What is a wind chime?

A wind chime is actually considered a musical instrument! A wind chime is made up of suspended objects often made from wood or metal. These can be tubes, bells, shells, glass bottles, or anything else that, when clinked together by the wind, makes a pleasant sound. Wind chimes are used for their relaxing sounds and also as porch or garden decorations.

How do you hang a wind chime?

Choose a place outside your home that gets some wind. Hang it from a porch eave or close to your house or garden so you can hear and see your chimes. You want to be able to enjoy them, after all. All wind chimes should have a hook, loop, or ring at the very top to make hanging a wind chime a breeze. The wind chime needs to be hung from a hook that's attached to a sturdy surface so it doesn't fall.

How do you restring a wind chime?

Sometimes strings in a wind chime just can't withstand the elements anymore and they fray or break. Don't worry if this happens: You can restring a wind chime and it will hang like new. Refurbishing a wind chime is a straightforward process that includes restringing and then fixing any other problems with the wind chime. To restring a wind chime, you'll want to take a careful look at how it's put together. Take a photo or draw a diagram to refer to when you go to restring. Carefully remove the damaged strings from the top of the wind chime. Replace with a heavy-duty nylon rope that's the same diameter as the string you're replacing. String the wind chime how it's shown in your photo or diagram, then reattach any chimes or decorations.

The 8 Best Wind Chimes of 2023

The 8 Best Wind Chimes of 2022 — The Spruce / Chloe Jeong

Wind chimes provide tranquil melodies and make excellent decor accents for a porch, patio, deck, terrace, or balcony. We researched dozens of wind chimes from the top outdoor and gardening brands, rating them on durability, sound, and style.

Our top pick, the Bottles Uncorked Wine Bottle Wind Chimes, is handcrafted from repurposed wine bottles and comes in an array of bright color options.

Here are the best wind chimes.

Our Top Picks

BottlesUncorked Wine Bottle Wind Chimes at Etsy

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Freeport Park Bui Painted Wind Chime at Wayfair

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FireWoodCreations Memorial Tribute Wind Chime at Etsy

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Highland Dunes Hirsch Wind Chime at Wayfair

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JLHCopperDesigns Morning Song Copper Wind Chime at Etsy

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ThrowinStones Golden Wind Chime at Etsy

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Oleinthewind Memorial Wind Chime at Etsy

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Pottery Barn Sanctuary Bells Wind Chime at Pottery Barn

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In This Article

Our Picks
What to Look For
FAQ
Why Trust The Spruce

4.2

Etsy

View On Etsy

BottlesUncorked is a popular Etsy shop that handmakes outdoor housewares out of recycled glass bottles, including hummingbird feeders, lanterns, and wind chimes. The wind chimes made from glass wine bottles have a copper trim along the bottom and come in seven colors: cobalt blue, green, red, yellow, amber, frosted white, and clear. You can buy them individually or as a full set of seven.

To make the wind chimes, the bottom of the wine bottles are expertly cut out and wrapped with the copper accent, which reflects sunlight. A stained wooden ball and heart flag are suspended through the middle from a delicate chain. The result is an eclectic outdoor decor piece that sounds as beautiful as it looks.

Price at time of publish: $26

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Freeport Park Bui Painted Solar Mobile Wind Chimes

Wayfair

View On Wayfair

If you have a soft spot for hummingbirds and are looking for ways to illuminate your yard or garden, you might consider the charming Bui Painted Solar Mobile Wind Chime from Freeport Park. With six glass hummingbirds that light up from a solar-charged battery, it doubles as an outdoor lighting accent after dark.

Suspended individually from the top hanger, the hummingbirds have green wings with semi-transparent red bodies and blue beaks. With no assembly required, this wind chime can be effortlessly hung anywhere outside.

Price at time of publish: $32

FireWoodCreations Memorial Tribute Wind Chime

Etsy

View On Etsy

Memorial wind chimes make great sympathy gifts. The Memorial Tribute Wind Chime from the FireWoodCreations Etsy shop can be personalized to include an engraved name of a loved one. This classic bereavement wind chime is handcrafted with weather-resistant redwood and anodized aluminum, allowing it to hold up in the outdoor elements for years.

It comes in four lengths (18, 24, 30, and 36 inches) with the choice of either silver or bronze metal tubes. To ensure a balanced sound, each length option is hand-tuned to a different scale with five musical notes.

Price at time of publish: $54 for 18 inches

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Highland Dunes Hirsch Outdoor Wind Chime

Wayfair

View On Wayfair

The Highland Dunes Hirsch Outdoor Wind Chime is a truly unique product with a beachy, elegant appeal. Its upper platform and sail are made of wood, and delicate capiz shells hang from suspension cords.

This handmade wind chime comes in two lengths (20 and 26 inches) and two multi-chrome color options. Weighing less than a pound, it’s a notably lightweight and airy product. The breezy, playful design will add a splash of color and peaceful background sounds to your outdoor space.

