Cheap Plastic Hangers Are Cheap Plastic Hangers, Right?

Well, not exactly.

Believe it or not, there are actually some big differences among the many types of plastic hangers that are available.

How do I know?

Because moments ago, I finished switching out every single plastic hanger on Jim’s side of the closet for a similar (but different) type of plastic hanger.

Here’s the scoop…

Jim prefers to use those cheap plastic hangers that you can buy at the store.  But they’re really not all that cheap, if you ask me. On a good day, you can find ’em 10 for $1 (…I said ‘a good day’). That’s not so bad, but those aren’t exactly the ones I’m talking about.

Jim likes the really thick heavyweight plastic ones, so they cost a bit more. (Today I got some for $1.14 for 4 from Walmart.)

For Jim, the #1 requirement is this:

A hanger cannot have any kind of hook-y thing across the shoulder area.

Why?

Because guys aren’t so careful when they’re yanking a shirt off the hanger. (At least Jim isn’t.) I can’t tell you how many of his new shirts have gotten tiny little holes in the neck or shoulder area after they got “stuck” on that little hook as Jim was attempting to tug the shirt off the hanger — usually from a distance. (You know… one foot in the bathroom, the other foot in the closet, and one arm reaching  — very very far — to the top shelf of the closet to grab a shirt and go.)

And in case you couldn’t tell, we hang EVERYTHING — even T-shirts. We don’t have drawers or dressers in our bedroom or closet at all. Okay, one small one for the undergarments. But that’s the only thing we don’t hang… and socks.

 

I, on the other hand, actually prefer freebie hand-me-down hangers that department stores use to hang and display clothing.

Kohl’s is notorious for giving you as many of them as you want. Macy’s too.

I’m not talking about any type of bendable plastic hanger, but rather the ones that are almost glass-like plastic hangers. (Which is actually one of their downsides: if you accidently step on one, it’s a goner. They break fairly easily.)

So when they’re FREE, I have no problem removing the L/XL tag from the neck of the hanger when I get home. (Ahem… that also makes them “green” right?! Yet another good reason to choose this — or any — type of hand-me-down hangers!)

Mostly, I like the way the thick plastic store hangers (with the metal necks) drape your clothes quite naturally. You don’t get those pointy shoulders with the store hangers. Instead, the shoulders of my shirts are nicely rounded every time.

 

Does anyone else out there take cheap hangers as seriously as we do? I doubt it. But sometimes it’s just the little things that make all the difference. And when you find something you like, you just stick with it. Right?

And no more tiny holes in Jim’s shirts… Well, that’s a plus too.