This Is The Only Way You Should Hang Your Sweaters

January 04, 2023

woman with blonde hair smiling at the camera and standing next to a rack of colorful cardigans that have been hang folded

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!

woman pointing to a bump in the shoulder of her pink sweater

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!

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!

woman looking through a rack of colorful cardigans that have been hang folded

Hanging sweaters with this method is one of the easiest ways to avoid unsightly shoulder bumps, sleeves stretching, and other common sweater woes. Here’s how to do it:

How To Hang A Sweater (So It Keeps Its Shape)

blue sweater being folded your sweater in half with the sleeves together

Step 1: Fold your sweater in half with the sleeves together.

blue sweater with a white hanger on top of it positioned so that the hook sits in the gap between the sleeves and the sides

Step 2: Position the hanger so that the hook sits in the gap between the sleeves and the sides.

blue sweater folded over one of the sloped sides of a white hanger

Step 3: Fold the body of the sweater over one of the sloped sides of the hanger.

blue sweater with sleeves folder over a white 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

rack of colorful cardigans that have been

Now give yourself a big pat on the back, because you’ve just mastered the art of hanging a sweater! :-)

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!

woman with blonde hair standing next to a rack of colorful cardigans that have been “hang folded”

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

Use this simple hang-fold method to hang sweaters in your closet without them getting stretched out or developing lumps or bumps.

Author Jill Nystul

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.

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