Cleaners Compare Blog

The simple yet effective hanger.

11 October 2016

Have you ever wondered where the good old hanger originated from, after all the majority of people all over the world use them on a daily basis? Well to be honest the first hanger was probably in the form of a tree branch and before that they would have probably just used the nearest bush.

We have to remember that before the Middle Ages, clothes had no buttons or zippers. People were stitched into their clothes and then basically wore them till they wore out. My skin is creeping just at the thought of that!

The act of changing clothes initiated in the 1700’s. Another fact to remember is that back along in the old days, people didn’t bathe either. Can you even imagine that?

It has been disputed that the first ever clothes hanger object (a version of the wooden hanger) should have been credited to Thomas Jefferson who supposedly created it in his home in Monticello, Virginia, USA as a space saving device.

The history books have however credited the first clothes hanger in the wire form to O.A. North who invented the space saving clothes hook in 1860. The original hanger created by North consisted of a piece of wire that had two narrow ovals joined together in the middle by a twist and then a hook.

It really isn’t that different to the modern day wire hanger.

There has also been another person credited with the invention by the name of Albert J. Parkhouse of Jackson, Michigan. His story goes that he arrived at work for Timberlake Wire and Novelty Company to find that all the coat hooks had been taken. To solve the problem, he bent a piece of wire into the shape of hangers as we know them today to hang his coat up.

Albert was not the last to be credited, as in 1876, Christopher Cann, an engineering student from Boston University also designed a version of the hanger.

The first hangers used to display garments in a retailers were recorded at Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1906. The cardboard tubes mounted upon the upper and lower parts that we often find on wire hangers today, were patented in 1932 and the design was to reduce wrinkles.

Hangers have been used for more than hanging clothing over the years including abortions, breaking into cars and many other things.

These days, hangers can be made from a variety of materials and in a variety of different designs. They can have logos printed and can appear in almost any colour.

To purchase the perfect hanger for your establishment and garments, make sure you compare designs, quantities, quality and price and then continue to purchase your order at Cleaners Compare. Everything in one place. Why go anywhere else?