Clothing retailers, clothing consigners, and clothing cleaners all use hangers. While some do not think much about the type of hangers they use, hangers are a very important aspect to the sale. Hangers determine how the clothing hangs and how it looks to the consumer. It is important to choose hangers that will give your items the best look. It is also essential to choose the proper hanger size and style that will keep your clothing on the hanger and off the floor.

Plastic hangers, wire hangers, wooden hangers and specialty set hangers make up the hangers basics. When determining which type of hanger will work best for your business, think about the following:

1. How many different sizes of clothing will need hangers?

2. What is the primary type of clothing that will be on the hangers?

3. What type of rack will hold the hangers?

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Use plastic for your retail hangers

Many department stores use plastic hangers for their clothing line. Hard plastic hangers hold their shape more effectively than wire hangers. The hangers do not bend. However, they do break under pressure. Plastic hangers typically have more options than wire hangers. They are available in more styles and sizes. Consider padded hangers for finer materials such as silk.

I recommend: Henry Hanger offers tips on choosing the right hanger. See the benefits of using plastic hangers at Home.

Consider wire hangers for space saving

Wire hangers have been around since the early 1900s. Dry cleaners and consignment stores often prefer wire clothes hangers. The hanging hook on wire hangers is thinner than plastic hangers, so for less bulk, hangers take up less space on a rack and owners can fit more items onto a rack. Dry cleaners often use wire hangers with paper covers over the base triangle of the hanger where they can have their company logo printed.

I recommend: Discover uses for leftover wire hangers from Fred's Head. Design Boom gives a brief history of wire hangers.

Use set hangers for multiple items

Especially in children's clothing, many sets come with a top and bottom, so for childrens hangers, business needs vary. For hanging these items, whether in retail or wholesale, hangers in sets come in handy. Some hanger sets include a shirt hanger as the primary hanger and a pants hanger attachment that goes over the neck hook of the shirt hanger. Most set hangers are plastic with metal pieces that clip over pants. Other set hangers are a base with multiple hanging clips along the trunk. Many use them for hanging multiple baby items as a set.

I recommend: Read the reviews from others about hangers from Buzzillions. Galttech offers advice on which hangers work best with certain materials.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  While it is important to use hangers that hold the clothing, do not get too complicated. Choose a hanger type that is easy for customers when trying on clothing. You do not want to lose a sale because a customer could not get the clothing off the hanger.

Joan Crawford may have hated wire hangers, but clothes hangers are an important part of taking care of clothing, whether presenting it for sale or storing it for short or long periods. Properly hung, clothes will keep their shape and look fresh, without wrinkles, creases or torn seams.

Hangers also permit you to organize clothes as clothing items. Suits can be hung with suits, dresses with dresses, shirts with shirts, and with the right labeling, a man wearing a size 46 suit and a woman wearing a size 8 dress can comb through a clothier’s selections to find just the outfits they want.

Hangers can be made of wood, metal or plastic and their uses are as follows:

1. Wood hangers to display men’s and women’s suits and topcoats.

2. Plastic hangers provide economical storage and organization for shirts, dresses and pants.

3. Metal hangers include wire hangers found at the cleaner’s, as well as larger hangers for hanging draperies and bedspreads for display or storage.

4. Specialty hangers can include smaller hangers for children’s clothing, as well as satin-lined and padded hangers for lingerie and other delicate garments, and round hangers for bikinis.

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Don't knock the look of wooden hangers

Wood hangers are the best at keeping a garment's shape, particularly suits and heavy coats. A good wood hanger can add to a tailored suit's eye appeal.

I recommend: Hangers Direct manufactures wood hangers with a natural finish or a walnut finish with either chrome or brass accents. Clothes Hangers offers the same choices in wholesale hangers, along with black, white and pink finishes.

Hang up your clothes, young man

Children wear a number of clothing sizes as they grow up; the children's hangers business is as brisk as that in children's clothes themselves, with styles to match the clothes and features like clips and notches to keep the clothes on the hanger and off the floor.

I recommend: Hangers Direct owns the children’s hangers business with wooden and plastic hangers for infant, toddler and children’s clothes. Trio Display and Closet Hanger Factory also deal in wholesale and retail hangers for children’s clothes.

Display your clothes in style with specialty hangers

Not every piece of clothing fits neatly on a standard hanger. Sometimes the hanger has to adapt to the clothes, either with a special shape or with linings to protect and keep fine lingerie in place.

I recommend: Closet Hanger Factory offers both satin hangers for fine garments and fabric-covered wire glam hangers designed to add glitz to fancy dresses while keeping them in place, as well as an assortment of specialty hangers for neckties, swimwear, draperies and bedding. Clothes Hangers offers hangers for ties, belts and scarves, as well as car coathangers.

Accessorize your hangers

By themselves, quality hangers can add to the eye appeal of quality clothing, but they can also display size information so your customers know what they're buying or your company logo so they can continue to sell your products in your customers' closets.

