Level Up Your Laundry Room's Drying Space With An IKEA Curtain Rod

Are you tired of your drying rack hogging all the space in your laundry room? We feel the same. Although essential for air-drying clothes, a bulky fold-out rack can easily dominate a small space. But what if we told you there's a smarter, more stylish way to hang your freshly washed clothing out of the way? The solution (unsurprisingly) comes from IKEA. With a little thinking outside the box, their DIGNITET Curtain Wire can serve a new purpose as a drying line in your laundry room. It doesn't even require any floor space.

Of all the must-try IKEA hacks to transform your laundry room, this one tops them all when it comes to space maximization. All you need is an empty wall — but that's not even the coolest part. It can extend up to 197 inches long, which is a decent amount of drying area if you ask us. And, thanks to the minimalist design, it looks so sleek you won't even notice it's there. This means one less step in your laundry routine since you don't need to store the curtain wire away when the clothes are dry. Oh, and let's not forget it can hold brushes, clothes hangers, and anything with hooks or handles, too. With all these pros, the $19.99 price point is a steal of a deal to help you organize your laundry room.

Your first concern might be, "How on Earth is a thin curtain wire going to be able to handle heavy laundry loads?" You're right — this product isn't designed to do that. That being said, the stainless steel construction allows it to handle a maximum load of 11 lbs. As long as you don't overcrowd the wire, it should remain durable upon mounting.

Speaking of mounting, there are a few ways to set up this space-friendly drying solution. First, you could place it against a single wall, such as above your washer. The second option is to hang it from the ceiling — though this might make the clothes hard to reach. Alternatively, it's also possible to fix the curtain rod between two walls for a longer span. Note that you'll need extra fittings (specifically, the $4.99 DIGNITET support fixture) if your wire is longer than 55 inches. These will keep things stable and add reinforcement.

While we love the idea of using IKEA's curtain rod to make the most of a small laundry room, you don't have to stop there. Install the wire in the garage if that's where you dry your clothes. Or, use it as an outdoor line along a fence or exterior wall — because, yes, stainless steel can also be used outside.