The Best Way To Hang A Sweater
You’ve probably already noticed from the photographic evidence all over my blog, but I tend to wear a lot of sweaters. Over the past few years, I’ve definitely developed something of a fixation on cardigans specifically, and I have more than a few of them as you can see!
But today’s post isn’t just about my passion for sweaters — it’s about solving an annoying, all-too-common sweater storage problem.
I prefer hanging sweaters and cardigans in my closet because it’s easier to see all my options, but the hangers tend to leave behind unsightly shoulder bumps, or the sweaters get stretched out by gravity (or both!) But I knew there had to be a solution, one that hopefully wouldn’t require me to relocate all my sweaters!
Related: 25 Quick And Clever Solutions For Your Clothing Catastrophes
Hanging Sweaters Without Stretching Or Shoulder Bumps
While searching around online, I came across an intriguing way to hang a sweater that involved folding it first, and it turned out to be the perfect solution to my problem!
Related: 7 Clothing Items You Should Always Hang (And 6 To Fold Instead)
I call it the “hang-fold” method, for lack of a better name, and it has saved many of my newer sweaters from meeting the same lumpy, bumpy state of ruin as the others. This has done the trick for me with all my sweaters — wool, cashmere, cardigans, and even hoodies!
Hanging sweaters with this method is one of the easiest ways to avoid unsightly shoulder bumps, sleeve stretching, and other common sweater woes. Here’s how to do it:
How To Hang A Sweater (So It Keeps Its Shape)
Step 1: Fold your sweater in half with the sleeves together.
Step 2: Position the hanger so that the hook sits in the gap between the sleeves and the sides.
Step 3: Fold the body of the sweater over one of the sloped sides of the hanger.
Step 4: Fold the sleeves over the other sloped side of the hanger, then hang it up in your closet.
Related: How To Make Hangers Non-Slip
Now give yourself a big pat on the back, because you’ve just mastered the art of hanging a sweater! :-)
More Ideas You'll Love
If you have limited drawer space or don’t like digging through piles of clothes, give this trick a try! It’s sure to come in handy when you start storing your sweaters away when the weather warms up!
A Brief Note About My Sweaters
Because I’ve gotten so many questions about them, I thought I’d quickly tell you about my sweater preferences here. If you’ve noticed that all my sweaters look pretty similar, it’s because they are! :-)
The majority of my collection consists of one style: the classic cotton sweater from J. Crew Factory (previously called the Caryn sweater). They come in a variety of colors, they’re super soft, and as long as you wash them gently and let them air dry, they look like new for a long time!
Have you ended up with a misshapen sweater after hanging it in your closet?
How To Hang A Sweater
Equipment
- Hanger
Ingredients
- Sweater
Instructions
- Fold the sweater in half with the sleeves together.
- Position the hanger with the hook in the gap between the sleeves and the sides of your sweater.
- Fold the body of the sweater over one of the sloped sides of the hanger.
- Fold the sleeves over the other sloped side.
Your hanging method is pure genius! I don’t have many sweaters that I can hang, since mine are of the big wooly mammoth sort and some Icelandic handknits I’ve made, but that would be a wonderful method for hanging long-sleeved winter T-shirts and jerseys too! Excellent tip! Thanks!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I keep my sweaters folded in an armoire but when I steam them and want to get them ready to wear the next day or whatever I don’t know what I should do with it. I usually put it on a hanger, then I end up with the shoulders all puckered! This is a great idea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t have the patiance to do all that to hang a sweater. I just use one of my plastic hangers and then when I take it off of the hanger and put it on…I’ll look in the mirror in bathroom. If I see the bumps, I will take the time to get a wet washicloth slightly warm, and put on the shoulders. By the time I’m ready to go about my business, the wet shoulder bumps are no longerthere. And they (bumps) are gone for all day!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you for reposting this. I have all my sweaters literally thrown over the top of the hang bar right now not knowing how else to avoid hanger bumps.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Good morning – I do not dry a lot of my clothing; my question is how do you hang to dry without getting the shoulder bumps.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.best thing is to dry them flat on a big towel
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Good morning – thanks for your reply. Sunday is my laundry day and my shower rod is full of stuff I do not dry. Where do you find room to lay everything flat?
