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The Brian Lehrer Show

Taken to the Cleaners

Friday, April 11, 2008

Ian Murphy, editor of American Drycleaner, a Crain's publication, gets to the bottom of the price hike in wire hangers. Bob Kantor, C.E.O. of EcoHangers, based in Long Island City, says his product now makes more sense economically and ecologically.

Wire hangers may become scarcer as prices rise, but 3.5 billion still end up in landfills every year. Rabbit-ear antennae may be on the way out, but what other use for them have you found (Mommie Dearest aside)? Tell us below.


Comments

  • [1] Dabney Brqggart from Seattle, Wa. April 11, 2008 - 10:03AM

    Pieces of them fit nicely into the larger collet of a Dremmel rotary tool; in particular I've formed them into shapes suitable for mixing caulk with other materials.
  • [2] RJ from NJ April 11, 2008 - 10:46AM

    my cleaner in Texas used to take back the wire hangers, but the cleaners in NJ do not. i drop them off in the recycle dump, there is a corner for metal recycling.

    i hope taking back the wire hangers gets popular here in NJ.
  • [3] Stephanie from Passaic County, NJ April 11, 2008 - 10:56AM

    I cut them into pieces and use them to hold my drip hoses under the leaf mulch all over my garden.

    Other times of the year, I return them to my drycleaner. I hope they get reused...
  • [4] Cliff from NJ April 11, 2008 - 11:29AM

    As a hobbyist I use wire hangers for to many thing to enumerate. Plant hooks, small car axles, paint mixers, ...etc It is a great source for heavy gauge wire. I would be sad to hear it if they went away entirely.

    PS. your wiki page changed again,....Lehrer resides in Inwood, Manhattan with his wife, two sons, 37 daughters, and shadowy manservant, Sabu.
  • [5] Seth from Astoria April 11, 2008 - 11:32AM

    Absolutely, I take them back and they seem very appreciative. Does anyone use them in their homes anymore?
  • [6] Athena from Manhattan April 11, 2008 - 11:34AM

    No wire hangers, ever!!!

    I love dry cleaner provided hangers. Even if I pay a little more for service, to cover the hangers, I get to keep the hanger.

    http://athenasmom.wordpress.com/
  • [7] Jason from Brooklyn April 11, 2008 - 11:34AM

    Are there any programs for recycling? I often have piles of those hangers that I end up just recycling through the city.
  • [8] hjs from 11211 April 11, 2008 - 11:38AM

    my dry cleaner won't take them back. i have to recycle them every week.
  • [9] Robert from NYC April 11, 2008 - 11:38AM

    I don't have anything dry cleaned (well VERY few clothes) and I take the ones I find in the recycle bin in my building to use in my closet! Why can't people who use dry cleaners a lot just bring them back be reused on their own clothes. Although this recycle idea sounds good.
  • [10] Robert from NYC April 11, 2008 - 11:42AM

    She DID over act that scene, didn't she.LOL
  • [11] Dick Hubert from Rye Brook, New York April 11, 2008 - 01:14PM

    Brian, I was listening to this segment on the car radio as I was in the middle of some late morning errands - one of which was to my local Dry Cleaner.

    Inspired by what I heard on your show, I walked in to The Dry Cleaners and said that I, for one, would be thrilled to have recycled paper hangers, and proceeded to give the owner the name of the company OFFERING THEM FOR FREE TO DRY CLEANERS, a name I got from your show.

    Well, talk about hostility! Whoa! He started mumbling about recycled wire hangers causing stains, and I sad, NO, recycled PAPER hangers, and here's the name of the company.

    "I will be happy to have you use them," I said. "I'm sure other customers would as well. Why don't you put out a list so we can sign up for it?"

    Do you know what happens when your local dry cleaner, NOT from the USA (a legal immigrant, but fill in the blanks), starts getting angry with you and deciding that, yes, this is the one moment he will refuse to understand English?

    It's going to be a long uphill multi-decade wait for recycled paperboard hangers, in this neck of the woods at least.


  • [12] Justin C. from Upper West Side, NYC April 15, 2008 - 03:35PM

    MAKE A GREAT CAT TOY!

    My sister straightened out a wire hanger, bent it slightly in shape of a bow, and tied a toy mouse to the end of it, duplicating a toy that I was going to buy in the store. Probably saved me 5-10 bucks.

    You can comfortably stand or sit and wave the end of the bow in the air or on the ground to simulate a live critter. My cat Oliver goes nuts for it.

    We also made another one and attached it crane-style from a shelf so the cat can play without the aid of us humans.

This thread is closed.


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