Every time you move the hangers in your closet, a piece of clothing falls to the floor. And what about those slippery, strappy numbers…how can they possibly stay where they belong? Don’t buy any special hangers yet. Repurpose some common household items like these…

For thin straps that won’t stay on: Grab two thick rubber bands and wrap them around the ends of your plain hangers. Place the straps on the inside of the bands, and they won’t go anywhere! You can also do this with binder clips…anything that keeps those straps where they belong.

For silky sleeved blouses or sweaters: Wrap felt around your hangers or grab some pipe cleaners. You can still find pipe cleaners in craft and some hardware stores. Just wrap them around the ends of your hangers, hiding the sharp ends under your wrap like this. Keep wrapping until your hanger edge is uniformly covered, and repeat on the other side. (Click here to see more.) This works great for silk blouses or slippery sweaters…pretty much any top that likes to slide.

And this is a great way to ensure that just-ironed items keep their shape. It’s also a smart way to recycle those wire hangers that stack up from the dry cleaners: Did you just iron your beautiful silk blouse or linen jacket and have no padded hangers to spare? Don’t despair! Take a cardboard tube (from a roll of paper towels, plastic wrap, foil or gift wrap), and cut a slit all the way across lengthwise. Cut the tube in half or in sections (depending on how big your tube is) to fit the sides of whatever hanger you have available (we always have plenty of wire hangers around). Slip the slit tube sections on the hanger, and hang any just-ironed linen or delicate article of clothing that’s likely to crease. All you have to do is remember to save those empty cardboard tubes! You can also use bubble wrap. Just wrap around the wire ends and cut to fit. Tape to keep it in place and voila, free padded hanger.

Here’s a bonus tip for scarves: Roll silk scarves around one of those empty cardboard tubes. This is a great way to keep your favorite fashion scarves wrinkle-free when traveling.

Thanks to RealSimple.com and InMyOwnStyle.com for help with this tip.

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