Maximize Your Closet Space with Slim Line Hangers

Do you have problems with closet storage space? Do you dread sorting through your clothes in the morning to get dressed? If you have been training with Olympic wrestlers just to be able to pull clothes out of your closet than this new type of hanger is for you. Closets in small apartments and older homes are often quite small and can seriously constrain your wardrobe. If you feel like you do not have enough space to store all the clothes you would like to wear throughout the year there is a solution. Slim line hangers can double or even triple the storage capacity of any closet. An organized wardrobe can save you time getting ready in the morning.

With a more streamlined look than traditional wooden hangers and a classier feel than metal or wire hangers the slim line hangers can turn a bursting at the seams wardrobe into a neat and tidy dressing environment. Their narrow design enables clothes to hang closer together while at the same time preserving their shape. Even at a ¼” width they are strong enough to hold heavy winter coats. They come in a regular size 17” length and a 12” length for childrens hangers.

Sifting through clothes when trying to decide what to wear is a daily chore. Often clothes end up falling off bulky plastic hangers as they get rifled through. The continuous clean up is frustrating and time consuming. An added feature of the slim line hanger is a velvety surface on top of the hanger. This can prevent even the daintiest garments, such as an evening dress or lingerie, from falling off the hanger.

Many people have more pants than shirts. One type of slim line hanger allows you to match up multiple pairs of pants with a single shirt. The slim line multi pant hanger provides hanging space for up to four pairs of pants. Another alternative is to add a hook to a regular hanger to hold another shirt.

Packs of ten can be purchased for around $10 dollars and they are available in a wide range of colors. The benefits of an organized wardrobe are huge. You will save hours of closet management time and eliminate one source of stress. From getting ready in the morning, when time is at a premium, to putting away clean laundry in the evening slim line hangers can make it easier.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of Everything Hangers, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.everythinghangers.com.

Three Accessories Your Retail Clothing Store Must Have

Retail clothing is a cut throat business. Your store needs to operate at peak performance to capture market share in your area. Employees perform thousands of small tasks each day, so it is crucial streamlined procedures are in place. Organizing you store so employees can work at maximum efficiency is equally important. These three tools can keep your store running like a well oiled retail machine, and prevent chaotic work flow. Here is how this modest investment can return thousands of dollars.

The hanger stacker is an absolute essential for any retail clothing store. This device is the best way to store extra hangers around your store. Its unique shape can accommodate all types of clothes hangers, and stores them in a way that prevents tangling. Most models can be purchased for less than $20. Place them at discreet locations around your store so employees will never have to go far to find or replace excess hangers. With hangers readily available your staff can remain on the sales floor by eliminating trips to the back room to retrieve and store hangers. Another great spot is behind the cashiers’ counters where clothes hangers are constantly piling up from customer purchases. With a hanger stacker you can move hundreds of hangers anywhere your store with ease.

If you are maximizing your stores capacity you probably have garments hung on walls and storage racks in high places. A hanger retriever can save employees hours of time over the course of the day by providing quick access to those hard to reach places. Hanger retrievers can be purchased between $18 to $20 dollars. An adjustable model gives a reach between three and five feet. With a hanger retriever there is no need to clutter your store with step stools and ladders.

The scourge of most fashion outlets is piles of clothes under garment racks. Clothes get bumped as customers move up and down the aisles and can easily fall off a hanger. Items lying on the floor can get walked on, dirty and damaged. This gives an atmosphere employees constantly have to pick up and re-hang items. Use of hanger covers can turn this into a thing of the past. Hanger covers are foam or rubber strips that can be slid on or stuck to any clothes hangers and increase the hanger garment friction ratio. An investment of 15 cents each can save your store thousands of dollars in damaged clothing, and provides a cleaner store presentation. Employees will save hours of labor and have more time to spend with customers.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of Everything Hangers, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.everythinghangers.com.

