Adorable mittens from Etsy

…I had a thought. Remember this post from awhile back, where we discussed using the Deka curtain rod from IKEA to display kids’ art work?

Well, it occurred to me that this same Deka curtain rod could also work really well in a mudroom or back hallway as a way of hanging soggy snow-covered mittens, hats, socks and scarves up to dry.

The Deka rod is basically a thin wire suspended between two metal posts. For just $4.99 you get a pair of posts, a length of wire and small bag of hanging clips. A bag of additional clips is only 99 cents more.

If used for drying mittens, etc., the wire could be hung low enough to be within reach a child’s reach. Or in a home with multiple children of differing heights and ages, you could hang two or three rows, one above the other. The posts will hold the wire far enough away from the wall that the wall shouldn’t get wet, but not so far that the set-up would intrude into the room/impede traffic flow. The wire can be cut to any length, so this would work equally well in a small space or a large space.

With a waterproof rug parked underneath to accommodate wet boots, the kids would be all set for winter, and their soggy clutter would be contained. Once summer rolls around, this system can be reused for hanging wet swimsuits up to dry.

Securing the posts is simple, you just screw them into directly your wall joists. In the future, if the the kids outgrow this hanging system, you’d have only a pair of screw holes to spackle and touch up with a dab of paint before your wall would be right back to original condition.