Building a Sweater Drying Rack for Your Laundry Room

A sweater drying rack is, unlike commercial drying racks, an innovatively cost-effective device that can be used as a decorative and functional item, both, for your laundry room. It can extend the life of your expensive sweaters while allowing them dry evenly and also provide possible safety against unnecessary stretching. They are also extremely handy to use and are also easy to store as their size can be molded as per your family’s requirements.

Step 1 - Plan and Prepare

Determine the desirable size of your rack considering your family’s size or usage and the space available in your laundry room. Move forward by collecting a thick block of wood which would serve as the basic frame for your rack and see to it that you get it cut as per the dimensions or specifications that you require.

However, see to it that you get a bigger frame made if you plan on adding accessories like hooks or knobs to your rack. Once the specifications of the frame have been considered, cut dowel rods which should ideally be 3/8 inches in thickness and a little more in length than the inner frame’s measurement. Also purchase four ½ inch thick planks of wood which will formulate the four respective sides of your frame.

Step 2 - Drill the Wood

Once the pieces of wood have been prepared, drill in holes towards the inner side of your frame and two respective planks of wood so that you may be able to fasten them together. See to it that the holes are uniformly spaced.

Proceed by dabbing a little wood glue inside the holes you drilled and use a hammer to place the dowels onto one plank. Apply some glue into the other respective holes on the rest of the planks and make them come in line with the dowels which can be followed by hammering them tightly in their place.

Step 3 - Put the Pieces Together

Once the dowels are in place, proceed with your construction process by using nails to screw the top and the lower planks together. If the requirement be, use wood putty to fill in any possible holes. Move further by priming and painting the frame as well as the slabs but assure that you give them sufficient time to dry out. Now, position the frame on the slab of wood and line up the corners.

Step 4 - Finishing Touches

Mark the lower edges on the inside where you shall be screwing 2 hinges which will enable your rack to open up or close down. Also mark the two respective sides of the frame as well as the slab where a hinged bracket will be attached so as to preserve a specific angle of the rack. Fasten the bracket with the help of eyelet and screws. You may also want to consider attaching hooks or knobs or specific picture hangers towards the back of the slab so that your rack can be hung on a wall in your laundry room.