How to Store Ties: 6 Ways That Actually Keep Them Uncreased Leave a comment
How to store ties, short answer: untie them every time, hang the silk and woven ones on a rack where each tie has its own hook, roll the knit and wool ones, and keep all of them out of sunlight. Do that and a tie lasts twenty years. Skip it and the same tie is creased at the knot, stretched at the tip and shiny at the fold inside a season. This guide covers how to store ties by fabric, in a small closet, and what to do with the ones already creased.
The short version
One hook per tie, 20 ties on one hanger
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1. Untie it, every time
Most tie damage happens before the tie reaches storage. Loosening the knot and pulling the tie over your head leaves the silk twisted under tension all night, and the crease at the knot sets. Undo the knot properly by reversing the steps you tied it with, then let the tie hang for a day before it goes back into rotation so the fibres relax. This one habit matters more than any rack, box or drawer, because it is the difference between a tie that looks new for years and one that looks worn in months.
2. How to store ties by hanging: silk and woven ties
Silk, satin, and any woven tie with an interlining stores best hanging, because gravity pulls the small creases out and nothing presses on the fabric. The catch is what you hang it on. A tie draped over a wire hanger picks up a crease where it folds and slides off when you open the door. A tie clip hanger pinches the silk and leaves marks at the tip. What works is a rack where each tie gets its own hook and hangs full length without touching the next one.
A rack also solves the second problem, which is that ties in a pile are ties you never wear. When all twenty hang in a row you see the whole collection at a glance, and the navy one you forgot you owned gets used again.
The rack that fits one hanger slot
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- Teeth-style hooks keep each tie in place, so nothing slides off when the closet door opens
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3. How to store ties by rolling: knit, wool and travel
Knit ties and heavy wool ties are the exception to hanging. Their weave has no interlining to hold the shape, so hanging stretches them longer and narrower over time and the tip starts to curl. Roll them instead: start at the narrow end, roll loosely towards the wide blade, and set the roll on its side in a drawer or a box compartment. Loosely is the operative word; a tight roll leaves a spiral crease in silk and flattens the texture of a knit.
Rolling is also how to store ties for travel. A loosely rolled silk tie tucked inside a shoe or a corner of the case arrives with fewer creases than a folded one, and it unrolls flat in a minute. If you travel with ties every week, a small tie case with two rolled compartments is worth the space.
4. Flat in a drawer
If there is no rail to hang from, ties can lie flat in a shallow drawer with dividers, one tie per slot, folded no more than once at the middle. The fold is the weak point: a tie folded in the same place for a year keeps that line, so alternate which end goes on top each time you put it away. Of the three ways to store ties, the drawer keeps them out of light, which is good, but it also hides them, which is why the rolled or flat drawer tends to hold the ties you never reach for. Keep the ten you wear on a rack and the rest in the drawer.
5. How to store ties in a small closet
A rack that hangs from the rail takes the width of one shirt hanger and holds twenty ties. That is the whole answer for a small closet: it uses vertical space that is empty anyway, it keeps ties separated, and it moves with you. Position it at the end of the rail nearest the door so you are not pushing past shirts to reach it, and hang belts on the same hooks; a rolled belt in a drawer takes more space than a hanging one.
If the rail is already full, a rack that mounts on the back of the closet door does the same job with screws, and a door-mounted one is where the belt-and-tie combination earns its place. What does not work in a small closet is the over-door plastic organiser with sixty loops: it holds everything at once and every tie touches three others.
6. Fixing creases in a tie
Hang the tie first. Most creases in silk drop out on their own after a night on a hook. If a line is still there, hold the tie in the steam from a kettle or a garment steamer for a few seconds at a hand’s distance and let it hang again; the moisture relaxes the fibre without the pressure of an iron. Never put an iron directly on a tie. The heat flattens the rolled edges and puts a shine on silk that does not come out. If it must be pressed, use a cloth between the iron and the tie, the lowest setting, and press the back only.
A deep crease at the knot that will not lift is usually the interlining, not the silk, and it means the tie was stored knotted. That one is permanent. It is the reason section one is section one.
7. What ruins a tie in storage
- Sunlight. A rack on a wall that catches afternoon sun fades the front of every tie on it within a year. Ties live inside the closet or in a drawer.
- Damp. Silk in a humid closet spots and smells. A basement wardrobe needs a dehumidifier pack in the drawer.
- Hanging knits. Covered above. Roll them.
- Clip and clamp hangers. They mark the tip, which is the part everyone sees.
- Leaving the knot in. The single biggest cause of ties that look old.
Silk itself is durable; the necktie has been cut from it in roughly its current shape since the 1920s, and a well-kept one outlasts the suit it was bought for. Storage is what decides that.
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Pairs with the tie hanger
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How to store ties: FAQ
Is it better to hang or roll ties?
Hang silk and woven ties; roll knit and wool ties. That is how to store ties without creases in one sentence. Hanging lets creases drop out of silk, while rolling stops knits from stretching.
How do you store ties without a tie rack?
Roll them loosely from the narrow end and stand the rolls in a shallow drawer or box, one per compartment. Do not stack them.
Should you untie a tie after wearing it?
Yes, every time. A knot left in overnight sets a crease in the interlining that steam will not remove.
How do you get wrinkles out of a tie?
Hang it overnight first. If a crease remains, hold it in steam for a few seconds and hang it again. Do not iron a tie directly.
How many ties fit on a tie hanger?
A 12-inch rail rack with individual hooks holds about 20 ties, belts or scarves in the width of one shirt hanger.
How do you store ties for travel?
Roll each tie loosely and tuck it into a shoe or a corner of the case, or use a small tie case with rolled compartments.
Engraved tie racks, made to order
Buying the hanger as a gift? It is idea number one in our gifts for dad who has everything guide.
Belts too? Our guide to how to organize belts covers the six methods, and why the same hanger holds both.
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