How do I get rid of "hanger bumps" on shirts.

October 11, 2007 4:00 PM

How do I get rid of "hanger bumps" on shirts.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, those annoying horns on each shoulder from a hanger, usually happens on a soft and heavy shirt like cotton sweater.

posted by mi6op to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

Stop hanging them?
posted by knave at 4:04 PM on October 11, 2007

I put on my shirt, and dampen a washcloth and run it over the bump. After a teeny bit of time the bump goes away.

Alternatively, you can purchase some soft or padded hangers, and never have this problem.
posted by MeetMegan at 4:08 PM on October 11, 2007

Hangers like this will help keep the shoulders of lighter knit garments smooth, but for heavy knits, you shouldn't hang them at all -- even if you don't get shoulder bumps, they'll stretch out of shape.
posted by scody at 4:08 PM on October 11, 2007

Downy has a product called WrinkleReleaser that I use for this sort of thing (also to get creases out of folded tees, pants, etc.) It consists of "fiber relaxers", scent, and water. I usually dilute it by half into another spray bottle, spray on, then shake the garment and put it on. 10 minutes later, no dimples or wrinkles.

You may also want to consider acquiring thicker hangers that won't make dimples to begin with.
posted by carsonb at 4:10 PM on October 11, 2007

Ideally, don't hang your sweaters.

If you *must* hang your sweaters, do what the dry cleaners do: fold the sweater over the bar of the hanger and hang it that way. No hanger bumps, less stretching on the sweater.
posted by ambrosia at 4:40 PM on October 11, 2007

My extreme solution to hanger bumps, collar flops, button flap fold-overs, and all manner of wrinkles was to buy a clothes steamer. I never iron anything anymore, and save a ton of time. I also wear clothes that were stuck in the back of my closet because they required ironing.

Steamer heats up in 2 minutes. A quick pass or two over the hump, flop, fold or wrinkle, and I'm done.

Works on fabrics you just can't iron, like velvet, corduroy, silks.

Cost = $120 - $140.
Pros = ease, no scorched clothes
Cons = not portable, cost
posted by Corky at 4:41 PM on October 11, 2007

If the shirt has long sleeves, try looping the sleeves back over the shoulders of the shirt, thus reducing pressure points.
posted by Willie0248 at 5:10 PM on October 11, 2007

Put the shirt on and rub it vigorously with the palm of your hand. Works for me.
posted by fire&wings at 5:34 PM on October 11, 2007

I thought they were callled "shoulder nipples"...?
posted by kmennie at 5:54 PM on October 11, 2007

no wire hangers!

it may help to fold a towel up a few times and drape it over the hanger before you put the sweater on. of course, you might need a lot of towels if you have a lot of shirts.
posted by thinkingwoman at 6:38 PM on October 11, 2007

Somebody must have invented hangers for this very issue....

Here are some on eBay.

And these look like they'd do the trick, too.
posted by pmbuko at 6:41 PM on October 11, 2007

Ditto again on don't hang your sweaters. Besides the shoulder nipples, the weight of the sleeves and body will stretch out your shoulders and make it all wonky fitting. If you are lacking drawer space, I suggest using hanging shelves like these. As a bonus you can probably fit more clothes on your clothes rack. Also, you can use the shelves to hold other things like belts.
posted by like_neon at 1:45 AM on October 12, 2007

Use shaper hangers. When I buy suit jackets that is what the store provided and I wish I had more for everything. They are a little wider but perform like champs.
posted by JJ86 at 6:46 AM on October 12, 2007