? about clotheslines in the basement

**YankeeMom** · 09-01-2006, 12:18 PM

I finally got dh to agree to hang me a clothesline in the basement for the winter. I hang them outside in the summer...can't hang them in the basement in the summer because it's fairly damp. But in the winter, it's really dry down there because the furnace is going, heating things up, stirring up the air, etc. Whereas I can't hang the clothes outside in the winter because my clothesline tends to get buried under all the snow from the driveway (it's right next to the garage).

So! my question is, did you just hang clotheline from the rafters or what? I have limestone foundation, so drilling hooks or anything in the walls is pretty much a no-go lol.

**Jerseygirl** · 09-01-2006, 12:40 PM

I have little O hooks that are attatched to the beams in the ceiling so when no clothes are on them, the lines pull up right to the rafters, when I put clothes on them they hang just low enough that the clothe don't touch the wood.

**bumplett** · 09-01-2006, 01:03 PM

I can't really help on this one, I have screw eyes into the wood supports.

I think Jersey's idea is a great one. you could hang the line through O hooks on the beams.

good luck!

**miss_thrifty** · 09-01-2006, 01:06 PM

make sure you use fabric softner too when drying them in basement, beacuse the furnace is so hot, it tends to dry them fast, and make them hard. And u might have to check on them a few times and turn them around to dry equally all over. i wold from the rafters too.

**YankeeMom** · 09-01-2006, 01:13 PM

Thanks for all the tips!!

One more question, do you use regular clothesline cord or something thinner? The O-hooks, are they large (size of a quarter) or small (size of a dime)?

**kymom** · 09-02-2006, 01:30 AM

The hooks we used are big like a quarter. I use just plain old cotton line. And as was said befor they will dry hard if you don't use softner. My poor son swears I tried to kill him with stiff underware

lol

**YankeeMom** · 09-02-2006, 10:26 AM

Thanks! I'll remember to use vinegar in the rinse cycle lol!
I also have some wood clothes bars that I bring upstairs and position around the woodstove for things that need to be dried a bit quicker (like dh's & my work clothes).

**brainyblonde** · 09-02-2006, 11:15 AM

I have lines hung on the rafters. In the winter, things dry overnight.

**leezza** · 09-02-2006, 07:55 PM

I use the trim on our bedroom and bathroom doors to hang clothes that I have put onto hangers.......we rent an apartment so don't want to make holes or anything.

leezza

**MOMMYDEAREST** · 09-02-2006, 10:39 PM

thanks for the idea heather, i will be putting dh to work tomorrow in the basement.........lol!!!!

**MarshHen** · 09-06-2006, 12:38 PM

You gals are lucky to have basements. Living in Fla. and Ga. all my life, I don't think I have ever been in a basement, LOL

Always wanted one though.

**benosayi** · 04-24-2011, 10:16 AM

I would look for a second hand dehumidifier too. I have two and use them when I hang in the the basment so that is not so damp. You might really need it in the summer months. I brought both of mine for under 10 dollars

**Booklover** · 04-24-2011, 11:21 AM

We have 2 dehumidifiers running year-round. You want to pull the extra moisture out of the basement as quickly as possible, plus the clothes will dry faster. You will be surprised at how quickly the dehumidifers fill up, even though you don't think the clothes add that much extra.

**sunshine** · 04-24-2011, 01:13 PM

I have a rope hung from my rafters (it's tied to the rafters at each end, and then wired around the rafter in strategic places). I then hang my clothing on hangers and place the hangers on the ropes.

**mauimagic** · 04-24-2011, 04:18 PM

Interesting ideas. Although we don't have a basement, one side of our downstair's floor is half underground - makes it definitely cooler. I use hangers for hanging clothes down there to dry - works great for us!!