How to Hang Sweaters to Prevent Piling and Creases (+ All The Best Hangers)

The biggest problem with hanging sweaters is that the shoulders tend to pile. In this guide, I’m going to show you how to hang your sweaters to avoid that, and then I’ll recommend my favorite hangers to use on your sweaters.

3 Clever Ways to Hang Sweaters (And NOT Ruin Them)

How to Hang Sweaters on a Coat Hanger

First, I’ll teach you the fastest way to hang your sweater on a regular shirt hanger. This is a fast way that will remove any piling, but it may cause a slight crease or two around the chest area.

1. Place the sweater flat with the front facing up

Make sure you remove any creases and close all the buttons.

2. From side to side fold the sweater over in half

Make sure the side you folded first over overlaps the other side.

3. Place the hanger at the armpit with the hook facing down, fold the bottom up the bottom of the sweater

Make sure that the end of the hook is exactly over the corner of the armpit so the hanger, then fold up the bottom of the sweater so it folds over the entire top of the hanger.

4. Fold the arm down to over to overlap the bottom of the sweater

This should lock the sweater in place.

5. Lift the sweater and hang it

The sweater should now be secured in place, and you can place it in you closet.

How to Hang Sweaters to Avoid Wrinkles

This fold allows you to avoid any creases on your sweaters. You will need a paper and a coat hanger to perform this fold.

1. Place the sweater flat with the front facing up

Make sure you remove any creases.

2. Place an A4 paper in the middle of the sweater

This will add some stiffness to the area where the hanger will hold your sweater. It generally removes all the wrinkles that will be caused by hanging the sweater.

3. Fold both arms over from side to side in an X shape.

The second arm folded should completely overlap the first.

4. Fold both sides in 1/4 of the total width of the sweater so they meet in the middle

You can skip this step if your sweater fits inside your hanger without the folds. Otherwise, make sure that the folds are even.

5. From the bottom up, pull your coat-hanger up to the middle of the sweater

Hold on to the lose parts like the arms and folds from step 4. to ensure that they don’t unravel as you pull up the hanger.

6. Lift up the hanger, and place it in your wardrobe

It should last quite a long while since you placed the paper in the middle.

How to Hang Sweaters to Keep Them From Falling Off

This fold is great if your focus is on keeping the sweater from falling down. I have found that it slightly creases the sweater compared to the other folds though.

1. Place the sweater flat with the front facing up

Again, make sure you remove any creases, close all the buttons, and zip up all zippers.

2. From side to side fold the sweater over in half

Like in the first fold, make sure the side you folded first overlaps the other side.

3. Place the hanger near the armpit with the hook down, flip the bottom of the sweater inside the bottom of the hanger, and pull it all the way down

Make sure that the end of the hook is exactly over the corner of the armpit so the hanger. Pull the bottom as far up as you can, but try to avoid creasing the sweater too much.

4. Fold down the arms and pull them inside the hanger, it should overlap the lower part of the sweater inside the hanger.

Again, make sure the arm of the sweater doesn’t crease up too much.

5. Lift up the sweater and hang it in your closet

Feel free to give it a little shake while holding the hanger from the hook to lock the sweater in place

In case you would like to fold your sweaters, I have a guide for that too that may interest you.

Best Hangers For Sweaters

Sweaters are admittedly not easy to store. If you use the wrong hanger, the sweater will change its shape, start having bumps around the shoulders, or just take up more space than the actual size of the sweater. It’s a Catch-22 type of situation. If you want to maintain the shape of the sweater, you’ll have to use a large hanger that crowds the wardrobe. If you want to save space, you risk stretching the sweater.

I searched the market for the best hangers for sweaters so you don’t have to. Here’s what I came up with. The following list groups hangers by their best distinct features. Read more to find the best sweater hangers for your style, sweater materials, and budget.

Clothes Hangers: An Unusually Comprehensive Guide

Best Hangers to Save Space

Sweater hangers can either be a blessing or a curse. If you use the wrong ones, they would clutter the wardrobe and leave you no room for the rest of your clothes. If you try to squeeze in a hefty coat, you could ruin the sweaters. That’s where space-saving hangers come in. They maintain the shape and style of the sweaters while also accommodating other items of clothing.