You Can Remodel Your Closet In One Day, Part 2

Now that you have got a plan you are ready for action. Solicit some help from a few choice friends you can work well and have a good time. If you know anyone who is project oriented that can be a huge plus. These people know how to get things done. They are used to taking large projects and breaking them into smaller tasks that can be tackled efficiently.

Meet at the hardware or home store as soon as it opens. Usually this is a quieter time for stores. If you wait till mid morning, especially on a Saturday, it can be hectic and you won’t be back with your materials till after lunch and may run out of time in the day to finish your project. Take your categorized shopping list and delegate part of it to each person. Stick to your list and don’t get side tracked looking at other interesting things. You are there to pick up your closet materials, not to plan a future project. Designate a meeting time at the checkout. Double check the materials to for size and quantity. When organizing your materials at the worksite they should be out of the way, but each item should be easily accessible. Putting everything in one pile can be frustrating when trying to find a specific item. You should now be ready to for the first phase, demolition.

Demolition: Put on your gloves and safety glasses. Be judicious with your use of force. The idea is to deconstruct your closet so that the surrounding walls are left in the best condition possible. Swinging wildly with a sledgehammer is likely to put a hole in a door or send debris flying through the window. Have one person do the demolition and the others form a bucket brigade to pass the wreckage out of the house. Remove all nails and screws that might be sticking out of the wall and thoroughly clean the area before starting to build.

Layout: Referring to your plans detail the closet layout on the closet walls. Measure off the floor where each shelf will go and use your level to scribe a line across the wall. Do this for the entire plan before starting any rebuilding. Draw vertical lines at the edges of each cabinet. At this time you may be able to make limited adjustments with shelving heights if you are unhappy with the layout. Next use the stud finder to locate and mark the center of each stud wherever you have layout lines. Studs will typically be found every 16”.

Construct: Start by installing any cabinets you have decided on. Transfer the stud layout to the cabinets and drill one hole towards the top of the box for each stud. While someone holds the cabinet on the layout lines screw it to the wall. Fasten adjacent cabinets together first with clamps then with shorter 1 ¼” screws to avoid blowing through the other side. Shelving may be held up by angle brackets, wood cleats, or plastic hanger clips. Since there will be a lot of weight on shelves and closet poles make sure all fasteners are driven into studs. With brackets in place you can measure up and cut your shelving. Follow the carpenter’s mantra, “measure twice, and cut once.” Measure up the front and the back of shelves since walls may be out of square.

Spackle up any damaged walls or holes you may have created during construction and pickup some classy matching wooden hangers to finish the project off.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of Everything Hangers, a leading online provider of clothes hangers and wooden hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.everythinghangers.com.

You Can Remodel Your Closet In One Day, Part 1

Are you unhappy with your closet setup? Does it appear to be designed for tiny elves or seven foot giants with shelves too low to the ground and others you can’t reach? Perhaps your closet just does not jive with your wardrobe or personal preferences and you are in need of a place to store your collection of thigh high boots or sports jerseys. If you think your closet was built by Satan then do not put up with it another day. You don’t have to be a professional builder to remodel your closet. With just a few tools, and techniques and the help of your partner and one or two friends you can fully renovate your closet to suit your exact needs in one day or less.

How can that be possible? The trick is in the planning. You must have a well thought out plan before you even start the construction. Here’s what you will need to do.

Take Measurements: Remove all clothes from closet and carefully measure all walls and ceiling height. Check that the measurements are consistent at the floor and ceiling, since walls may not be plumb or square. If there is a small discrepancy of ¼” it won’t make much difference. If things are out by ½” or more make note on your plans.

Draw up your plans: Create a scale (relatively) drawing of the space. The better your drawings the easier the construction will be. Think about what you would like in the closet. Consider your wardrobe needs. Do you need a lot of space for dresses and suits, or more shelves and racks for shoes and things you would like to store? You may want to take a trip to a hardware or home to see what is available. Closet shelving is typically 16” or 20” wide and comes in variable lengths which you can cut to whatever size necessary. Write down and measure all items you would like to include in your closet and all the sizes they come in. Once you have an idea of what you want draw it up. You should have a top down “plan” view of the closet, as well as side “elevation” view of each wall. The elevations view is helpful when determining shelving heights. Your drawings don’t have to be beautiful, but should give you a clear concept of what you will be building.

