How to Stop Hangers Leaving Bumps on Your Shirts

You take a freshly ironed shirt out of the wardrobe and there they are: two pointed bumps on the shoulders, sticking up like little horns. They are not from the wash or from bad ironing. They come from the hanger.

Why hangers leave bumps

Most standard hangers, especially thin wire ones and narrow plastic ones, are much narrower than a shirt's shoulders. The fabric drapes over the end of the hanger and, over days, takes on that shape. Cotton holds a shape well, which is great for a pressed shirt and not so great when the shape is a bump.

Heavier shirts and knitwear are affected the most, because their own weight pulls the fabric down around the hanger's tip.

How to get rid of bumps that are already there

• Mist and smooth: spray the bumps lightly with water, smooth them with your hand, and let the shirt dry on a wider hanger.
• Steam: a few seconds with a steamer or in a steamy bathroom relaxes the fabric, then smooth it flat.
• Re-dry it properly: if the shirt needs a wash anyway, dry it on a form that supports the whole shoulder, like an automatic ironing machine, and the bumps disappear along with any other creases.

How to stop them coming back

Use hangers shaped like shoulders

The real fix is a hanger that is wide enough and curved to follow the natural line of the shoulders. The shirt then rests on a smooth surface instead of a narrow point, so there is nothing to create a bump.

Look for a non-slip grip

Shirts that slide off end up in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the wardrobe. A ribbed or rubberised grip keeps them in place.

Button the top button

Buttoning the collar keeps the shirt sitting evenly on the hanger, so it does not twist or slide to one side.

Give your shirts some room

Squeezing shirts together creases them all over again. A little space between hangers keeps them as smooth as they went in.

Protect the work you put in

There is no point spending time getting a shirt smooth only for the wardrobe to undo it overnight. The best routine is simple: dry and smooth the shirt properly, then hang it straight onto a hanger that supports the shoulders.

That is exactly the routine our customers follow. The Scanovus Automatic Ironing Machine dries and irons a shirt in around 8 to 12 minutes, and when you order it, you get the option to add a matching set of Scanovus shirt hangers designed for exactly this job.

Want fewer creases to begin with? Read how to dry shirts without creases.