Space-saving hangers are slim, elegant, and functional. They take care of the sweaters and allow you to maximize the available space in a small wardrobe. For the best hangers for sweaters that save space, I recommend any one of the following.

• Quality Hangers Clothes Hangers 50 Pack: These sleek hangers are slim and sturdy with a swivel hook. As thin as flocked hangers, they hold the sweater without twisting or crumbling the fabric. The swiveling hook makes moving and sliding the sweaters on the rod in the wardrobe much easier.
• Timmy Plastic Hangers with Non-Slip Pads: Timmy’s hangers go a step further to preserve the shape and fabric of the sweaters. They have non-slip pads that keep the sweaters in place. You can use them on both dry and wet sweaters. Their slim design lets you store more sweaters in a tiny space.

Best Affordable Velvet Hangers

The shape and size of the hanger are important but so is the material of the hanger. Plastic hangers have their advantages, but when it comes to sweaters, nothing beats velvet hangers. They’re gentle on the fabric, don’t cause bumps, and don’t cause much friction which accelerates the wear and tear of the sweaters.  

That said, velvet hangers are usually more costly than their plastic counterparts. And they tend to take up more space. They need a large wardrobe where the sweaters can hang comfortably without crowding each other. If you’re looking for affordable sweater velvet hangers, I recommend these hangers for you.

• SUPJOO Premium Velvet Hangers: Besides coming in a pack of 50 hangers, these premium velvet hangers have the shape and contours of the sweaters. This minimizes the changes to the shape of the sweater shoulders while putting little pressure on the fabric itself. Your sweaters will not be stretched or bent out of shape no matter how long you keep them hanging in the wardrobe.
• Amazon Basics Slim, Velvet, Non-Slip: The velvet coating keeps the sweaters in place while the metal frame gives the hangers durability. They’re soft and non-abrasive and at the same time, they are strong enough to handle the weight of the sweater without bending.  

Best No Bump Hangers

But it’s not just the material and space-saving qualities of the hanger that you should worry about. The shape of the hanger has to also conform to the natural shape of the sweater. Otherwise, you end up with the dreaded bumps. Between the neck and shoulder, a misshapen ridge appears and becomes a permanent feature of the sweater.

To avoid having these ugly bumps in your sweaters, then look for hangers that match the cut and design of the shoulders of the sweaters. These are usually hangers that arc and end with a gentle curve. I recommend the following hangers.

• IEOKE Velvet Clothes Hangers: The sloping angle of the hangers keeps the sweaters hanging comfortably without stretching, straining, or causing bumps in the shoulders. The non-slip velvet prevents creasing and sliding off which puts less strain on the points of contact in the sweater with the hanger.
• ESEOE Velvet Clothes Hangers: These hangers not only prevent bumps in sweaters, but they’re also ultra-thin which makes them good space savers in the wardrobe as well. The hangers have the right, contour, arc, and width to accommodate the sweater without stretching it or causing a ridge near the neck. They also come in a pack of 50 hangers to save you money.  

Best Value Hangers for Sweaters

So far we have been looking at hangers made of metal, plastic, and velvet. While these materials are an excellent choice for hangers for sweaters, they all come second to wood. Wooden hangers are sturdy and gentle on the fabric. They don’t interact with the colors, change the texture, or give the sweater a weird shape. Wooden hangers are the ideal choice if you value your sweater collection.

But wood is also quite pricey. It’s not easy to find a good pack of wooden sweaters that don’t cost you an arm or a leg. Or so you would think. I did some research and found the following wooden hangers for sweaters that won’t break the bank. 

• ZOBER High-Grade Wooden Hangers: These hangers come in a pack of 20 and have a smooth finish. You can hang your sweaters on them and keep them for months on end without worrying about changes to the fabric or any chemical interactions. The clear, varnished wood comes in various colors to suit all styles and tastes. They are sturdy and come with a 360-degree swivel chrome hook to make it easier to store the sweaters even in a cramped space.
• High-Grade Wide Shoulder Wooden Hangers: These hangers also from Zober go a step further and provide a bar to hang pants along with the sweaters. The wide shoulders fit inside the sweaters naturally and prevent bumps, stretches, and tears in the fabric.

Next, feel free to check out my on how to fold ALL your clothes.

3 Clever Ways to Fold Sweaters (and Save Space)