What Are the Best Hangers for My Closet?

Yes, the right hangers can make a difference in your closet! This is the tell-all hanger guide to the closet-perplexed.

Nothing says “neat and organized closet” like matching hangers. And while the most important task in maintaining a neat clean closet is to constantly purge and donate clothing you don’t use, it’s the uniform hangers that will finish it off and make it the closet you love opening (or walking into).

They are a worthwhile investment, and it’s a much more affordable one ever since velvet ones became available. They’re a fraction of the price and take up less space than classic wooden ones. Win-win.

And while you’ll still need wooden ones in some areas, less expensive hangers will get the job done in most spots in the home. Read on for specific recommendations and tips for each area of your home.

Before You Start
While it’s tempting to color coordinate your closets, with different kids in different colors, we don’t recommend it. Kids grow up so fast and hangers move around. So, it’s best to stick to one color and style for little kids and another color and style for older kids + adults.

Younger Kids
There are two basic styles that we like for kids. These are good for children ages 2-10 years old. Once they reach size 10 or so they are usually ready to move to adult-size hangers.  Always buy more than you need. It’s better to have an extra box in the back of the closet than find out in a year from now that they discontinued the model you bought.
Plastic: These classic white hangers can last you 20+ years. Try to stick to one brand or company so that they hang uniformly in the closet.

Add these clips to easily hang skirts.

Slim Acrylic: These slim clear acrylic hangers are the modern, clean-looking update to standard plastic hangers. They look beautiful while taking up less space than the plastic ones.  There are coordinating skirt hangers, too.

Velvet: Choose one color throughout all the kids’ closets.
Pros: They are slim, stylish, and take up less space. Cons: They do break faster than plastic. Just imagine every time your son gives his shirt a good tug, there goes the top hook. Some good options for kid-sized velvet ones include the Amazon Basics line or these Closet Complete ones. (Closet Complete offers gold or rose gold hooks, in addition to chrome, for a really stylish look). In addition, it’s hard to find velvet skirt-hangers for kids (we found these online) and the velvet clips don’t hold the clothing well (the hangers that come with metal clips work very well). One solution is to buy the same color velvet kids hangers and adult velvet skirt-hanger. The adult-sized skirt-hangers work fine with kid’s skirts since the clips move, and bonus: they grow so fast, the hangers will last longer.

Wood: Wood hangers are heavier, take up more room and are most costly so we don’t recommend them for kids closets.

Pants hangers usually don’t hold pants very well. Rather, you can easily fold the pants in half, and fold it over a regular one.

Ages 10+ and Adults
Velvet: This is really the way to go. They’re slim and stylish and keep the clothing on the hanger. Keep in mind that they do break occasionally, but it’s still worth it. Always buy more than you need. The best-priced velvet hangers are available at Costco. There are some other great options from Amazon like here and here. Expect a few to crack during shipping and don’t get upset!

Find the matching skirt-hangers here. These will work much better than the clips that are added to regular ones.

Slim Acrylic: These slim clear acrylic hangers are the modern, clean-looking update to standard plastic hangers. They look beautiful while taking up less space than the plastic ones. There are coordinating skirt hangers, too.

Space Saving Skirt-Hangers
These are a must! They’re great for similar skirts like uniform skirts, camp skirts, and long skirts. They’re also great for Shabbos skirts that are used less often than the daily skirts. For students and campers with limited closet space, these are especially useful. Find a 4 pack of skirt-hangers here or a 2 pack of skirt-hanger here.

Find Space Saving Pants Hangers here.

Men’s Suits and Coats
For Mens Suits stick with nice, thick wood hangers.

 

 

Wood and brass coat-hangers are also preferable in the coat closet to hold up those heavier coats. But, velvet will also work.

Tablecloths
Yes, if you have the closet space (may we all be blessed with lots of closets!) then hanging tablecloths are the neatest way to store them (as shown here.) Use your favorite velvet ones or try these sturdy hangers (disclaimer, we didn’t try this particular hanger, but there are lots of nice reviews.)

Pros of Velvet: It’s cheaper, more likely to already have them in the house. Cons: They don’t hold up very well to very large or heavy tablecloths.
Pros of Steel: They’ll hold heavier larger tablecloths and it’s easier to place a tablecloth on and off the hanger (since one side is open).

* Read our post on closet organization (it includes hangers) here.

Did we cover it all? Comment with your favorite hanger (include a link) or tell us what makes your closet neater!