All aspects of home organizing are challenging in their own way, but closets are a different beast. Some clothes demand hanging, some folding, and wardrobes tend to grow exponentially by the year. Plus, getting dressed is something most of us do in a hurry and doesn’t encourage diligent upkeep. One of the most important steps one can take for fabrics like suede, silk, chiffon, or other formal materials is to buy high-quality hangers and use them consistently.
The “best” hangers will vary depending on the closet and clothing, but they can help bring order, and preserve the integrity of clothes at the same time. They’re also one of the cheapest ways to enhance one’s closet, at even the most expensive hangers averaging just $1 apiece.
The Best Hangers: At a Glance
What the Experts Say
SPY spoke with six experts to track down the best hangers, including professional home organizers Sarit Weiss of Neat and Orderly, Laura Price of The Home Organization, Bridget Flynn of Divine Organizing and Ashley La Fond of Of Space + Mind. We also spoke with Michelle Barrett, the organizer and stylist behind Capsule Closet Stylist and Patrick Kenger, the men’s image consultant/personal stylist behind PIVOT Image Consultancy.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of the pros and cons of different kinds of hangers, a simple question: Why use hangers at all? According to Kanger, hangers primarily offer three benefits: they’re better for maintaining clothes and reducing wrinkles, they make seeing the options and making selections easier, and they’re a storage best practice.
The best hangers depend on what they’re being used for. “Buy hangers specifically for the items you’re hanging and buy the best within your budget,” Flynn says. “Most clients end up using 3-4 different kinds of hangers: suiting hangers, trouser hangers, velvet or silicone hangers, and silk hangers for ladies’ delicate materials.”
The Best Hangers: By Material
Although the experts differed on a few materials, velvet, for instance, most of them agreed that strong, sturdy hangers are the best option. “My advice would be to focus on strength first; you want your hanger to withstand the weight of your clothes [or] they’ll be useless,” Price says. “Then look at the material. Velvet and wooden hangers are both great and avoid wire or plastic hangers. They can seriously damage your clothes and don’t look as good.”
“Wooden hangers are ideal for anything heavy,” Weiss says. “Winter coats, ski coats, ski pants, blankets, tablecloths, etc…” Kenger adds, “Wooden hangers are more durable and tend to hold their shape better, so they work well for suiting and heavier garments and won’t bend under the weight.” Price agrees with that thinking.
Most of the experts agree it’s best to avoid cheap plastic — Weiss’s least favorite hanger — as well as metal wire hangers, but also acknowledged that more durable materials can take up more space. “The bulkiness of a hanger will impact how many garments can be hung on a rod,” Flynn says. “Coats take up a lot of space, but if you’re hanging T-shirts on a stainless steel hanger, then you can save a lot of space.”
La Fond agrees, noting that metal hangers, as well as velvet hangers, are ‘huggable,’ which means they take up less space on a rod, and are darn cheap too, making them a great solution for a large collection of clothing. At the same time, she notes they’re simply not suitable for some heavier clothing or suit jackets, and Kenger says he generally prefers wooden hangers, even while acknowledging that plastic and metal are OK for everyday items.
After a hanger has been chosen, be sure to buy enough of them, Price says. “make sure you can buy enough to fill your whole wardrobe and have spares! There’s nothing worse than having a mismatch of hangers, and having all the same type is a better use of space.”
Fortunately, with the notable exception of suit-specific hangers, the vast majority of hangers cost less than $1 per hanger and no more than $2 to $3 per hanger at their most expensive. Here’s a list of our experts’ favorites.
The Container Store Wooden Shirt Hanger Ribbed Bar (Natural, Pkg/20)
For men who want a solid, reliable hanger, the Container Store Wooden Shirt Hanger with Ribbed Bar won’t let the clothes down. It’s made from renewable lotus wood and features a flat profile and swivel hook. It can handle T-shirts, button-downs, casual pants, heavier jeans, or even folded knitwear (when hung properly).
“These look very similar to the ones we use with our clients,” Price says. “They have ribbed bars which help create friction and keep your trousers from sliding about — very useful!”
Weiss adds that these hangers should have no trouble with jackets, coats, and sweatshirts, though she says they won’t hold slippery items or straps well due to the lack of notches or resistance material. But for anyone concerned about that, there’s a blouse version of this hanger that includes notches.
Overall, these hangers easily cover all kinds of everyday clothing, look nice, and cost just under $35 for a 20-pack. That’s fair for the value they’ll bring to any closet.
Amazon Basics, Slim, Velvet, Non-Slip Suit Clothes Hangers, pack of 30
Velvet hangers like the Amazon Basics Slim Velvet Non-Slip Hangers are an all-around great, garment-agnostic hanger option.
They’re arguably even more versatile than the best wooden hangers: They have notches for more clothing, velvet can stop all but the slipperiest articles from sliding off and they’re much cheaper, if a little too grippy for some clothes, or some people’s taste.
“If you have a variety of styles of clothing and not enough space for them all, I recommend slim, velvet hangers with notches,” Weiss says. “With these, it’s safe to say you’ll cover most of your bases. The velvet will prevent delicate items or pants from slipping off, no residue will adhere to your clothing, the notches will keep garments in place, and the width will allow room for more!”
Flynn adds that velvet hangers are useful for materials like silk, wide-neck T-shirts, and tank tops.
Price is fully on board with velvet hangers too. “The velvet looks great in a wardrobe and the [hanger’s] bar is very adaptable and means you can hang lots of different types of garment on the same style hanger,” she says. “I always recommend black thin velvet hangers. They’re sleek, sturdy, and space-saving, exactly what you want from a hanger!”
