About three weeks ago I decided to install a clothesline in my basement. I love saving money and using a clothesline as an alternative to the dryer saves on the electric bill, so why not!? Now I decided to install one inside because it’s currently winter. Perhaps I will look into an outdoor line once winter ends, but in the meantime, my simple indoor clothesline idea should do the trick. I didn’t have to think too hard about the location of my project because the corner of my basement where my washer and dryer are is the perfect spot. My basement is dry and clean, the ceiling joists make great spots to hang the lines from, and this area of the basement is out of the way of foot-traffic (basically, away from where my son likes to play).
So here it is! This is how I installed my very own simple, inexpensive, indoor clothesline:
Total project time
I installed 3 lines total and this project took me under an hour to complete. If you are only hanging one line, I’m guessing this would easily take you under 30 minutes.
What I used
- ROPE –
You will need just some basic rope. Rope that is clean and not too rough would be ideal. I went to my local Dollar Tree and found a 50 foot bundle of polyester rope – only $1.00! How much rope you will need depends on how long or how many rows of line you want to hang up. The 50 foot bundle was more than enough for me to hang 3 lines with each of my lines using about 8 feet of rope.
- HOOKS –
I used cup hooks. These are screwed into the ceiling joists to secure the ends of the rope. How many hooks you need, again, depends on how many rows you are hanging. Each end of the rope you hang will need a hook – since I hung 3 rows of line, I used 6 hooks total. You can pick these hooks up at any hardware store pretty cheap, for example, an 8-pack of cup hooks at Lowe’s will run you just under $2.00. I already have a bunch of cup hooks so I didn’t need to go out and purchase any.
- STEP STOOL – (personal preference)
My ceiling joists are too high up for me to comfortably reach to screw in the hooks, so I used a step stool to be more eye-level with where I was putting the hooks.
- DRILL & SMALL SCREW – (personal preference)
I recommend using a drill and a small screw to pre-drill the holes for where you’ll be inserting the hooks. This makes it much easier to screw the hooks into the wood.
Steps to complete the install
Look at your area and envision the best place to position your clothesline(s). If installing multiple lines, space them out a little – I’d say at least 6 inches apart. My lines are spaced a little over a foot between each other as that is how my ceiling joists are spaced apart.
1. Screw in the first hook
Take one cup hook and screw into the ceiling joist where you want one end of your line to be. I found it easier to use a drill and a small screw to pre-drill the hole for the hook. Drill the small screw (about halfway) into where you’ll insert the hook and unscrew it back out. Now twist the cup hook into the pre-drilled hole – much easier!
Note: the rope you will tie on in the next step will be pulling from the inside of the hook so face the opened side of the hook outward. This will give the rope more security. See image of example below.
2. Make a slipknot on the rope and secure to the hook
At the end of the rope, make a slipknot. Insert the loop of the slipknot onto the hook and pull the rope to tighten.
Note: at this point, I have not cut my rope to length yet. I waited to make the cut once I was installing the other end of the line.
3. Install the other end of the line
Reposition yourself to where you will hang the second hook. You will install the second hook parallel to the first hook. Repeat the same process for the second hook as you did for the insertion of the first hook. Once the second hook is twisted in, take the line of rope currently tied to the first hook and pull it towards the newly inserted hook. Hold the rope to the new hook and cut the rope a couple inches beyond the hook; you will want the extra couple inches of rope from your cut to make the slipknot. Last, make the slipknot and insert the slipknot loop onto the hook and pull.
Note: You may want your lines to droop slightly so the lines are not too flush against the joists/ceiling. I gave my rope a little extra slack when I installed my lines so they droop down to a height of my liking. Your rope doesn’t need to have this much slack, but for me, I did this because my basement ceiling joists are a bit high and I wanted to be able to reach the lines easily when hanging my clothes.
You have now completed your clothesline! You can repeat this for however many lines you want.
In the past three weeks I have not used my dryer once and have hung at least nine loads of laundry on my new clothesline. I love it! I haven’t timed exactly how long my clothes are taking to dry on the line but if I do a load one morning, they are always dry come the next morning.
For those that do a lot of laundry, using a clothesline for every load may not be ideal, but you don’t have to use it for every load; maybe hang a load while using the dryer for another. Trust me, it’s not like I am giving up my dryer all-together but as long as this simple clothesline keeps going as well as it has, this will continue to be my go-to option!
Also, to keep my clothespins in a convenient, easy to reach spot, I crocheted this little bag and hung by my clothesline area. So simple! I may just make a little tutorial on how to make one coming soon!
Simply Aimee 