posted by Ulrika on May 19th 2008 at 12:12pm
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Yet another person agreeing. Changing to wooden hangers was one of the easiest upgrades in the whole house, and SO worth it.

posted by betsbillabong on May 19th 2008 at 12:13pm
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I've been slowly upgrading to hangers like these. I buy 10-15 once a month or so. I only have about 20-25 more to go.

posted by ridge_van_winkle on May 19th 2008 at 12:16pm
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Yeah for Ikea! BOOoooo for both tubular AND wire hangers!

posted by darcidoodle on May 19th 2008 at 12:23pm
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I really like those IKEA wooden hangers. I've been wanting to go wooden for a while, but haven't found as economical an option. However, on the IKEA website it doesn't look like those can be ordered??

I live about 1000 miles away from the nearest IKEA store. Which has never bothered me until now.

posted by dblitz1 on May 19th 2008 at 12:44pm
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Slowly one IKEA trip at a time, my closet is getting closer to all wooden hangers.

posted by Signe on May 19th 2008 at 12:55pm
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I'm not worried about your hangers- but what's on them. You're headed for an OD on plaid!

posted by chartreuse on May 19th 2008 at 1:35pm
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yes Ikea here also, best price I could find.

I have the dark wood ones, but the thin medal ones are kinda cool too. Plus, you could fit more per pole.

posted by plasticorange on May 19th 2008 at 1:36pm
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Done

posted by hdtex on May 19th 2008 at 1:55pm
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i did this a few years ago, and it's the best thing i ever did for my closet! bed bath and beyond sells them in a box of 20 for $19.99 ($15.99 with 20% off store coupon).

posted by stevemp on May 19th 2008 at 2:56pm
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so here's my problem...i upgraded to the flocked hangers from bed bath and beyond but, they still create 'peaks' on my knit (lacoste-style) shirts. is there truly a 'uniform hanger'? i only wear an xl so its not like my shoulders are huge. help!

posted by dhue on May 19th 2008 at 2:57pm
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dblitz1,

You can get affordable wooden hangers from Bed, Bath & Beyond online. I too live far from an Ikea. :)

posted by minty03 on May 19th 2008 at 3:06pm
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Those look great, but nobody sees the inside of our closet but us. At the IKEA price, it seems worth it, though.

I do like having multilevel clip hangers for skirts and trousers ... can't STAND having that knee crease in pants so I clip them at the waist. Each hanger holds 4 items at different heights.

posted by Valerie on May 19th 2008 at 3:25pm
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I am a great believer in uniform hangers and color coordinated closets. But wooden hangars take up a lot of hanging space (yes, I'm a total clothes hog and have NEVER had enough closet space...). I prefer the Joy Magano Huggable Hangers. They also prevent things from slipping off the hangers as you're pulling and cramming.

posted by quiltmaster on May 19th 2008 at 3:31pm
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Yes well as a New Yorker with a tiny closet wire hangers win as I can squeeze more clothes in this way!

posted by Clairepetrol on May 19th 2008 at 3:50pm
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Home Depot had better prices than Bed Bath & Beyond when I did this a few years ago. And there is no one type of hanger for all types of clothes.

I bought heavy brass toned hangers on-line for the coat closet. They're perfect for heavy coats.

posted by Taureg on May 19th 2008 at 4:23pm
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I IKEA-hacked their wooden hangers, by gluing a bit of foam (from dry cleaners and Saks take-home hangers) to the tips. Shells and drapey neck tunics cling and don't slip. Yes, I color-coordinated the foam (charcoal). IKEA's clip hangers work find for pants and skirts, blending in with the wood theme.

It's not just the pleasure of an organized closet and finding pieces quickly. This arrangment reminds me I already have 18 black tops, so stop shopping for more.

posted by Ter on May 19th 2008 at 4:34pm
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I'm all for all wood hangers and color coordinating my closet! I can't STAND people who use wire hangers or mis-matching plastic hangers. It just looks chaotic in the closet.

posted by mva1201 on May 19th 2008 at 5:12pm
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maybe it's time to purge if you have 18 black tops....

clearly I need to head to bed bath and beyond to see what's in stock.

posted by dblitz1 on May 19th 2008 at 5:30pm
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droool, that picture.

