Do you have a plethora of unused hangers?
Whether they’re wire or plastic, there are many ways to recycle hangers. I’m going to walk you through all the many uses for those hangers which seem to constantly be in the way.
There’s a use for them in almost every area of your home. Curious what you’ve been missing?
Come along and let’s explore the endless opportunities hangers provide. Here’s how you can use and recycle hangers beyond only hanging clothes:
1. Belt Holder
I’m not a fan of wire hangers, but I get plenty of them when my husband’s uniforms go to the cleaners. Instead of wasting them, I put them to use in my closet.
My husband has a ton of belts. I don’t like them hanging everywhere. Instead, I slip the belt buckle over the head of the hanger, and they hang organized in the closet without taking up additional space.
2. Display Decorative Plates
When my sister was little, she made a plate in preschool. My mom has hung onto this plate for over 30 years.
Each Christmas she displays my sister’s artwork. If you have special plates like this in your life, make a plate hanger with a wire hanger.
3. They’ll Hold Your Keys
I’m great at keeping up with my car or house keys, but what about all the other keys in your life? You may have a key to your storage shed, a pool house, or even a key to a trailer hitch.
Whatever stray keys you have in your life, consider organizing them with a key ring. Clip a wire hanger into different pieces and wrap each piece into a circle. It creates a small wire keyring.
4. Clogged Drain? No Problem
Clogged drains are the worst. They leave water standing in areas where it needs to drain, and it can even create a foul odor over time.
If you have a clogged drain, straighten a wire hanger, and insert it down the drain. The blockage will either be pushed through or pulled out.
5. Save the Date
Calendars are an essential part of maintaining a busy life. If you must keep a calendar posted nearby to keep your schedule straight, you’ll be glad to know you can recycle hangers to help in this department.
If you have a skirt hanger going unused, pull it out of your closet. Hang the calendar by the two clips and use the hook to hang your calendar on a knob or a nail.
6. Display Your Friend’s Thoughtfulness
If you have friends or family which send you cards on special occasions or out of the blue, you may struggle to find a way to display them.
Don’t toss the cards in a drawer. Instead, use a hanger to make a tree of cards. Use clothespins to attach the cards to the hanger.
7. Keep Your Snacks Fresh
Skirt hangers can be annoying. The clips get stuck sometimes and honestly, after working retail in college, I don’t care if I see another skirt hanger.
However, if you have one (and like me, refuse to use it) make it work for you in a different way. Remove the clips and use them to close your bags of snacks.
8. Sew a Button
Did you know you can turn a wire hanger into a sewing needle? This may not be something you’re interested in doing for everyday life.
However, if you’re a prepper, this could be good information for a survival situation. Cut a piece of a wire hanger, flatten one end, and poke a hole in it. This will give you an area to thread it. At the other end, use a file to make it pointy.
9. Opens Locks
Have you ever had your child accidentally lock themselves in a room? When my youngest was learning to walk, he was playing with the mirror on the back of our bathroom door. In the process, he accidentally shut it, and he locked it trying to open it.
Unfortunately, it was an old door and didn’t have the option of placing a wire hanger in it to pop the lock. I had to call the police to have them knock the door down. We laugh about it now, but he and I both were crying by the end of this particular day. Avoid this by having newer interior doors and using a wire hanger to open the door if needed.
10. Stay Organized
Did you know you can mold a wire hanger into a large safety pin? A pair of pliers will help you manipulate the hanger into the shape of an oversized safety pin.
This can help you hold things together, or you could use it to organize items. If you do crafts with your kids, this would be a good way to hang all the pairs of child-safe scissors to have them in one location instead of lost in a drawer.
11. Save Your Hoodies
There’s nothing worse than washing your favorite hoodie or sweatpants to pull them out of the dryer and find the drawstring isn’t there.
In fact, it’s there, but it has been twisted inside your hoodie or pants. Don’t get frustrated, use a straightened wire hanger to pull the string back through to its proper location.
12. Make Giant Bubbles
My youngest loves bubbles. We play with them anytime we can. Even during the winter, we’ll blow bubbles in the house.
If you love bubbles too, get adventurous by making bigger bubbles. Turn a wire hanger into a circle, dip it in the bubbles, and blow. You’ll make huge bubbles and make lots of memories in the process.
13. Have a Portable Mirror
Do you need a mirror when you’re on the go? Snip the center of a wire hanger and fold each side out to where it appears as though there are arms protruding from the hanger.
Buy a lightweight mirror and either slide it over the arms of the hanger to where it can be a hanging mirror or use the arms as a support system for the mirror and set it on a flat surface.
14. DIY Construction Staples
Do you ever use construction style staples when creating different projects? This is more of a survival tip, but if you’re in a survival situation and must construct something if you have wire hangers you could have staples.
Cut the wire hanger into pieces. Curve the pieces into a ‘u’ shape. Depending upon what you were building, you may need to predrill the holes, but if in a survival situation a wire hanger could help you tremendously.
15. Get Crafty
There are a ton of crafty items you can make from a wire hanger. You could make a locket, a ring, or even a dream catcher.
If you enjoy making crafts, reach for your wire hangers. You’ll be amazed at how many neat things you can create.
16. Get Festive
Why spend a fortune on a wreath? Instead, get creative! Use what you have available to decorate your house any time of year.
