Hanging Vs. Folding Sweaters: This Is The Best Way

How you choose to store your clothes mainly comes down to personal preference, but there are still a few mysterious judgement calls that plague us all. Take for instance, the sweaters conundrum. Should you fold or hang sweaters? It's a question all of us have wondered at least once in our lives, and sometimes, it can be difficult to choose. I'm not saying it's the biggest decision you'll ever make, but come on: no one likes stretched out pullovers, or wrinkled cardigans.

So, what's a person to do? Well, luckily, there are clothing experts out there (not me) who can answer these kinds of conundrums. And when it comes to folding and/or hanging sweaters, it turns out there are a couple of schools of thought out there — and there are even tips to avoid dreaded stretching if you go the hanging route, as well as tips to avoid the equally dreaded wrinkling if you opt to fold. Basically, there are hacks out there for everything to make your clothing storage life just a little easier all around.

Is there one way that's better than the other, though? Well, as fate would have it, the general consensus is that sweaters are meant to be folded. StyleCaster explains that "wool, cashmere, and angora will stretch when hung," and, as such, "it’s always best to fold your sweaters to keep their shape." For her part, Martha Stewart agrees.

If you're looking for a particularly space-efficient mode of folding, there's always the ever-popular KonMari method (so named for cleaning guru Mari Kondo). She recommends a folding/rolling system that can turn even your bulkiest sweater into a tidy, aesthetically-pleasing rectangle.

Of course, if you're still married to the idea of storing your sweaters on hangers, there's hope yet — even though hangers are known for stretching your cashmere favorites (most noticeably in the form of those misshapen dents on the shoulders) there are a few ways around it. First off, there's always the option StyleCaster puts forward, of folding your sweater in half before hanging it, rather than putting the hanger through the shoulders.

Huffington Post recommends a certain folding/hanging hybrid that happens to work great for your favorite sweaters. It's a bit of involved sweater origami, but it's worth it — and it's a trick that Hollywood costume designers use to keep their designer wares in tip-top condition. The gist of it is, you fold the sweater in half lengthwise, then lay the hanger on top, so the hook is in the armpit. They, you fold the sleeves and body over the hanger so that the sweater is secure. It's a bit tough to describe without pictures, but it's actually quite easy to grasp visually — check out this video:

Pretty cool, right? So, it would seem that there's a little something for everyone out there, whether you choose to fold or hang your sweaters. With all these viable options, I suppose what it really comes down to is whether you have a bigger set of drawers or a bigger closet.

Images: Isabel Pavia/Moment/Getty Images; Giphy