Price at time of publish: $35

JLHCopperDesigns Morning Song Copper Wind Chimes

Etsy

View On Etsy

As the name suggests, the Morning Song Copper Wind Chime from JLHCopperDesigns consists of five copper tubes and a copper windcatcher. With a non-rusting, blue patina finish, the pipes are made to last for years outside.

The braided polyester cord is resistant to sunlight, rot, and mildew. To prevent fraying, solid brass grommets are inserted into the pipes. As the wind picks up, a wooden ball clapper provides soft and soothing tones you’ll never tire of hearing.

Price at time of publish: $88

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Etsy

View On Etsy

For a small wind chime that’s full of character, you might like the ThrowinStones 11 Inch Golden Wind Chime. This pleasantly unusual wind chime is just under a foot in length and produces a charming sound through three brass bells.

The bells suspend from thin gold metal chains, which are attached to a round metal peace sign ornament. Rudraksha beads accent the gold and lend to the overall charm of this little wind chime.

Price at time of publish: $43

Etsy

View On Etsy

Oleinthewind is an Etsy shop that makes several beautiful bereavement wind chimes and keepsakes, but the best-selling Memorial Wind Chime Sun Catcher is particularly striking. Five glass prisms hang from a small piece of wood, and tiny crystal beads accent the elegant design.

The wood is engraved with the verse, “Through the strongest of storms or the softest breeze, listen to the wind and think of me” with the option to add the name of a loved one. Choose from two color options: cobalt or aqua. When the wind blows, the glass prisms create peaceful and relaxing sounds.

Price at time of publish: $45

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Pottery Barn

View On Pottery Barn

The Sanctuary Bells Wind Chime from Pottery Barn is unlike any other wind chime you’ll find on the market. It’s 32 inches long with a series of five bowl-shaped bells that suspend from a string loop instead of a standard suspension platform. The bells range slightly in size, with the smallest at the top and the largest on the bottom. (The largest chime is only three inches in diameter.)

Handcrafted from polished brass, the bells are designed to deliver a tranquil, meditative hum reminiscent of Tibetan singing bowls. The sound is backed by a one-year tuning guarantee. This wind chime is suitable for outdoor use in a garden, on a patio, or on a balcony. It can also be wiped clean with a damp cloth.

Price at time of publish: $89

Style

When you're looking to get some new wind chimes, the first thing you're going to notice is all the different styles. There are colorful wind chimes and there are more neutral wind chimes. Wind chimes are traditionally made out of metal, but now you'll find them made out of all kinds of materials. You can choose from very classic looking wind chimes to something a little more unique. Pick a wind chime that you love and that fits your style, and you can't go wrong.

Material

What material the wind chime is made up of is important in two ways. The first is how it looks. Whether a wind chime is made out of metal, glass, wood, or another material (or multiple materials!), each material will give it a different look. It affects how the sun shines through the chimes and the actual style of the wind chime. The way a wind chime sounds depends on the material that it's made from, too. Wind chimes made of metal, wood, glass, and shells all sound different from each other because of the material from which they're made.

Length

Wind chimes come in a lot of different lengths. Decide where you're going to hang your wind chime and see if you want to have a short, medium, or long set of chimes. It may help to take out the tape measure so you can visually see how the wind chime will fall wherever you plan on hanging it.

FAQ

What is a wind chime?

A wind chime is actually considered a musical instrument! A wind chime is made up of suspended objects often made from wood or metal. These can be tubes, bells, shells, glass bottles, or anything else that, when clinked together by the wind, makes a pleasant sound. Wind chimes are used for their relaxing sounds and also as porch or garden decorations.
How do you hang a wind chime?

Choose a place outside your home that gets some wind. Hang it from a porch eave or close to your house or garden so you can hear and see your chimes. You want to be able to enjoy them, after all. All wind chimes should have a hook, loop, or ring at the very top to make hanging a wind chime a breeze. The wind chime needs to be hung from a hook that's attached to a sturdy surface so it doesn't fall.
How do you restring a wind chime?

Sometimes strings in a wind chime just can't withstand the elements anymore and they fray or break. Don't worry if this happens: You can restring a wind chime and it will hang like new. Refurbishing a wind chime is a straightforward process that includes restringing and then fixing any other problems with the wind chime. To restring a wind chime, you'll want to take a careful look at how it's put together. Take a photo or draw a diagram to refer to when you go to restring. Carefully remove the damaged strings from the top of the wind chime. Replace with a heavy-duty nylon rope that's the same diameter as the string you're replacing. String the wind chime how it's shown in your photo or diagram, then reattach any chimes or decorations.

Additional reporting and research for this article was done by Stacy Fisher, a writer with nearly two decades of experience covering crafting, freebies, and other fun pastimes.