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I’m going to give you some organizational advice that might seem trivial, but I hope I’ve built up enough credibility on the topic that you’ll pay attention when I tell you: You need matching hangers in your closet.
Most of us collect hangers as we wander through life and probably don’t think much about them. For me, as I moved from apartment to apartment, I amassed a collection of hangers that ranged from wooden to metal to plastic to velvet, each reminding me of a former roommate or hotel that I stole them from. It was a nice reminder of where I’ve been, sure, but that really has no place in a closet. Upgrading to matching hangers was a game changer.
The benefits of matching hangers
In December of 2020, I overhauled my closet, installing new shelving units and decluttering all my clothes. Those endeavors sucked up a lot of time, money, and energy. I also got matching hangers. That did not suck up a lot of time, money, or energy. It was also the most effective thing I did during the whole closet reorganization.
First of all, matching hangers just look nicer. That may not seem all that important to you, since house guests probably aren’t going to see inside your closet, but think of it as a gift to yourself. It’s just more pleasant and peaceful to open up those doors and see a uniform spread of clothes before you. The other benefits are a little more tangible: In addition to looking nicer, your clothes hang nicer on hangers that are all the exact same size and shape. A big plastic hanger sandwiched between two metal ones interrupts the flow and obscures whatever is hung behind it. Hangers that are all the same hang the same and move the same, so it’s much easier to see and sort through what you have. Don’t just take my word for it, either; on organizational forums, people who’ve made the switch all swear by it, too.
In decluttering and organizing, I’m always recommending using uniform containers to store everything, but the usefulness of uniform storage extends well beyond little boxes and drawer dividers. Simply put, making a little investment in better storage now and making sure everything is the same will save you a lot of stress in the future. Plus, it just feels more mature and put-together, which is a nice boost on days when you’re feeling disheveled and beaten down by the trials of adulthood that can’t be overcome with a quick Amazon purchase.
Matching hanger ideas
I have to admit, my December 2020 foray into the world of matching hangers wasn’t my first attempt. I screwed it up a few months before that during my first attempt. I went to Target and bought a mega-pack of black plastic hangers. I don’t recommend those. Plastic hangers are big and thick; they take up way too much space in the closet, plus clothes can (and do) slide right off them. If you’re using tiered organizers to store your hangers and clothes vertically, plastic hangers may not even fit in the holes, rendering them useless.
Instead, I recommend velvet hangers. That’s what I switched to when I tried this for the second time and, four years later, they’re still going strong. The hook itself is metal, but the body is slim, reducing the bulkiness on your clothing rack or tiered organizers. The velvet coating gives your clothes something to grip, too, so they don’t fall off. I have ones just like this:
I also bought a set with clips on them from the same brand. I did this because at the time, I was going through a phase where I had a lot of matching suit sets and wanted to store them together. I thought I was The Nanny. The pandemic was a weird time. The clips turned out to be helpful, though, even when I moved away from that fashion choice, because they doubled the amount each hanger could hold. You don’t have to limit yourself to storing matching sets on these; they’re useful for any kind of skirts or pants. The most important thing is making sure that if you buy hangers with clips, you’re getting them from the same brand as your other matching hangers, to maintain that uniformity.
If you do prefer plastic hangers, opt for slim ones. These ($23.99) come in a pack of 50 and feature a variety of interior hooks and slats to accommodate everything from belts to tank tops, but they’re a mere .2 inches thick. For a more upscale look, maybe in a front closet, you can go for wooden ones, but again, thinness is your friend. This 20-pack ($23.99) features hangers that are a sturdy wood, but still slim.