But velvet hangers aren’t for everyone. Barrett says they only work best for some shirts and very lightweight items but don’t tend to hold up against heavier garments or prevent shoulder bumps.
But for under $20 for 30 hangers, these hangers would be a safe gamble for a closet solution.
ERA Accents Open-Ended Metal Pants Hangers
Hanging pants clears up drawer space for need-to-fold items like sweaters and can lead to cleaner-looking, less wrinkly pants too. The ERA Accents Open-Ended Metal Pants Hangers make hanging pants as easy as possible with their open-ended design. “Open-ended pant hangers have one rod that allows you to easily pull them off or slip them on,” Weiss explains. “They’re so much more efficient than a regular ‘suit hanger’ with the closed pant rod attached to it.”
With a steel frame, rubberized bar, and raised ends, these hangers are thin, and strong and promise to keep pants from sliding off in any direction. Plus, they’re not too pricey for a specialized hanger, going for a little more than $1 per hanger.
For an alternative approach that may save money or be better for a particular article of clothing, experts also recommend using clips that attach to a traditional hanger’s bar to hang pants, shorts, or skirts.
Luxury Wooden Suit Hanger | Kirby Allison
For many men, the most expensive clothing in their closet is their suits. That calls for a specialty hanger like the Kirby Allison Luxury Wooden Suit Hanger.
The word “luxury” gets thrown around a lot, but this hanger earns the description with its features, including a locking ring hook so the hook never comes out, a sturdy maple wood build and wide, contoured shoulders to properly hold the suit jacket. According to Kenger, the latter is exactly what a suit needs to preserve the shapes of the shoulders.
Barrett also notes the inclusion of the felted trouser bar, which is perfect for hanging a matching pair of pants. “This would be a great staple option for suits and outerwear and looks durable,” she says.
But for nearly $33 a pop, these aren’t the hangers to return, so all men should double-check their suit sizes before buying the right-sized hanger here.
MAWA Euro Series Non-Slip Space Saving Clothes Hanger, Set of 10
Though slim velvet hangers can suffice for a packed closet, the MAWA Euro Series Non-Slip Clothes Hangers make a strong alternative with their slim figure, steel make, and non-slip PVC covering. Though their shape is not suitable for all clothes — Flynn generally rejects this shape on hangers, saying clothes don’t hang right — these hangers can be perfect for a big collection of lightweight tops.
“[I] like the fact that it won’t affect the shoulder shape of a garment,” Weiss says. “[I] wouldn’t rely on it for wider necked garments as they may still fall regardless of the grip, but it would work well for polos or crew necks.”
Barrett adds, “For saving space, this type of style can be good for knitwear and jersey fabrics like T-shirts. However, I would not hang a chunky, heavy-knit sweater on these as they would not support the shoulder properly.”
Alas, these hangers run on the pricier side on average, costing around $3 per hanger. But for the guy with too many concert tees or golf polos, these hangers will hold them easily and even create some additional closet space for more.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hangers
Why Should I Use Hangers?
The utility of hangers boils down to three practical benefits: Some clothes simply need to be hung for their health, hangers make visualizing a wardrobe simpler, and they are more effective storage for things like heavy coats. “Fragile fabrics, anything that wrinkles easily, and fabrics with detailing (like pleats) should always be hung,” La Fond says. “Hanging clothing generally makes it more visible, so it’s easier to see at a glance all the pieces in your wardrobe. This is helpful for visual styling, mixing and matching, and being conscientious about what’s being worn (or not).”
What Are the Worst Hangers?
Before the best and worst materials, the bottom line is that low-quality hangers are the worst hangers. Dry cleaners and big retailers that give clothing with hangers use those hangers because they’re cheap placeholders; they’re not meant for long-term use. “Try to get rid of those thin metal dry-cleaning hangers as quickly as possible — they’re not great for your clothing because of how thin, weak, and pointed they are,” Kenger says.
Experts say thin metal and plastic hangers tend to be the worst for most clothing. They have their place depending on the closet situation, but plastic can break and warp, and metal, which can also warp, can be too flimsy or supportive in the wrong ways, all contributing to clothing deformation.
Even velvet gets its share of flack, as velvet hangers can break easily if mishandled and the velvet can fleck off over time.
When in doubt, a wooden hanger works for just about everything except wet clothing — the one place where plastic wins and offers the fewest cons relative to its pros.
How Much Should I Spend on a Hanger?
Unless buying a singular excellent hanger for a grail-tier suit — which could cost more than $30 per hanger — hangers shouldn’t cost more than a few dollars per hanger. Even great hangers go for less than $1 apiece, so there are generally no reasons to spend far beyond that.
Is There a Material I Should Never Hang?
All the experts note that hanging knitwear can be a death sentence. OK, that’s dramatic, but knitwear can not only stretch from hanging, it can develop unsightly shoulder bumps from the hanger too. “We recommend never putting knits on hangers, especially fragile ones,” La Fond says. “Hanging knits can cause them to pull, lose shape and warp shoulders and seams. Instead, sweaters and knits should be folded.” Kenger agrees, saying, “Typically, I try to avoid hanging heavy knitwear, as hanging it usually will stretch out the shape.”
If one absolutely must hang their sweaters, Barrett says to use a suit hanger. “Fold the sweater in half lengthwise and thread the arms flat through the hanger and have the body of the garment hanging on the other side. This would avoid hanger bumps.” Velvet hangers could also help hold up a lighter sweater. But most people will likely be better served keeping their sweaters and other knitwear folded in drawers instead of hanging them in the closet.