You can use a wire hanger to form the base of any wreath you’d like to create. In the process, you’ll save yourself a bundle.
17. S’Mores Anyone?
You may be surprised we made it this far into the list and haven’t discussed s’mores yet. This is what most people do to recycle hangers.
The next time you’re gathered around your fire pit roasting marshmallows, reach for your wire hangers to avoid burnt fingers.
18. Extra Storage
Is your closet cramped? Mine is, unfortunately. If you need double space in the same sized closet, put your hangers to work.
You can attach tabs from soda cans to each hanger by sliding it over the hook. Hook another hanger into the soda can tab. This gives you double the hanging space, but you hang vertically instead of horizontally.
19. Grab Your Tank Tops
When you toss the idea of tank tops and how to recycle hangers around in your head, you may assume the tank tops will fall onto the floor if hung on a normal hanger.
I hang my tank tops on hangers by using curtain rings. Slide the rings onto the hangers, slide the tank tops inside the curtain rings, and you can hang multiple tank tops on one hanger without anything falling into the floor.
20. Clear Water is a Must
If you have a pool, you know keeping it clean is a big job. However, it must be done because who wants to swim in a dirty pool?
Instead of purchasing a net, turn a wire hanger into a circle. Put some mesh material around the wire circle and use it to scoop up the unwanted nastiness in your pool.
21. Stop the Frizz
I have naturally curly hair. Humidity creates a bad hair day but cold days with plenty of static can too. If you’re fresh out of dryer sheets (which also take care of static) reach for your wire hanger.
Straighten the hanger out and run it over your hair. The wire removes all static from your head, and you can go about your day without looking like you stuck your finger in a light socket.
22. Helps Hang Pictures
I struggle to hang items in the right spot on my walls. Marking them is the only way I can make sure it all turns out the way I’d hoped.
If you must make a mark to know where to hang your pictures, use a straightened wire hanger. Mark where the nails should go and hang your pictures without any fuss.
23. Hang up Your Flip Flops
Flip flops can be hard to manage in a closet. If you don’t have room on your shoe rack, consider using wire hangers to hang up your flip flops.
Cut the center of the wire hanger. Wrap one side of the wire hanger around one flip flop and one around the other side. Hang them up, and you won’t lose them in your closet again.
24. Mark Your Spot
Do you have certain places where you like to read? Instead of using bookshelves or magazine holders, use a hanger to hold your reading material.
Open the magazine or book and place it over the rod of the hanger. It works to hold your place in the reading material too.
25. Book Holder
When I cook, I sometimes use a cookbook. Instead of leaving the book open on the counter, taking up valuable workspace, use a hanger to hold the book.
This specific hack requires a skirt hanger. Open the book, clip it open to the right pages, and hang it from the knob of a cabinet.
26. Jewelry Holder
There are multiple ways to recycle hangers to hang your necklaces neatly and out of the way. One way is to hang a couple of necklaces around the hook of a hanger before hanging them up in a closet.
The other way is to screw c-cups in a wooden hanger. You can hang a necklace from each c-cup before hanging the entire thing in your closet.
27. Recycle Hangers with a Tie Holder
I use hangers to store my husband’s ties. It’s easy, allows him to see what his options are, but also keeps them out of the way.
You can store ties on hangers by draping them over the center part of the hanger and securing them with a clothespin.
28. Hand Towel Holder
When I was growing up, all my grandparents used hangers to hang their dishtowels under their sinks instead of towel holders.
They’d put a small screw in their cabinet door, hang a hanger on the screw, and drape the dishtowel over the hanger.
29. A Place to Hang Your Hat
Did you know you can make a coat rack and thereby recylce hangers? Use a wooden plank and attach wooden hangers to the plank upside down.
This allows the hooks of the hangers to be facing outward. You can hang your coat or hat from the hooks. It’s a unique and functional idea.
30. Hold My Scarf
Scarves are a necessity whether it be for fashion or trying to stay warm in cold weather. I use hangers to keep my scarves organized.
It’s easy to do, and you’ll be glad you can recycle hangers to work for you in this way. Drape the scarves over the center part of the hanger. Secure them to the hanger with a clothespin.
31. Your Future is Bright
Do you have multiple pairs of sunglasses? I say, “Lucky you!” if you answered yes. If you have them, you should take care of them.
It isn’t difficult. Close the sunglasses only leaving one of the earpieces extended. Swing it over the rod in the center of the hanger and close it. This will allow you sunglasses to hang on the hanger closed but still allowing you to see your options.
32. DIY Paper Towel Holder
Most people use paper towels. If you use them, you should have a way to make them easily accessible without taking up excess space.
Do this by detaching one end of the rod on a plastic or wire hanger. This allows you to easily slip the roll of paper towels on and off the hanger with little effort.
33. Extend Your Arm
I hate when I drop things and can’t reach them. It’s frustrating and can be painful at times when you overextend your arms trying to reach the item out of reach.
Next time open a wire hanger fully. Use it as an extension to your arm to reach whatever you dropped and has fallen out of reach.
You now have 33 different ways to recycle hangers and use the extra ones hanging in your closet. Don’t let them go to waste or take up extra space you don’t have to give up.
Utilizing what you have is a great way to lead a zero-waste life and can simplify your life tremendously.
