Hangers are one of those items that pile up fast and are oddly hard to get rid of. Most thrift stores don't want them because they have more than they need. But dry cleaners, shelters, and community groups often do. Here's where each type goes and what to do with the ones nobody wants.
Wire hangers are the easiest to rehome. Most dry cleaners are actively glad to receive them back — they pay to replace wire hangers and most of what they give back to customers is new. Call your nearest dry cleaner and ask if they take wire hanger returns. The answer is almost always yes, and they'll often take them in bundles of 25 or more without requiring any specific condition. This is the best option for wire hangers specifically.
Goodwill, Salvation Army, and local thrift stores vary widely on hanger policy. Many locations are over-supplied and won't take them. Others — particularly smaller community thrift stores or church-run resale shops — will take plastic hangers because they can use them to hang donated clothing. Call before you go. Ask specifically whether they're accepting hangers at that location, on that day. Some stores take them as donations; some will take them off your hands without counting them as a charitable contribution.
Organizations that help people transition out of homelessness into housing often need hangers for exactly the reason you'd expect — someone moving into their first apartment with donated clothing has nothing to hang it up with. Call your local homeless shelter, transitional housing program, or organizations like Dress for Success (which provides professional clothing to women entering the workforce) and ask if they need hangers. Many do.
For mixed lots of plastic hangers in varying condition, a Buy Nothing group (search Facebook for "Buy Nothing [your neighborhood]") or Freecycle post often results in someone picking them up within a day. New parents, people who just moved, and anyone building out a closet will take free hangers without caring that they're mismatched. This is faster and more reliable than trying to find an organization that wants them.
Some laundromats keep a supply of hangers for customers who need to hang clothes immediately after drying. Ask the attendant if they'd take a bag. Smaller, owner-operated laundromats are more likely to say yes than chain locations.
Theater programs, school drama departments, and after-school costume programs always need hangers for costumes and clothing. If you have 50 or more, call a local school's drama or art department and ask. Community centers that run clothing closets or school supply programs are another option.
Last updated May 2026. Errors: [email protected]
Hangers seem like they should be easy to donate — they're reusable, lightweight, and universally needed. The challenge is volume. A typical household cleanout produces dozens to hundreds of hangers, but most organizations that could use them already have more than they need. Thrift stores receive hangers with every clothing donation and typically have a surplus. The key is finding organizations where hangers are genuinely scarce rather than abundant.
Wire hangers from dry cleaning are the most difficult type to donate because they bend easily and have limited reuse for individuals. But dry cleaners use them constantly and often accept them back for reuse. Walk in with a bundle and ask if they take wire hanger donations — most will say yes, especially if you're a regular customer. Some dry cleaners post signs specifically asking customers to return hangers. This reduces their purchasing costs and keeps metal out of landfills. It's a small thing but genuinely useful.
Good-quality plastic or velvet hangers in large quantities can go to several types of organizations:
Small children's hangers are often genuinely scarce at organizations serving families. Family shelters, baby item donation programs, and organizations that distribute children's clothing frequently need children-sized hangers because standard adult hangers don't work for small garments. If you have a collection of children's hangers from outgrown clothing, contact family shelters and refugee resettlement agencies in your area.
Wire hangers can be recycled as scrap metal. Most scrap metal yards accept them — call ahead to confirm they take wire hangers specifically, since some only accept larger quantities of ferrous metal. Plastic hangers are generally not accepted in curbside recycling because of the resin type and shape. Check with your local recycling program; if they don't take them, TerraCycle has programs for hard-to-recycle plastics including hangers.
If you have a large quantity of old, bent, or otherwise unusable hangers that no one will take, the most environmentally responsible option depends on the material: metal hangers to scrap, plastic to a specialty recycler, wood hangers potentially to composting if untreated.