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We don’t give much thought to wire coat hangers – until we suddenly need one. For example, before the days of electric car locks, you could use a wire coat hanger to unlock your car doors if you accidentally locked your keys inside.
Roughly 80% of all wire coat hangers come from the dry-cleaning industry, and billions are used every year. So with the commonality of wire coat hangers, you might be wondering what you can do with them other than send them to the local landfill.
In fact, there are plenty of ways to use them both on the homestead and in a survival situation. In this article, we’ll look at many ways you can use wire coat hangers. But first, let’s take a look at what they are made of.
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What Are Wire Coat Hangers Made of?
Wire coat hangers are typically made from 14 to 15-gauge steel wire. They often have a lacquer coating to keep them from rusting. Some recycling centers will take them, or you may be able to donate them to your local dry cleaners. Regardless, you can use them for plenty of projects around the homestead.
For some projects, you might need to heat the coat hanger with a propane torch and then hammer it straight in order to use it. If you do this, make sure you take the proper precautions and use good safety measures.
Survival Uses for Wire Coat Hangers
S-Hooks
You can cut and bend wire hangers into easy S-hooks. With this shape, you can hang pots to cook from, hang clothes, packs, or anything you can think of!
Wire Antennae
If you need an antenna, you can make one out of a couple of wire coat hangers and two-by-four. Of course, a generic antenna isn’t that expensive, but it is possible to make them in a pinch or if you just like being handy! You can find out how here.
String Tool
If you’ve ever lost the drawstring on your sweat pants, you’ll know how hard it is to thread it back through. But you can create a string tool with a wire coat hanger to help.
First, straighten your wire coat hanger, and then make a small loop at one end to look like a giant needle. Make sure the loop is small enough to fit through the section where the drawstring goes. Next, thread your needle with your drawer string and push it through your pants.
Plumbing Snake
If your plumbing gets backed up, it might be difficult to find a plumber during any type of SHTF event. So instead, you can use a wire hanger to create your own plumbing snake. Just bend it into a long, straight wire. Then follow the directions here to finish your snake.
Wire Holder for a Soda Can Stove
If you’re building a small cooking stove, such as a soda or soup can stove, you may need a wire holder to keep it in place. You can easily make a wire holder for your DIY stove like this one. You can find the directions to make the stove here.
Tent Stake
If you’ve lost your tent stakes, don’t worry. You can cut sections of wire hangers and bend them into a U-shape. Then, put both ends into the ground to hold your tent ropes in place.
Food Skewer
If you need to roast your supper over a fire, you might be able to use a coat hanger. First, unbend the hanger into a long straight section. Wrap one end with some cloth, and then stick your hot dog, marshmallow, or whatever you want to cook on the other end and hold it over the fire to cook.
If your coat hangers are coated, you may need to first find a way to melt or sand off the coating.
Hangers
You can hang all kinds of things over a wire hanger, not just your clothing. You can hang your belts and scarves or even use clothes pins to keep your socks and mittens in place.
But you can also hang magazines or books over a wire hanger to keep your place, craft supplies, extension cords, or anything else you can think of that will lay over the flat section of a hanger.
Giant Bubble Wand
If you need to entertain the kids with some homemade soap bubbles, give them a giant bubble wand to play with. Just stretch the opening of the hanger into a large circle (or close to it) and straighten the hook into a handle.
Plant Stakes
Straighten out a few wire coat hangers to use as plant stakes. You can use them either as a straight stake or bend them into a U shape. Then, tie up your tomatoes, peppers, or whatever. Or use this method.
Paper Towel or Toilet Paper Holder
If you need a paper towel holder in a pinch, you can cut the hanger in one corner and just slide the paper towel roll right over the loose wire section.
Wreath
You can make a craft wreath by bending a wire coat hanger into a circle, then decorating it with leaves, artificial flowers, or whatever you want to glue on.
Repairs
You can use coat hangers to make all kinds of repairs that you would use wire for. For example, If your plastic trash can has a crack near the top, you can punch a couple of holes in it and thread the coat hanger through to keep the can from breaking apart.
Open Locks
If you’ve locked yourself out of an old car, you can straighten out a coat hanger, make a small loop at one end, and thread it through the top of the window to open the lock.
On the other hand, if you’ve locked yourself out of the house, you might be able to use a coat hanger to thread down through the window to unlock it.
Table or Book Stand
You can quickly and easily bend a wire hanger into a tablet or book stand. You don’t need any special tools for this makeshift craft, check it out here.
You may want to protect the sharp point with some duct tape or other items. Then, let them dip their giant wand into a bucket of soap and make giant bubbles!
Handle
If you break a handle off of a door, cabinet, or whatever, you can fashion a new one with a hanger. If you have a dowel rod, drill a hole through it, then thread part of the hanger through the dowel to create a new handle.
If you don’t have a dowel rod, you can duct tape a piece of wood to the hanger to create a handle.
Net
You can make a net to catch fish or butterflies. Bend your hanger into a circular shape, and stretch an old pair of pantyhose over the top.
Pool Skimmer
Need to get the leaves out of your pool? Make a net but use it as a skimmer instead.
Jar Handle or Hanger
Cut and bed part of a wire hanger to create a handle or hanger for mason jars. Then, you can use them to make lanterns, plant pots, or a pencil jar. Check out the directions here.
Flipflops or Shoe Hanger
If you want to get that pile of flip-flops or shoes up off the floor, you can make a shoe hanger from a wire coat hanger. It’s easy!
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When I was a teenager working in my dad’s service station, he used coat hangers as brazing rods to torch weld exhaust pipes together.