What to Do With Wire Hangers

Photo: HGTV

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While I’ve been collecting ideas on this topic for a while now, it was more of a gee whiz, did you know you could do that type of post. That is, until Nora did her recent post and got me thinking about the environmental impact of all the extra ones that are floating around out there. Nora, this one’s for you!  

• Hot dog and marshmallow roaster.  Just stretch out the wide part of it until you have a long double handle. Then, straighten out the curved handle. For easy cleaning, use a scrub brush.

• Giant bubble maker. You can use a variety of forms and tools for giant bubble making. To use the thin wire hangers, just stretch out into a diamond, square, oval, whatever and go nuts. Bonus? Kids dig it.

• Make a twig or ocotillo fence. You can do this if you are attaching branches or ocotillo sections of moderate diameter to a chain link fence, or one with two or three rows of strong wire. Snip off straight pieces of hanger wire to the desired length and use to attach the twigs / branches by twisting them in place. I’ve seen these done in the Southwest, in tropical locations, and in more northern woodsy environments. Artistically, they work!

• Make a giant face mask. These are more of the hold up to your face kind, but they are a fun project that can be done with a modern or tribal art feel for home décor or gallery presentation, as well as with young children who always get a kick out of masks. Just stretch out the body of them in a similar way to what you may have done with the bubble maker, keeping it two dimensional. Then use a variety of mixed media to create a square, rhombus, round or oval mask. Use the hook as the handle!
• Photo display. Here’s a link to an HGTV post on one. I think the swirled individual holding pins look great in a container of dried rice, beans or lentils for sort of a planet friendly Zen look.

• African wire dolls with a tribal twist. I think these are beyond fabulous. Here’s an HGTV link to the directions on how to make them. I don’t know about you, but I think these are gallery worthy.

• Make a wreath. The picture below is for a Christmas box wreath. But I’m sure one could branch out and do a round one, or try a wreath with eucalyptus or other natural materials.

• Explore wire hangers as an art medium. Wire sculpture is a hot item, and the extra hangers we all have kicking around provide an inexpensive way to try your hand at the art form. In my opinion, this is appropriate in the classroom as well as for the budding artist. Here are one,  two, three . . . and four different links on the subject.
• Shoe dryer.  This is definitely a cool hack, in my opinion. Here’s a link to the original post for the one pictured below. It has instructions if you need them.

• Find a dry cleaner that recycles them. I can’t take credit for this idea. It was inspired by Nora’s green savings post. Check it out.
• Try a more modern wire doll. This one would be fun if you like that sort metal accent decorative look, or just want the kids to have fun making one.  Here’s a link to the post for the one pictured. Edgy . . . definitely edgy.

• Hanging candle holders. The ones pictured here are from Crafty Chica. You’ll have to scroll down a bit to see them. Here’s the link. You may even recognize an item from the safety pin ideas post (although I actually found it on another site).

• Hang a decorative parasol. The picture below shows a couple of more Asian style parasols. I think some of the dramatic yellow temple style ones I saw in Bali would look cool too. Here’s a link to the original post, which also has pictured instructions on how to use the coat hangers to display a more “floating” type of parasol display.

• Student science experiment. Here's a link to a simple one on sound.

Those are my favorite hanger ideas from around the web and here at home. Since these things are apparently taking up way more space in landfills than I realized, I’d love to hear whatever other ideas the rest of you may have. Happy recycling!