How to Fold and Hang Sweaters

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Originally published October 29, 2012 and updated 2016 and October 26, 2022.

What’s the best way to store sweaters? I’ve tried everything. I’ve found the best way to fold a sweater on a hanger and hang a sweater without hanger marks or shoulder bumps and without stretching or ruining them. Properly hanging a sweater provides better care for it. And hanging your sweaters makes them easy to see and access. Knowing how to hang sweaters is a quick, easy and free way to organize your closet that you can do today.

Properly storing sweaters in your closet or drawer can be challenging. Heavier sweaters and bulky sweaters are so thick that it makes them difficult to neatly fold and stack on a shelf. And their bulk means that you can only put a few in a drawer, which means you usually end up stuffing your sweaters into the drawer.

I prefer to hang my sweaters up so that I can see them all at one time.  As a professional organizer, this is one of my favorite clothes organization hacks. I find it unnecessarily frustrating in the morning to dig through a drawer or wrestle with a pile on a shelf just to find the sweater I want to wear that day.  This genius method of hanging my sweaters in the closet makes life a little easier in the morning.

While I much prefer hanging a sweater on a hanger,  I also don’t want to have those unslightly shoulder bumps (also known as bat wing bumps) that are created from the hanger if you hang the sweater up like a shirt. The hanger bumps caused by the ends of the hanger stretching out the shoulders of your sweater creating strange triangular bumps on each shoulder.

I’ve been hanging my sweaters this way for over 14 years and it works great. I am a big fan of hanging sweaters on a hanger because:

• It’s easy to quickly see my sweaters hanging in my closet rather than rummaging through a dark drawer. 
• It’s quicker to grab a sweater from a hanger rather than rearrange the sweaters in a drawer just to get the one I want. 
• I have more hanging room than drawer space. 
• Hanging sweaters in the closet allows them to breathe (air out) better than being jam packed in a drawer. 
• Once you know how to fold sweaters on a hanger, it’s quick to do. 

Should you fold or hang your sweaters?

Your decision about whether to fold or hang your sweater depends on a couple of factors:

• How much space you have and the amount of clothing storage space you have for folded clothes versus the amount of hanging space you have.
• The number of sweaters you have compared to your other clothing.
• Your personal preference.
• They type of fabric in your sweaters.

Either option, folding or hanging sweaters, can be the right answer for you depending on your situation. What’s important is for you to know the best way to hang your sweater if you choose to.

What type of hanger is best for sweaters?

The right hangers are sturdy and thick enough not to stretch even a folded sweater.

I recommend these 3 hanger options for holding folded sweaters. Most people already own some of these and they are thick enough to support the weight of the folded sweater without stretching it.

If you’d like to try a hanger designed to hold sweaters, these 3 choices are all designed specifically for sweaters. I’ve never tried them, but if the extra step of folding your sweaters before hanging them is too much, you can consider these hangers.

How to Hang Sweaters

Lay the sweater on a flat surface.

Simply fold the sweater in half with the sleeves together. 

Then place your hanger upside down on the body of the sweater with the hook portion place in the armpit area.

Fold the body over the shoulder of the hanger.

Then fold the sleeve over the hanger.

Make sure the sweater is folded with the armpit of the sweater close to the neck of the hanger. This reduces the chance of it slipping off the hanger. Some people tuck the bottom of the sweater and sleeves behind the bottom bar of the hanger. I don’t find this necessary for most sweaters, but can be helpful for a cardigan sweater or particularly slippery fabric.

Smooth out any wrinkles and straighten the middle of the sweater so it’s evenly balanced on the hanger.

At first this folding may seem awkward, but after a couple of tries you’ll be folding sweaters on hangers with no problem at all.

To further organize my closet, I hang sweaters up with like colors grouped together (I use ROY G. BIV  order for the colors, doesn’t everyone?).  It’s so much easier to see all your sweaters and select the one you want to wear.  No more piles of sweaters falling off the shelf, piled on the closet floor or digging around in the drawer for the sweater you want that is at the bottom of the pile (of course).  Everything is right there to see and access.

Tips on How to Hang a Sweater

• This technique works for:
  • Heavy sweaters
  • Chunky sweaters
  • Lighter sweaters
  • Delicate fabrics, like cashmere sweaters
  • Cardigans that are long enough to fold over the sweater so it stays securely
• To preserve the structural integrity of the sweater, maintain the shape of the sweater, and prevent pulled threads and stretching, it’s important to balance the weight of the sweater evenly on sides of the hanger.
• Use the wrapping method to secure the sweater on the hanger. Fold the arms over the body rather than let both hang down on the sides of the hanger.

It only takes seconds to hang your sweater on a hanger. Good news, huh? Now that you know how to hang up your sweaters, take about 5 to 10 minutes to hang your sweaters properly and straighten up your closet.

More tips to care for sweaters

Check out all our clothes care and storage ideas in the table below.