CLEVER WAYS TO UPCYCLE HANGERS

Hangers can come in all different materials like wood and plastic but the original hanger was made of wire. Todays wire coat hanger was inspired by a clothes hook patented in 1869 by O A North of New Britain Connecticut (click to learn more).

Here's a riddle for you: What uses the same amount of steel each year as 60,000 cars?

You may be surprised to learn the answer: 3.5 billion dry-cleaner wire hangers, which nearly all consumers toss in the trash. (Hanging On: The Impact Of Your Wire Hangers by Leah Ingram)

Stop throwing them away! Here's a list to help you do that...

Create a Wall Mounted Coat Rack

Use Hangers to Hang Other Things Besides Clothing:

Books/Magazines

Paper Towels in the Kitchen

DIY Add Shower Curtain Rings to Hold Scarves

Reshape to Hold Toilet Paper (Invented by Studio Stallinga)

Reshape to Hold your Flip Flops

Turn Upside Down for Instant Towel Hooks

Hold Up Art (Idea via an '08 edition of O at Home Magazine)

Hold Up Recipes While Cooking

Wire Topiary

Plant Markers

Campfire Roasting Sticks

DIY Neon Nonslip Hangers

Add Little Hooks and Organize Jewelry

Laundry Room Wall Art (As done by designer Matthew Mead)

Construct Unique Lighting Fixtures:

"Hangeliers" by Organelle Design

Wire Hangers Lamps by 101 Design Studio

Make Chairs?
Coat hanger chair by Style My Life

Coat Check Chair by Joey Zeledón

Hanger Chair by Vanessa Marie Robinson

Ever wondered how hangers first came to be? Read all about that here:
The Clothes Hanger - From Wire To Plastic by the "Origins of Everyday Things" blog.