Hi, Jillee! I love cardigans, too, but find it extremely difficult to find ones that don’t go down practically to the knee! I’m plus size, and when I where anything so long, it looks like I’m wearing a tent! I see you have shorter ones. Would you share where you get them? Thanks so much! ~Pat
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks Pat. I get most of my cardigans at J. Crew. You can click on the links below to see some of my favorites. :-)
https://bit.ly/2S8tcdt
https://bit.ly/3x4bbf3
https://bit.ly/2RtZG1c
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Doesn’t the sweater retain a vertical center line down the back by folding in half? Otherwise, love the Jillie hang-folding sweater hack! I’m an avid follower, appreciate all your tips, and I post most of them on my Pinterest boards.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Nope! No line in the back! As long as your sweaters are dry before you hang them, they’ll be perfect :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I tried folding my sweaters this way but I don’t have enough closet space as they take up too much room. Am considering buying pool tubes, cutting them down to fit each side of the hanger. Then slit tube to center & place on hanger. This is supposed to attain the same results.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Read the comment I just left for Sandy…I think it will work for you, too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Re: discount code-i signed up for newsletter for jcrews FACTORY and received a code for15% off total order. It is a one time use. This is second code I received because 1st one didn’t work at the factory site where the link for sweaters take you. I ordered 3 of them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I placed an order for 4 of the J. Crew cardigans you recommended. I generally don’t like to do online ordering as I need to try clothing on to fit properly. When I put in the coupon code you mentioned SQUEAKY, it was rejected. Is this a current blog or an older one. I won’t place the order without the coupon. It seemed like a great deal. And btw I enjoy all of your tips Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry Margaret – no promo code, but they are 50% off, and you can get an extra 15% off by signing up for their email list :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like your hang fold method. also over the years I have picked up some of those stuffed hangers that hold sweaters beautifully. If not enough closet space you can even put 2-3 per hanger. Not great for when you’re in a hurry but it sure does the job. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I tried this, but it almost tripled the amount of room the sweater takes on the rod. I love the idea, and am trying to figure out what to do about the space they take.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Try doing this trick but on those cascading hangers. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. And somewhere Jillee has a post on making her own version of those so you wouldn’t have to buy any! Good luck!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like cardigans too. Recently I purchased a lot of pullover sweaters for $3 each. I ironed on a 3″ strip of interfacing down the center front. Before doing this I marked the center of this strip. I cut up the center and then hemmed the raw edges with a zigzag stitch. Now I have some wonderful cardigans.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hey Linda, I would love to see how they look.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.sounds like a fantastic idea.
Unfortunately I stink at photography and posting photos on line.
I wear many knit tops and I think your method of hanging sweaters will work for knit tops too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This comes under the ‘why didn’t I think of that’ category….. thanks Jillee :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m:glad you re-posted this. I was trying to remember how to do this. Jillee style is very similar to mine. I have lots of sweaters. I also love cardigans because they are so practical and great fun layering.. Where I live it can get hot and humid in the summertime, but you almost need a sweater inside sometimes when the air conditioner is cranked up
Please log in or create a free account to comment.They are the best! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve been using this method for years. but take it one step further. Tuck the sleeve and body into the triangular part of the hanger and behind the long bottom part so that it doesn’t have a tendency to slip off. Makes it much more secure.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for sharing this most interesting and effective way to hang your sweaters safely. Sadly the promotion code at J.Crew did not work. Thanks for trying.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry Wendy – no promo code, but they are 50% off, and you can get an extra 15% off by signing up for their email list :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi. I tried the Promotional Code and it is not working. Any thoughts?? Thank you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.me too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry Estelle – no promo code, but they are 50% off, and you can get an extra 15% off by signing up for their email list :-)
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