That looks like a vintage dressing aid, often called a dressing stick. These long rods were designed to help someone with limited reach or mobility manipulate clothing while dressing or undressing. Historical examples often had hooks, rubber tips, or other shaped ends for pushing or pulling garments. The Science Museum has similar dressing sticks dating from roughly 1960–1990.
Found This Strange Rod in Grandma’s Closet? Here’s What It Was Used For
Before modern grabbers and dressing aids became common, simple devices like this could make everyday life much easier. A person could use the long handle to reach clothing without bending or stretching as far, particularly if arthritis, an injury, disability, or reduced mobility made dressing difficult.
The different ends could be used to push, pull, lift, or reposition clothing, depending on the particular design. Modern garment-reacher poles still use the same basic idea: extending a person’s reach to handle clothing.
If it belonged to your grandparents, don’t throw it away immediately. If you can find a manufacturer’s name or patent number stamped into the metal or plastic, that could identify the exact model and purpose. Otherwise, it makes a neat little piece of everyday vintage history—and one of those objects that can leave an entire family wondering, “What on earth did Grandma use this for?”