Create a Materials List: This is a critical step. Looking at your plans add up all the components you will need. Work through systematically page by page and determine how each piece will be fastened together and to the wall taking notes as you go. Now rewrite a categorized list of all items you came up with. Allow one category for cabinets, one for shelving, one for hangers, hooks, fasteners and hardware, as well as one for any tools and supplies you expect to purchase or rent. Include a description or model name of each item if you have a preference.

Gather Tools and Supplies: Take inventory of any tools and supplies you’ve acquired from past project. You will need at least a power drill, skill saw, drill bits, and a 4’ or 6’ level. Of course you will need a hammer, measuring tape, square, and pencil as well. Include a hacksaw or angle grinder if you plan on using metal wire shelves. Don’t forget a bit of spackle paste to repair any holes in the wall. A stud finder can speed up the job tenfold and they can be purchased for around 10 dollars.

Spend as much time as necessary on planning. 1 minute of planning can save 5 minutes of work. The next part will explain how to mobilize your team to get the project done in record time.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of Everything Hangers, a leading online provider of hangers and plastic hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.everythinghangers.com.

Travel Accesories to Keep Your Clothes Wrinkle Free

Whether you travel for business or pleasure there are probably a few items in your wardrobe that might need to stay wrinkle free and looking its best. While this may sound simple to accomplish it often becomes a challenging task.

If you drive to work in a suit you know the frustration of having to take off your suit jacket and fold it over the back of the passenger seat or lay it across the backseat. Regardless of what you do, you still end up with a somewhat wrinkled look by the time you make it to the office. A great solution to this problem is a collapsible travel hanger. When collapsed, this hanger can fit in a glove compartment where it will be ready use. Once unfolded you can hang your suit jacket on the hanger and store it on the garment hook that any car comes equipped with.

Air travellers face the problem of folding garments into a suitcase. Honeymooners or tourists may have a few outfits they need to keep looking sharp for that night on the town. Business air travellers often bring only a compact carry on when travelling. Either way these tight quarters for your clothes tend to leave them smooshed and wrinkled. Clothes may pick up odd scents during travel as luggage sits in musty warehouses or cargo bays. Most hotels offer laundering and pressing services, but if you’re on a budget or have time constraints consider purchasing a travel steamer. They are small and fit easily into any suitcase. Cedar mothballs or a cedar sachet with a little lavender in it can help keep clothes smelling fresh during travel. When you arrive at your destination and need that blouse or suit pants for your meeting in an hour, just pull out your travel steamer and give your clothes a once over. You’ll be amazed how fresh and wrinkle free they look and smell.

Even if you travel with your nice clothes in a hanging garment bag to ensure a wrinkle free outfit you still run the risk of clothes falling off the hangers during your travels. Now there is a hanger to help keep those clothes where you put them. This type of hanger is called a slim line clothing hanger. They have a velvety-soft surface to prevent your clothes from slipping. They are thinner and smaller than average clothes hangers and take up less space in your closet or garment bag than typical plastic hangers.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of Everything Hangers, a leading online provider of plastic hangers and clothes hangers . For more information, please visit http://www.everythinghangers.com.

Craft Ideas Using Hangers

If you are one of the many who have converted from impractical wire hangers to a closet full of matching wood or plastic clothes hangers you are probably wondering what to do with all those wire hangers. Look no further. Here are some great craft ideas made with wire hangers. These crafts are fun for any school age child and you as well.

Hanger puppets are a great craft to stimulate your child’s imagination. For this craft you will need a wire hanger, an old pair of nylon stockings, yarn, pipe cleaners, felt scraps, buttons, wiggly eyes, glue, and scissors. First stretch the wire hanger into a diamond or oval shape and bend the hook of the hanger into a circle or oval and tape in place to prevent any body getting poked. Next, stretch the nylon stockings over the diamond or oval shape and tie off at the bottom. Then let your kids go wild decorating their puppets. They can make them look like faces or animals or whatever their heart desires. At the end, they can put on a puppet show for friends and family.