I recommend: In addition to its bulk hangers sales, Gershel Brothers offers round and rectangular size dividers to group clothes by size, as well as wraparound markers and hanger stackers to keep your empty hangers organized and at the ready. Hangers Direct lets you personalize your hangers with a custom design or your store logo.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Place like hangers together, wood hangers with wood hangers, plastic with plastic, metal with metal, and use wooden hangers only where there is sufficient space to allow for their bulk. This will produce an attractive, eye-catching display.

Clothing stores need a variety of retail hangers to properly display their merchandise. The best and most effective organization of clothing items is to hang them on a rack of some sort, so that consumers can easily examine the products available. Hanging clothes also minimizes the cleanup, since hung items don’t have to be refolded or stacked after a shopping day.

There are several types of hangers for stores to use, such as shirt hangers, hangers for pants and children's hangers. Business owners should purchase hangers in bulk, as the more you purchase, the better discount manufacturers provide. Business owners should compare hangers pricing and costs based upon the following types of hangers:

1. Use wood hangers to retain the shape of large, bulky garments.

2. Businesses that go through a lot of hangers, such as dry cleaners, should consider wire hangers for cost savings.

3. Plastic hangers are great for women’s clothing stores.

4. Stores that sell delicate items should consider the investment benefits of padded hangers.

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Keep suits in top condition with wood hangers

Wooden hangers are stronger than others and, therefore, can easily hold large bulky items and retain their shape without strain. Individual hangers range from $5 to $7, or you can buy them in bulk. Many distributors sell them in sets of 20-to-25 for $27-to-$40.

I recommend: Purchase up to 100 natural wood clothes hangers bulk or individually based upon your needs from Only Hangers. Choose from a wide variety of wooden hangers at Nu-Era.

Purchase metal hangers in bulk to save on expenses

Dry cleaners and similar businesses constantly have to replace hangers. Purchasing inexpensive styles, like wire hangers, in bulk quantities saves a lot of money. You can get up to 500 wire hangers for anywhere from $20 to $50, depending on the size, color and style.

I recommend: Purchase bulk wire hangers from TopLineOutlet. Contact a sales rep or find a distributor in your area to obtain industrial and dry cleaning wire hangers from M & B Hangers.

Gain diversity for a variety of items with plastic clothes hangers

Department and clothing stores that sell large quantities of clothing need a type of hanger that is universal for a variety of clothing products, such as plastic hangers. Obtain boxes of 100 for $24-to-$115, depending on the brand and style.

I recommend: National Hangar Supply provides a variety of plastic hangers and discounted rates, such as a box of 100 traditional top hangers for less than $30. In comparison, Great American Hanger prides itself on top-quality, durable hangers, and that shows in the price difference, with a box of 100 priced at about $100.

Hang delicate items with specialty wholesale hangers

Delicate items, such as lingerie, sweaters and formal wear often require specialty hangers with padding to prevent damage. Padded satin hangers are about $4-to-$15 each, depending on the style. Additionally, dressed up hangers, such as beaded glam hangers, draw more attention to the clothes you sell. These hangers typically cost $20-to-$25 each.

I recommend: Choose from a wide variety of padded hangers at The Container Store. Pick the color Glam Hanger you desire from the Closet Hanger Factory.

Hangers hang clothes, but there are many different types. Some take up more room in closets than others. If you want to go beyond basic and learn more about hangers, get a basic understanding of some key terms that can help you distinguish hanger types.

Knowing hanger details and being familiar with key terms is beneficial to anyone who deals in clothes, whether it be a salesman, a shop owner or even a dry cleaner.

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Scarf hanger

A scarf hanger is a special hanger that allows scarves to be hung vertically, in order to keep them neat and prevent them from getting snagged on clothes or zippers.

I recommend: At Organize.com, you can see what an empty 10 hole scarf hanger looks like. This site also shows a scarf spinner, which is a different type of scarf hanger.

Belt hanger

A belt hanger is the simple solution to keep belts straight in a closet versus having them rolled up in a drawer.

I recommend: At HangerCity.com, you can see a picture of a belt hanger.

Tie hangers

Tie hangers either have a motorized, cedar, peg board or hook racks keeping your ties straight and organized.

I recommend: At Stacks and Stacks, you can see examples of tie hangers in every style possible from motorized to cedar to hook racks.

Cedar hangers

Cedar hangers are usually made out of 100% cedar wood and are good for keeping a closet smelling fresh.

I recommend: At The Container Store, you can see what cedar hangers look like. You can also learn how to refresh them.

Car coat hanger

It may be a unknown term, but car coat hangers are the hangers that you can hang a jacket or coat on and then attach to the back of a headrest to keep the coat or jacket wrinkle free.

I recommend: Visit HangersDirect to see examples of car coat hangers.

Salesman hangers

A salesman hanger is a strong, typically chrome hanger that is very space efficient. They are most likely seen during trade-shows that feature clothes or with garments that need to be transported.

I recommend: Go to Clothes Hangers to see a visual image of salesman hangers.