# Can Cedar Hangers Harm?



## Lieutenant (May 17, 2007)

Not sure what brought this to mind, but can cedar hangers stain clothes? I pretty much use them for suits and shirts.


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## Lieutenant (May 17, 2007)

Well of course for suits. I'm sure you all have done the same) Oh, and Mens Wearhouse has them buy one get one free right now.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

I use quite a few cedar hangers, hanging all types of garments on them, and have never experienced problems with staining or of any other sort.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

I had one that had some sort of sticky finish applied to the trouser bar, and it left stains on a coat lining. Small, and invisible of course, but it's something to watch out for


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

Absolutely they can. The only safe hanger for damp clothing is a plastic one. Once dry, transfer to (preferably unfinished) wood.


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## Lieutenant (May 17, 2007)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Absolutely they can. The only safe hanger for damp clothing is a plastic one. Once dry, transfer to (preferably unfinished) wood.


Now that, even I would never do! I always hang dry on plastic and then switch over to cedar in the closet. I do not recall ever having an issue with the cedar; a quick search on this forum did not produce any horror stories along the lines of what I was imagining, so the risk appears to be very small or non-exsistant for the most part (except possibly for the most humid of areas!)


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

Cedar is an "oily" wood, and it's the oil that gives the cedar is wonderful smell; cedar hangers are purposefully unfinished so that the oil can evaporate and release the scent, but that same oil can possibly leech out onto clothing. I'll have to second Mr. Kabbaz's recommendation for unfinished wood hangers, but try to discover the type of wood used (not the easiest thing to do), and look for something like beech, ash, oak, hickory... trying to avoid the oily type woods.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

btw, the wonderful cedar aroma goes away unless hangers and shoe trees are periodically given a light sanding.


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## Orsini (Apr 24, 2007)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Absolutely they can. The only safe hanger for damp clothing is a plastic one. Once dry, transfer to (preferably unfinished) wood.


Oops! Didn't know that.

Any plastic hangers on the market that are wide enough for a XXX shoulder and have the proper shape we might use?


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

Orsini said:


> Any plastic hangers on the market that are wide enough for a XXX shoulder and have the proper shape we might use?


https://mysizeusa.com/hangers.html

[url]https://superhanger.com/index.html
[/URL]


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## Lieutenant (May 17, 2007)

Very good all, thank you.


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## stubloom (Jun 6, 2010)

Can cedar hangers harm? Absolutely.

The mythical properties of cedar are vastly overrated and often misunderstood. I would go so far as to say that the negative properties of cedar far outweigh any positive properties.

Here's the most important thing to know about cedar: cedar is a highly acidic wood and acids that come in direct physical contact with fabric (a phenomenon known as acid transfer or acid migration) can cause that fabric to become yellow and brittle.

For more information on this subject....

Blog post: Protecting your fine clothes with cedar -- the double edged sword

Link: www.ravefabricare.com/true-quality-...lothes-with-cedar-the-double-edged-sword.aspx


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Thanks for the insight, gents. Geez... for the same price of most cedar hangers I can get some of Kirby Allison's. Doesn't seem like such a bad deal now.


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## Lieutenant (May 17, 2007)

It really doesn't. Unfortunately, I have quite a few of them...thinking of covering them with duck tape!


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Egads, my closet is filled with cedar hangers. Thanks stubloom for your very disturbing and yet possibly very helpful information. I always considered the cedar hangers as one more way of protecting against moths! Not sure what to do at this point, but the first thing I'm going to do is replace the cedar suit hangers and move forward from there. :crazy:

Darn, this is going to wipe out a couple of future shoe purchases!


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## Orsini (Apr 24, 2007)

sbdivemaster said:


> https://mysizeusa.com/hangers.htmlhttps://superhanger.com/index.html


This looks feasible... https://www.mysizeusa.com/venthang.html

Thank you.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

eagle: I would think the blocks, regularly sanded, would be of some help -- so long as they don't touch clothing.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
Thanks for the suggestion. Presently, in addition to the cedar hangers, I have lined one closet with cedar; I store my priciest wool sweaters in a cedar trunk and I do put those cedar blocks or small sections of cedar planks in the clothes storage bags, with my off-season garments! So far these strategies seem to be working pretty well, but (LOL) I don't want to sacrifice my clothes to my anti-critter defense systems.


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## stubloom (Jun 6, 2010)

Consider 2 issues associated with cedar...

1. Never allow cedar to come into physical contact with garments and fabrics.

2. And if you do use cedar, always ensure that there is a chemically inert, plastic barrier film between your garments and fabrics and the cedar.

Take the cedar chest for example....

The adult female moth is averse to the OILS in cedar. It's the oils that provide the mythical "anti-moth" properties that so many folks (inaccurately) believe will provide protection for their fine wools during the summer months. The problem is that most folks have never reoiled or sanded the inside of their cedar chests in years. So the wood offers NONE of the positive functionality associated with cedar and ALL of the negative issues of cedar.

If your'e going to use cedar (cedar blocks, cedar rings, cedar chips, cedar walls, cedar anything), make sure that 

* the cedar oils are ALWAYS ACTIVE

* you use thumb tacks to attach a chemically inert, plastic barrier film (such as Mylar D from DuPont...ICI make a similar product but I can't remember the brand name) to the inside walls of your chest so as to provide a physical barrier between your garments and the wood.

PS: If you properly CLEAN your garments BEFORE you store them for the summer (thereby removing all the nutrients in the form of body oils and perspiration that the moth larvae need to feed on in order to survive and grow), you'll never have a moth problem. Which, of course, obviates any necessity for moth balls, herbal sachets, cedar (in all is forms), etc. QED.


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

stubloom said:


> Consider 2 issues associated with cedar...
> 
> 1. Never allow cedar to come into physical contact with garments and fabrics.
> 
> ...


Solid advice.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Stu, I don't know where I'd be without you sometimes.

Question: Are cedar shoe trees a bad idea as well?


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## stubloom (Jun 6, 2010)

Jovan:

When it comes to fine men's shoes, I'm a novice. Ask me that question in 6 months.


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

Lieutenant said:


> It really doesn't. Unfortunately, I have quite a few of them...thinking of covering them with duck tape!


That might even be worse; all the chemicals in the fabric and adhesive might not react well with your clothing.

The cedar itself isn't bad, it's just that you don't want it in direct contact with the fabric.



Orsini said:


> This looks feasible... https://www.mysizeusa.com/venthang.html
> 
> Thank you.


lol I have had one of those for years - I hang one of my wetsuits on it. I'd never seen them anywhere outside of a dive shop until I saw them yesterday. But, it makes sense for larger men's suits.

You're welcome, glad I could help.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

stubloom said:


> Consider 2 issues associated with cedar...
> 
> 1. Never allow cedar to come into physical contact with garments and fabrics.
> 
> ...


Thanks for a very informative response, but (LOL) considering the cost of the cedar enhancements I described in post #18, I think you might have just ruined my day!  Now please don't come back at a later date and tell me I also have to get rid of perhaps 60 pair of cedar shoe trees.


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