Basket Hanger
I use baskets for many things- storage, planters, as gift packaging, for decor, to tote school books, and so I never know just what size basket I am suddenly going to need. Therefore, when at the thriftshop, I always look through their collection of baskets to see what they have, focusing in particular on those baskets that are only fifty cents or less.
I've been keeping the surplus baskets stashed in a tote in the garage, but this is getting awkward. It takes several minutes to find the 'perfect' basket for some new project or storage arrangement, and the baskets on the bottom get a bit battered over time (and over the more enthusiastic rummaging of our son).
I was looking at the Berea College website recently (just out of curiosity) and saw this lovely wrought iron basket hanger. It won't be quite as lovely, but it would be just as functional for somebody with a strong pair of hands, good wire cutters, and two or three wire coat-hangers to make something very similar.
Now, I don't have the strong hands anymore- I can't open bags by myself these days. And my husband doesn't have the time. But I thought about this some more- and I don't really need lovely- I want to hang up baskets in the garage to clear floor space and make it easier to eyeball them to choose what I want. This isn't going to be seen by anybody we don't well enough to let traipse through our garage- and we have to know you very well indeed to let you in there.
What I have is a set of plastic coat hangers with a tier of circles coming down vertically (I know that's not very clear, there's a picture of a similar sort of arrangement here) . The purpose of it is to save place in the closet. You hang blouses up on regular coat hangers, but then you hang the coathangers of blouses in the tiers of this gadget, so you have half a dozen blouses taking the space of a couple of hangers on your closet rack.
But with some s-hooks, which I also have,* I can make a functional, though not very pretty, basket hanger to begin moving the baskets into vertical storage instead of spilling all over the garage floor.
*With wire cutters, pliers, and a wire coat hanger, you can also make some s-hooks if you don't happen to have any on hand.
(If the picture isn't showing up for you, you can see it here, over at The Common Room, where I regularly blog)
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4 Responses to “Basket Hanger”
July 25th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Oh, I love it! What a great idea! I bet you could do that in a closet with purses too!
July 25th, 2008 at 8:44 am
I have a metal coat hanger thingy that I purchased for my husband’s work cubicle years ago. It slips over the top of a cubicle wall and a metal “arm” projects out which has slots for hangers. He didn’t care for it, I never returned it, and it’s been in the basement, unused, ever since. It would work perfectly for baskets if I hang it over one of the two-by-fours down there!
Thank you for the inspiration!
July 25th, 2008 at 9:22 am
That’s such a neat idea! I love baskets, too, but don’t keep many on hand because I never have a place to store them. Now I know what to do… thrift store, here I come!
July 25th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Cool.
One thing about the tote method, though, is that your baskets were protected from dust. I wonder if you can hang an old sheet over the top hook to protect your baskets.
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