When decluttering, you may focus on what you think is the actual clutter you want to purge from your home. But many people forget about the other items taking up necessary space in your home - like the things that hold your clutter - which is why it’s worth knowing what to do with old hangers after decluttering.
Yes, if you’ve recently decluttered your wardrobe and found yourself with a mountain of hangers, you’re not alone. I recently tried out the Project 333 wardrobe decluttering method, and while this drastically reduced the amount of cluttered clothing in my wardrobe, it also left me with a lot of spare hangers that I no longer need or want, taking up valuable space in my bedroom.
However, throwing metal, plastic, wooden, or even silk hangers into your general waste bin can contribute to unnecessary landfill, hurting the planet in the process. That’s why it’s always a good idea to repurpose or recycle old hangers after decluttering - and I’ve spoken to storage and decluttering experts to explain your 5 options.
1. Donate them to a charity shop
Whether you’ve recently donated a load of clothes or just re-organised a small wardrobe with the help of these Vacuum Compression Zipper Storage Bags from Amazon, the best thing you can do is give your old hangers a second chance at life. So, head to your nearest charity shop and see if they would be willing to accept yours.
Kudzai Chinembiri from Love Energy Savings says, ‘One of the simplest ways to recycle old hangers is by donating them. Most charity shops gladly accept used hangers, especially if you're also donating clothes.’ She adds, ‘Additionally, you can check local community centres or churches to see if they accept hanger donations.’
Just make sure that the hangers are in good shape before you donate them, as broken or damaged hangers won’t be much use to them. It’s also worth double-checking with the charity shop that they do actually need the hangers before you dump a load of them on their doorstep.
2. Repurpose them into something useful
It can be hard to let go of useful things sometimes, so we wouldn’t blame you if you’d rather repurpose old hangers into something you can use elsewhere. And if you have spare wire hangers lying around, you’ll be happy to know that these are the easiest to repurpose - mostly because they’re so pliable and can be easily bent into any shape you like.
The easiest hanger hack? Use them as they’re intended! But instead of using hangers to store and organise clothes, use them to hang other things in your house - like the kitchen roll in your utility room, the scarves on the back of your door, or even the necklaces that always get tangled on your dressing table.
If you want to make a real feature of your old hanger, like in the picture above, you could choose decorative hardware like these Glass/Metal Knobs from Sostrene Grene to add some visual appeal. You can also use trouser hangers with clips to create a gallery wall. Simply attach your print of choice to the clips, and hang the hanger hook on the wall!
3. Take them to your local supermarket
Next time you head off to do your weekly food shop, it might be worth taking your old hangers, too. That’s because many supermarkets and high street clothing shops will now take back your old hangers for free. In fact, some shops like Tesco and Matalan are so committed to reducing waste that they’re not charging customers who want to take clothes hangers home with them when they buy clothing.
In most cases, supermarkets like Tesco and Asda will have their own dedicated clothes hangers recycling bins - and you’ll typically find these either near the till or within the clothing section.
Marks & Spencer can also help if you’re unsure what to do with old hangers after decluttering. Their website says, ‘M&S currently operates a closed loop hanger recycling programme where c.25% of the volume received in the reuse centre is sent back to garment suppliers and the balance is recycled to be made into new hangers.’
All you need to do is hang your hangers over to a member of staff at any till point to do this. But as Hester Van Hien, a Home Decluttering and Organising Consultant from Tidylicious, warns, ‘As it's usually only the larger stores that accept items for recycling, you might want to check with your local store before taking all your hangers there.’
4. Recycle them
Although we’d always suggest donating your old hangers or taking them to a proper hanger recycling scheme, we understand that this isn’t always possible. But as Sophia Lorimer, Sustainable Stylist and the founder of Fine-Tuned Wardrobe, explains, ‘Plastic hangers can be recycled at your local recycling centre and wire ones can also be recycled for scrap metal.’
Of course, this is dependent on your local council, as some local authorities have rules and regulations when it comes to what you can and can’t recycle. For example, it may not be possible to put treated wooden hangers in your recycling bin, and you may have to remove the wire hook from other clothes hangers before popping them in your recycling bin.
If in doubt, contact your local council - and in some cases, you may find that your local tip has a dedicated hanger recycling bin so they’ll do the hard work for you.
5. In future, don’t accept them!
Most of the time, having spare hangers isn’t just the result of decluttering. It can also be the result of buying new clothes and simply accepting the hanger as part of the purchase. But if you want to prevent a build-up of excess hangers in the future, don’t accept them!
Kudzai says, ‘Ultimately, the best way to reduce any waste on hangers is to minimise the amount of hangers you own. You can do this by declining them when you’re shopping and opting to shop at more sustainable brands.’
You can also make the most of efficient wardrobe storage solutions to prevent this, too - even if you have to buy hangers for more clothes in the future. Hangers like these Argos Home Set of 30 Velvet Flocked Hangers could be the key.
‘For most clothes, I recommend to use slimline velvet hangers as they’re so versatile,’ explains Hester. ‘They’re non-slip, they’re slim, so don’t take up much space, they usually have an indent for straps to make them even more non-slip, and most have a horizontal bar for items such as trousers and belts.’
While the Ideal Home team loves the Lakeland Foldable Hanger Storage Bag, it's constantly out of stock. Thankfully, this Amazon alternative is just as good - and it's cheaper. So, any spare hangers you do want to keep for those 'just in case' moments can have a home away from your wardrobe.
£9 for 25 hangers?! What a bargain. These velvet hangers are both space-saving and effective, as your clothes won't slip off. Plus, they're the perfect alternative to your old, broken hangers. Just make sure you don't buy more than you actually need, so they don't waste unnecessary space in your clutter-free wardrobe.
If you want to repurpose your old hangers and hang them from a wall, these transparent hooks are a worthwhile investment. They'll blend seamlessly into the wall, but can safely carry up to 900g of weight each. So, grab your kitchen roll or artsy prints and get hanging.
FAQs
Should I throw away hangers?
Instead of simply throwing hangers in the bin, find alternative ways to recycle or repurpose them. It may be that you need to think outside of the box and bend the rules (or the hangers themselves) to use them elsewhere in the house, or it may be that you can donate them to a charity shop.
Many supermarkets and high street shops will accept old hangers free of charge for recycling, but if you want to recycle them yourself you can pop them in your recycling bin (subject to local council requirements) or head to your local tip to get rid of them.
How many extra hangers should you have?
As well as having enough hangers for your clothes, it’s also handy to have some spare - just in case you plan on buying new clothes or will be hosting guests. In this case, it’s best to have around 10 hangers more than you need. This will accommodate any eventuality, but just remember to get rid of spare hangers if you accumulate more than that.
So, what will you be doing with your old hangers after decluttering? And if you're struggling to ditch old clothes in the first place, it might be worth checking out the reverse hanger decluttering method to free up these spare hangers.