Hanger decorations can be made for any season or occasion. To get started you will need coloured tissue paper, glue, scissors, construction paper, and some coloured markers for drawing in details. You and your child can choose what decorations you wish to create, but a few ideas are a bumble bee, a butterfly, a pumpkin, or a sun. Bend the hanger into an oval or circle. Unfold the tissue paper and lay out on a flat surface. Place your hanger shape on top of the tissue paper and trace the outline onto the tissue paper. Cut out the shape and use as a template on another piece of tissue paper. Now you have two circles or ovals of tissue paper. Place them on either side of the hanger and glue the edges together. Based on what you’ve decided to create, now you can cut out stripes of black paper for a bumble bee, colourful wings for a butterfly or maybe some yellow rays for a sun. Cut out eyes from construction paper or draw them on with a marker. When you’re finished you’ll have a fabulous creation to hang on your wall or in your child’s room. Use the hanger’s hook end to hang it on.

To make a dream catcher you will need ribbons of various colours, yarn, beads, and feathers. Bend the hanger into a circle shape and wrap with ribbon. Make a web by stringing yarn and ribbon across the circle and tie off at the bottom leaving ends to create a tail. If you want to include beads, string them on the yarn at various points while wrapping it around the circle to create a web. Feathers can be tied or glued on. This craft can help facilitate teaching your kids about different cultures and beliefs.

These creative craft ideas should keep you and your kids busy and use up the supply of wire hangers you have lying around. Crafts are always a fantastic way to connect with and encourage your children. Relax and have fun.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of Everything Hangers, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.everythinghangers.com.

Extend the Life of Your Clothes

Every closet holds some one’s favourite item of clothing. It may be that pair of jeans that fits just right or the shirt that goes with anything. They get worn more than any other item and therefore get laundered most often. After several cycles of washing and drying, they no longer look as bright or the decals start to crack and peel. Here are some ways to help extend the life of your clothes and keep that favourite shirt looking brand spanking new.

It is important to use a detergent that is right for your clothes. Most brands now carry a cold water detergent. Cold water detergent is made to dissolve fully in the colder temperature guaranteeing cleaner darks. Build up from detergents and fabric softeners can cause your colors to become dull and faded. To avoid this, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for amount of detergent to use in each load. During the rinse cycle, a chemical reaction between the added fabric softener, detergent, and detergent suds can create white deposits on clothes. If you insist on using fabric softener, it will help to dilute it with warm water in the fabric softener dispenser cup. Using dryer-added fabric sheets is a sure way to avoid this build up on clothes.

The dryer is the worst enemy to your clothes. In the dryer, high temperatures and constant motion wears out fabrics in a flash. For your favourite items, try hanging them out to dry. You can dry them outside, weather permitting, on a clothes line. An added bonus to line drying is the fresh outdoor scent, assuming you don’t live next to the dump or a neighbour that barbeques everything. For inclement weather, you can try a drying rack indoors. These are nice because when not in use they can be collapsed for easy storage. If you only have one or two items they can be put on plastic hangers and hung on your shower curtain rod to dry. Besides being gentler on your clothes, hanging your clothes to dry will reduce your utility bill. A drawback of indoor drip drying is that it takes longer, 24-48 hours depending on the type of material. A space heater positioned safely away from dangling clothes can reduce the time it takes by lower a room’s humidity.

If you need your favourite shirt for a job interview in the morning you will probably need to use your dryer. There are a few things you can do to protect your clothes in the dryer. Clothing with decals or lettering should be turned inside out to decrease their exposure to heat and friction. Always check your dryer settings. A recent study conducted by the American Chemical Society showed that cotton fabrics tear more easily when repeatedly machine dried at high temperatures. Newer dryers allow you to adjust the temperature at which your clothes are dried. Tumbling of fabrics while still wet causes more damage than tumbling them when partially dry. If possible, set your clothes to tumble dry during the cool down phase of the dryer cycle.

