Wooden hangers stain wet clothes?

[mbc]

I usually hang dry my dress shirts after washing them on Ikea wooden hangers... I've heard that such hangers can stain damp shirts over time, though, due to the stains/dyes in the wood. Is there any truth to that, and if so should I switch to drying on plastic hangers?

 

[j]

The Ikea ones, if I know the ones you're talking about, are blond wood with a light clear finish over them. I use those and dry my shirts on them and have never had this problem. The biggest problem like that would be using wire hangers, which could oxidise and leave stains. I wouldn't worry about most wood, but if it is causing you to lose sleep, go for plastic.

 

[GMF]

As long as the wood has some sort of sealer--like laquer or acrylic--over it the underlying stain used to color the wood should not come through and get on your clothes.

 

[dah328]

I've had it happen to my shirts although the marks did come off in the wash. Since then, I use plastic hangers if my shirts are still damp.

 

[stach]

Absolutely plastic, don't take the chance.

 

[tommib]

On a really old wardrobe of mine the finish on the inside started to rub off brown on a few shirts of mine. It washed right out though.