Genius Uses for Your Extra Coat Hangers
Updated: Oct. 27, 2021
Double your closet space, remove static electricity from your clothes, make a 30-second iPad holder and more extraordinary uses for your extra hangers.
Double your closet space
Slip an aluminum can tab around the hook of one hanger, and hang a second hanger from it. You’ve just doubled your closet space for the price of a soda. And here’s how to keep your closet neat and organized.
Defeat static electricity
Glide the long end of a metal hanger over your clothes to dispel the annoying static electricity lurking there. Keep one near your washer/dryer, and maybe another near your blow-dryer; this trick also works on removing static from your hair!
Store magazines without losing your place
Not quite done with that issue of Reader’s Digest? Drape it over a coat hanger at the page you want to continue on later and solve two problems at once! If your closet is too full, hang your magazine where you’ll really need them: the bathroom.
Close your hotel drapes
Every hotel is guaranteed to have two things: a closet full of clothes hangers, and curtains that refuse to close all the way. Combine the two by clipping the curtains together with a sideways pants hanger, and enjoy your uninterrupted snooze. Check out these secrets hotel desk clerks won’t tell you.
Make an instant book/iPad/phone holder
With a few strategic twists and 60 seconds of effort, you can create a standalone caddy for hands-free reading, watching, listening, and pretty much any other verb you can do on a tablet. Watch this ingenious one-minute video for the steps.
Double your towel space
Flipped over so the hook hangs toward the floor, a hanger offers two spaces to hang bathroom linens: one draped over the top, the other hanging from the hook. Pick a nice wooden hanger to add some rustic chic.
Organize your flip-flops
Using a pair of pliers or wire cutters, snip away the bottom section of a wire hanger, then bend both loose ends up into elegant curves. Each side will hold one flip-flop or lightweight shoe. Feel free to spray paint the hanger your favorite color to class-up your DIY organizer. For further instructions and style ideas, check out epbot.com.
Blow giant bubbles
Mold the body of the hanger into a big circle and bend the hook closed to form a handle. Cover the point where the body and hook intersect with masking or duct tape to make sure there are no gaps in the ring. Dip the circle into a tray of bubble solution and prepare to blow a kid’s mind.
Hold recipes hands-free
Using a plastic clothes hanger with clamps on either side, hang the hook around a kitchen cabinet knob. Open your recipe book or web printout to the desired page, and close the hanger’s clamps around it on either side. You now have a hovering recipe stand.
Keep clothes from slipping
Wrap colorful pipe-cleaners around the bottom curves of a clothes hanger to keep your light clothing from sliding off onto the floor. Color code the hangers based on the type of clothing for bonus utility.
Organize your jewelry
By adding a few extra screw-in hooks around the inside of a wooden hanger, you can make an easy and portable jewelry hanger. Here’s how you can use a spare sock to store jewelry when you travel.
Extend your reach
Pick up a wire hanger that twists at the neck—then, untwist the neck. You now have three feet of metal with a hooked end, perfect for retrieving items dropped behind couches, dressers, beds, stoves, and what have you.
Unclog your drain
Straighten the wire hanger as well as possible, including the hooked end. Now, re-bend the end into as small of a hook as you can; the smaller, the easier it can fit into the narrow spaces of your bathtub drain. Use the hanger to fish out clogged hair and other debris from your bath, shower, or sink. Here are more tips for cleaning a clogged sink.
Hang baseball hats from a bunk bed
Know a kid sleeping in the bottom bunk? A few simple twists of a wire hanger make a perfect bunk-mounted hat rack.
Make an instant paper towel holder
This is a great hack if you’ve just moved and are still unpacking. Using pliers or a multi-tool, snip the bottom middle point of a wire hanger and bend the frame into a square shape. Leave a gap between the separated point to slot your paper towel roll in. For go-getters, here’s how the fancy-pantses on Pinterest do it.
Roast marshmallows
Unbend the hook or snip away a piece of the bottom to create an instant marshmallow roaster, easy to recover after making a gooey masterpiece.
Hold a potted plant
Cut off a section of wire, loop it around your plant pot of choice, add several tight twists to hold the shape, then bend the loose ends into a hook for dangling over your fence. Follow this Pinterest craftsman’s lead for details.