Your favourite shirt, pair of jeans, or irreplaceable marathon finisher t-shirt will last a little longer when you take the time to care for your clothes the way they care for you.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of Everything Hangers, a leading online provider of plastic hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.everythinghangers.com.

How Clean is Dryclean?

Let’s face it. If you like to wear nice clothes you are going to need to find yourself a quality dry cleaner. Suits, evening gowns, silk shirts and blouses are just a few examples of things that cannot be cleaned safely in a regular washing machine.

Why not just throw these items in the machine at home? Standard cleaning solutions will dissolve silk, wool, and other hair fibers, such as camel or cashmere. Diluted solutions of bleach will cause yellowing and stiffening of these fabrics as well, which eliminates it as a possible stain remover. The churning motion of most machine washers and dryers would destroy delicate items such as evening gowns that may have delicate clasps, sequins, beads, or buttons if given the chance. Some of your clothes may have sentimental value such as a wedding dress. Consider the cost of your clothing, not only the purchase price, but the time invested shopping, fitting, or any alterations you may have made. It is just not worth the risk.

If you are convinced keep reading. It may not be in your best interest to go out and find the nearest dry cleaner. Your clothes are an investment and a poor quality dry cleaner could jeopardize this by damaging, or even worse, losing your favorite outfits. In most cases you get what you pay for. High quality cleaners will even pickup and drop off your clothes, saving you valuable time. These cleaners will return your items on time in cleaned, pressed, and ready to wear in garment bags hung on high quality wood hangers.

Recent research has shown there may be health issues regarding standard dry cleaning practices. Most cleaners use a solvent called perchloroethylene, often called PERC, to remove stains. PERC is a colorless, clear liquid that has a sweet smell. This chemical is toxic and can cause major health problems with prolonged exposure. Some examples are nausea, dizziness, and reproductive problems, including miscarriage and infertility in men, as well as disorders of the central nervous system. Clothes cleaned with these solvents will be left with a toxic chemical residue on them. Some experts go so far as to recommend you remove the plastic garment bags your clothes are returned in before you enter your house. The danger here is thought that you may be spreading toxic residue throughout your home, and exposing your family, children and pets to an invisible health hazard.

As an alternative you may want to seek out an organic dry cleaner. This fairly recent technology is on the rise in almost all major cities. Some techniques called wet cleaning use water and sensitive biodegradable solvents, and a combination of computer controlled and hand washing. However wet cleaning may still put certain items at risk of shrinking. Another alternative method uses carbon dioxide and other organic compounds. Consumers have reported this method gives the best results based on garment shrinkage, color and texture preservation, even up against standard PERC methods.

Keep in mind the specific needs of your garments when selecting your cleaner. Although wet cleaning methods are the absolute safest and most environmentally friendly, in the case of an expensive custom tailored wool jacket or a brightly colored rayon blouse, CO2 cleaning might be the best choice, while a silk shirt will do fine with wet methods. The best cleaners will be able to provide the best methods for your specific garment needs without you having to ask.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of Everything Hangers, a leading online provider of wood hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.everythinghangers.com.

Turning Childrens Chores into Child's Play

“Why can’t my kid use the closet instead of the floor for their clothes!?”

Does this sound familiar? You are not alone. This is a common question voiced by parents around the world. Unless something is done early on it only gets worse as they move into the teenage years. What can be done? You’ve tired nagging. You’ve tried grounding. You’ve even tried pleading, though you may not admit to it. Here are some ideas to help you motivate your child to keep their room tidy and clothes in the closet where they belong. By starting at an early age you can avoid the teenage disaster zones that have been foretold. Three great ways to motivate your tykes to be tidier are to give verbal encouragement, make it fun, and reward them for a job well done.

