Saturday, January 30, 2010

Stump the Organizer Saturday! Hanger Confusion


"There are so many different kinds of hangers these days. What is the best kind of hanger?" Micah nominated St. Jude's Hospital for Children along with his question.

Let's start by eliminating some hangers from the comparison. Wire hangers are great for getting your clothes home from the dry cleaner and that's about it. Wire hangers put creases in the shoulders of clothes and are just plain ugly. If your clothes are the least bit damp a wire hanger will leave rust spots on them. Most dry-cleaners will accept wire hangers back for reuse - take advantage of this policy.

Next to be eliminated are the cheap plastic tube hangers because they break so easily. The top quality tube hangers are heavier and will last longer; and, they only cost about a dollar apiece.

One of my favorite hangers is the skinny, plush-covered hanger. The skinny hangers take up much less room than other hangers and they are durable. The plush covering eliminates clothing snags and will grip the most slippery fabric.

Padded hangers covered in satin or velvet also protect the clothing's fabric. Usually pins are needed to prevent spaghetti straps from falling off - probably something you don't have to worry about Micah! Padded hangers typically have small shoulder spans which limits the type of clothes to be hung on them.

Wood hangers are heavy-duty. If the wood is cedar then the hanger also repels moths - super for woolen clothes. Often wood hangers have fairly large shoulder spans that accommodate men's clothing quite nicely. Combination wood hangers have features that accommodate pants or skirts as well as a shirt or jacket. Hanging two items in the space needed for one item is space efficient. Combination hangers contain either a bar (fixed or locking) for pants or a wire with clips with which to hang pants or skirts. Pants hangers that are like large clips are available in wood. These large clips allow the pants to be hung lengthwise by the cuffs. Wood hangers are the most expensive option at about two to four dollars apiece.

Plastic hangers are also available as combination hangers. A top quality plastic hanger is fairly durable and costs less than a dollar. The shoulders often have notches for spaghetti straps so the clothing doesn't fall to the floor. Plastic and wood hangers often have swiveling hooks which permit the clothes to be easily turned so they all have the same orientation.

So which hanger is right for you? If you are really short on closet space consider using the skinny plush hangers. Hang pants on the suit hangers and use a bar doubler to increase the hanging space. Clips for hanging skirts come as an accessory to the plush hangers.

Wood hangers are the choice for elegance. Wood hangers take a fair amount of space so make sure there's enough space in the closet to hold them. The different combination hangers accommodate a variety of clothing types. If you need the combination hangers but wood is outside of your budget, then plastic is your choice. Plastic takes a little less room than wood but more than the plush hangers.

Consider the amount of closet space, budget and aesthetics when choosing hangers. What ever your choice, stick to one color and your closet will have a uniform, uncluttered look without doing anything else. If only everything else was that easy.

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