Why I Love my White Hangers

I published a quick tip video a few months ago on the Closet Reboot YouTube channel about dealing with dry cleaning.  One of my main points was immediately getting my freshly cleaned clothes off the wire hangers from the dry cleaners and onto my own wooden hangers.  No, I’m not channeling Joan Crawford (see Mommie Dearest).  But, I do see the value in investing in a good quality hanger to store your clothes.  Here are some reasons why:

• Clothes can take on a dent from a wire hanger.  Ever noticed a corner at the shoulders on one of your blouses after leaving it hanging too long on a wire hanger?  The effect is even worse with knits and sweaters (you really shouldn’t hang sweaters anyway).
• Wire hangers can rust or otherwise get rough and snag your clothes
• Some dresses and blouses can more easily slide off a wire hanger
• Wire hangers easily lose their shape and or fall apart after a while which in turn causes your clothes to lose their shape or get wrinkled

At some point after moving into my current home, I decided to go a step beyond just collecting good quality hangers and switch out all my hangers to a consistent white wood.  It was a gradual replacement over time, but it has now been complete for a while and I have to admit, I love it.  It’s really interesting to me how such a simple change can make such a big difference.

So what’s the big deal with having a consistent hanger type in your closet?  First of all, my closet looks so much cleaner and well organized – talk about a relatively inexpensive way to give your closet a little face lift.  Spacing on the racks is easier and with one consistent color, my clothes stand out instead of the mechanism used to hang them.  Given how overwhelmed I can be by my closet, getting rid of distractions is a big help.

I chose white hangers for my closet because it felt more feminine and fresh.  For my sons I picked mahogany for one and pine for the other – having different shades helps us keep their clothes separated and appropriately distributed on laundry day.  And having all those pretty hangers right there really does seem to inspire me to make the switch right away after the dry cleaning arrives.  When you think about the investment you make in your clothes and in dry cleaning, it seems worth it to take that one extra step.

My hangers all come from The Container Store and I’ve been very happy with the quality and durability.  The price point isn’t too bad either given their longevity.  I use primarily the basic blouse hanger which has notches that hold on to sleeveless tops and dresses as well as slippery fabrics and the basic shirt hanger with a ribbed bar for my pants.  You can get a package of 6 of either of those type hangers for $8.99 or a case of 36 for $48.54.  I also use the skirt hangers for my skirts and the boys shorts.

Have a different favorite?  I’d love to hear about it and why you like it.  In the meantime, have a fabulous rest of your weekend!

XOXO,

Misty Ann