The organized freak in me says to chuck all my wire/plastic hangers and replace 'em all with new! shiny! wooden hangers! but the treehugger in me says no way, where are all those old hangers gonna go, since donation doesn't ensure that what you donated will be used... the dilemma...

must.. resist..

posted by eirracoes on May 19th 2008 at 6:04pm
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eeep. seems like a lot of waste just so your closet looks nice in photographs :/

posted by bluetoes on May 19th 2008 at 6:32pm
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hangers.com - I stocked up last time I moved and it's made the biggest difference in keeping my clothes from getting tangled together. Plus I bought just enough to fill my closet, so I know that if I run out of hangers it's time to go through and take some things I'm not wearing to the Goodwill.

posted by eebnyc on May 19th 2008 at 6:45pm
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Those hangers look beautiful in that picture but are useless for my kinds of clothes - I do not have a rail full of shirts - I have jersey tops, many of which have wide necks and simply fall off these hangers - and most of my wardrobe is taken up with knitwear which doesn't work at all on these hangers - plus I need the clippy hangers for skirts and trousers

I LIKE the idea of a closet with totally matched hangers (wasn't SJPs closet on SATC all matching cream padded hangers) but I NEED different kinds of hangers for different garments

(and yes I too need to cram in as much as possible to the limited space so these space-eating wooden behemoths are so not working for me!)

posted by Violetsrose on May 20th 2008 at 2:52am
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Yay - I am glad it's not just me! I recently replaced all my hangers with uniform wood hangers. Though, I did feel a pang of guilt when offloading the old hangers (I took them to Housing Works in NYC).

posted by lalaklass on May 20th 2008 at 4:23am
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I switched over to the IKEA hangers years ago, but I just started phasing them out in favor of the slim flocked ones from Bed Bath & Beyond. I just don't have the closet space - especially in my small coat closet for all those hangers.

It makes a really big difference and, I think, it looks just as nice having ANY sort of uniformity.

My brother got my IKEA hangers, so I don't feel bad about replacing them.

posted by Marie on May 20th 2008 at 4:41am
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Lowes also has a good price on a box of wooden hangers. ( I live to far from an Ikea too)

posted by lorijo on May 20th 2008 at 4:50am
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I did this when I moved into my current condo. I painted the closet walls (to match the room), the shelves (with a semi-gloss white), the trim and the ceilings before I moved in. All wooden hangers just topped it off! My closets now rock!

Painting the interior of all my closets in their entirety before moving in was one of the best things I did. It really made my place feel new, even though I am probably the 7th owner.

posted by gttim on May 20th 2008 at 5:01am
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It looks better, but I agree with those who say that wooden hangers take up too much room. Plus, what would I do with all my plastic hangers? I think I can deal with a less-than-perfect closet for the 5 minutes a day I'm in there.

posted by jooly on May 20th 2008 at 6:00am
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Since Hold Everything closed, I can no longer find the padded canvas hanger they used to carry, which were the best. Moral of the story is to not buy incrementally, but all at once, when you see something, and get more than you think you will ever need.

Now I am eyeing these lovely pink and chocolate brown painted wood flocked hangers for myself (leave the plain wooden ones for the hubby and the hall closet), problem is, they only come in sets...

http://www.blisshome.co.uk/photogallery.asp?product=345

However, the children are well stocked -- these hangers have really made both their closets work, from birth. They are the very best kid's hangers, and I love that I am able to colour-coordinate with them:

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml;jsessionid=3G2ZQIJUPSGEJQFIAILSM44AVABBQJVC?CATID=147&PRODID=65778

posted by mschatelaine on May 20th 2008 at 8:14am
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I have always been searching for hangers for size 4/6 women's clothes - most are too wide for the shirts and blouses that i own. Any suggestions for hangers that truly fit the clothes?

posted by Pemina101 on May 21st 2008 at 5:41pm
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I am a size 2/4 and found "Big Kids" hangers work well for my suit jackets and shirts. I bought mine at the link below:
http://shop.onlykidshangers.com/ecommerce/products/onlykidshangers/big-kids-14-natural-top-hanger.html

The wooden hangers take up a bit more space than plastic hangers but at least I don't have dents in my sleeves anymore.

I am open to other hanger suggestions for petite people.

posted by ocho on July 25th 2008 at 3:01pm
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Hang 12 tops or bottoms using one Hanger. If you suffer from a small closet and need more space and want to stay organized than check out the HankyTankyHanger.

Thanks

posted by HankyTankyHanger on October 1st 2008 at 7:13pm
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we switched from wooden to chrome hangers and can now fit nearly 2X as much in the cramped closet... who'da thunk the hangers would make a different in overall space... granted, our clothes are more packed together, but they're in there...

posted by redneckmodern on December 23rd 2008 at 3:38pm
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I hear you about womens clothing slipping off wooden hangers, I also have the Ikea version, (love them) The container store sells strips of self stick foam that fits at the edge of the wodden hanger, works great and no clothes slipping off any longer..
you can also buy wodden hangers for pants and skirts without folding them and still have the uniform look

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=143&PRODID=59707

posted by elizabo on December 23rd 2008 at 3:53pm
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