Install an Indoor Clothesline

December 2013/January 2014
Dry your clothes in a sunroom or greenhouse in winter.

Photo By Linda Deming

A few years ago, my husband and I built a greenhouse adjacent to our pole barn. The greenhouse shares its back wall with the pole barn’s back wall, which we insulated to be a heat sink for the greenhouse. To store heat, we used sand and cement stepping stones for the greenhouse floor, and we sank two 50-gallon drums filled with water into the floor under the growing tables.

Because we only used the greenhouse to start seedlings, it seemed like a waste to leave it idle during winter months, especially with temperatures inside it reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit. We had the idea to run a double clothesline 6 feet off the ground inside the greenhouse, which we could use for drying clothes in winter. In order to control moisture evaporation and ensure the laundry dries completely, I open each 10-by-10-inch vent on the east and west walls, and I open the screens on the doors. This allows moisture to escape as the laundry dries. Try installing your own indoor clothesline to save electricity and enjoy sun-fresh laundry throughout winter.

Linda Deming
Attica, Michigan