DIY Folding Interior Clothesline

Identify an area in your home that can double as a drying area. A rarely used guest room, a basement expanse adjacent to a furnace, a corner of a kid’s room or a porch can all be turned into an indoor drying center.

Choose two pieces of lumber -- generally sold in 6-, 8- and 10-foot lengths -- to anchor your clothesline. Pick the size that fits your wall dimension, and paint or stain the two planks to coordinate with the room's wall color. Drill holes into facing walls, plug in anchors and then hang the wood sections with thick lag screws engineered to support heavy loads such as wet laundry.

Screw two to four decorative hooks into each anchor bar at the same intervals so the sets of hooks match up. Leave enough space between the hooks to allow air to circulate between the rows. By using decorative wall hooks instead of simple eye screws, you'll have a place to hang garments when the clothesline isn’t being used to dry laundry.

Measure the distance between the walls to calculate the amount of clothesline you’ll need for your setup. Multiply that figure by the number of lines you intend to string between the hooks. Tie a carabiner to one end of the clothesline and secure it to the first hook.

Thread the clothesline back and forth between the hooks before fastening the second carabiner over the last hook to complete the installation of the clothesline. Place a tarp on the floor if your washer doesn't do the best job of water removal during the spin cycle.

Deconstruct the drying area once your load is ready to be folded by collecting the clothesline and folding up the tarp. Stuff both into the bag holding your clothespins and everything will be ready to go next time you wash a load of clothing.