Studies have shown that kids respond more positively to words of encouragement instead of criticism. Think about the kind of encouragement you appreciate from your boss or co-workers and pay it forward to your kids. Praise them when they do remember to clean up or at least get something on a hanger. Remember to be sincere. Keep from going overboard and gushing praise; you risk creating the opposite effect. Encouragement can also include explaining the benefits of having a tidy room, such as being able to find toys, having space to play, and making it inviting for other kids to come over and enjoy.

Kids are more likely to participate in clean up if you make a game out of it. A great clean up game to play with younger kids is to have them clean up things in categories like colors, starts with, or sounds like. You will need to start out playing the games with them until the clean up becomes a habit. Make the closet a fun place. Decorate it with their favourite theme. Closet organizers help make sense out of the mayhem of clothing. Standard hangers may not fit your kids clothes, however many stores now carry children’s hangers more suitable to a smaller garment. These also come in different colors or themes and make sorting clothes easier. Create colourful tags and label drawers and shelves for shirts, pants, and sweaters.

You and your child can have fun creating a progress chart. Hang the chart on the inside of their door so they see it before they leave their room. Each time they put away their clothes, hang up their shirt, or put dirty clothes in the hamper a sticker goes on the chart. The chart will help you and your child keep track of their progress and let them know how close they are to receiving their reward for a job well done. Everyone likes to receive gifts, but a well earned reward is a lot more enjoyable. Rewards don’t always have to be toys. Other ideas might include a trip to the children’s museum or science center, a night at the movies, or a slumber party on their tidy bedroom floor.

This may seem like a lot of time and effort on your part, but consider it an investment. In the long run you will have helped your child to develop lifelong organizational skills. Keeping a room clean doesn’t always have to be a chore. Encourage and praise your kids when they do clean up, make it fun with games and decor, and help them chart their progress and reach their goal. You might even have fun too.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of Everything Hangers, a leading online provider of childrens hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.everythinghangers.com.

Stunning Store Setup

A great display window can be the determining factor whether or not a window shopper enters your store and becomes a new paying customer, or keeps on trucking. Eye catching window displays account for a significant percentage of small retail business sales. With a little time and attention spent on your window display you can significantly increase the amount of business your store sees. Color, organization, and placement are the three key variables this article will discuss to help your window displays be all they can be.

Color plays an important role in the success of your display. People are attracted to colors. Studies have shown that different colors on dining area walls can affect the pace at which people eat. Hair and eye color can attract one person to another, and likewise, the colors in your display window will attract customers to stop and view the products within. Bright colors are guaranteed to catch the eye; however the effect can be magnified using complimentary color pairs. A color wheel is a valuable tool in creating color energy in your displays. You can purchase one at any arts supply store, or search online for a downloadable version. Knowing which products you are going to display will help you determine a desirable color scheme. Select table clothes, ribbons, paper, and other accessories that match your color scheme and you will be amazed at how your products stand out. Now that you have grabbed your customers attention, help them focus their eyes on the different products.

Organization of your products within the display helps keeps customers interested once you have their attention. Statistics have shown shoppers are less likely to enter shops in which the store displays appear disorganized, or cluttered. Customers do not want to dig through, step over, or move things in your store just to reach something that has piqued their interest. Remember your display represents the entire store. Careful review of your inventory can help you determine which items will be on display. Too many products may overwhelm the customer, and shatter the effect. Odd numbers are most pleasing to the eye. Cluster products in groups of 3 or 5.

This brings us to our last important factor to consider when creating your store display. Vary the size and shape of products to keep the eye interested, remembering to place smaller products in front of taller, or larger items. The goal is to draw the viewer to the next item, not the next window. Vary the height and depth of your products. This can be easily achieved using tables, shelves, or hangers to help give your display layers or levels of interest.

With a little more attention to color, organization, and placement of products you are guaranteed to create a stunning store display, and that is sure to turn window shoppers into shoppers.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of Everything Hangers, a leading online provider of hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.everythinghangers.com.