DIY Fold-Flat Drying Rack & Making My Home Smart

This shop, featuring a DIY Fold-Flat Drying Rack & Tips on Making My Home Smart, has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser Honeywell. All opinions are mine alone. #ConnectYourHome #CollectiveBias

Is your home smart? Over the last few months, I have been on a mission to add various automation features to every part of my home, from the thermostat to the locks and more! Today, I can’t wait to share with you two of the most recent additions to my home: the Lyric™ Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector by Honeywell and Honeywell’s Lyric™ Thermostat. I can’t wait to tell you all about these products and how they totally give me peace of mind that my house is being monitored every day. I’ll also be sharing a recent DIY project: a Fold-Flat Wall-Mounted Drying Rack. It’s a quick project that serves as the perfect spot to dry towels, kids’ clothing, delicate items and more!

Home ownership is a big responsibility. Ever since we bought a single-family house last year, there have been so many things to keep in mind. Does the lawn need another treatment of weed killer? Does the dryer vent need to be professionally cleaned? Does the furnace air filter need to be replaced? With Honeywell’s Lyric™ Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector, one thing I can be confident about is that my home is being monitored for water leaks or freezing conditions every single day! This device has been a fabulous addition to my home and I can’t wait to share some of the details with you. By the way, if you’re interested in adding smart home features to your home, Honeywell actually has a number of different products to automate the various devices and switches in your home.

Now, are you ready for a sneak peek at the drying rack I made?

DIY Fold-Flat Drying Rack & Making My Home Smart

Here’s what you’ll need for this project:
three (3) 1″x2″ boards 8′ long
three (3) 1/2″ dowel rods 48″ long
about 1 foot metal chain
set of two full-overlay hinges
small screw eyes
1/2″ spade bit
electric drill/driver
2″ construction nails
hammer
stapler
spray paint

This drying rack is composed of two frames: an inner frame (the one with the dowel rods) and an outer frame. First, I cut some pieces of wood to form the inner frame for my drying rack. I cut two 21″ long pieces and two 25″ long pieces. I also cut the dowel rods to form five 20″ long pieces.

Next, I used the 1/2″ spade bit on my electric drill to form five 1/2″ holes in each of my 25″ long pieces of wood. Make the holes about 1/2″ to 3/4″ deep. Also, make sure the holes are evenly spaced along the board and that each hole matches up with the corresponding one on the other board. See the picture below for clarification.

I inserted the cut dowel rods into the holes I just made. I then used a heavy-duty stapler to secure the joints of the inner frame. This is what it looked like at this point.

Now, it’s time to make the cuts for the outer frame. For the outer frame, I cut two 27.75″ long pieces, two 26.25″ long pieces and one 20.75″ long piece from the remaining wood. Using construction nails, I assembled the outer frame. Place the vertical pieces about 1 inch from the ends of the horizontal pieces, as seen in picture below. Use the 20.75″ horizontally at the top of the frame to add a bit more visual interest; this piece will also serve to hold the hooks. See the image below for clarification on how the outer frame comes together.

Here are the two frames I built so far. Now, it’s time for my favorite part: painting them. You may choose any colors that complement your home. I spray painted the inner frame white and the outer frame turquoise. I love the way they came out!

To make this drying rack fold flat, it’s time to attach some hinges. I attached a set of full-overlay hinges at the bottom of the drying rack.

Now, in order to hang this rack on the wall, I also attached some D-ring hooks on the back of the drying rack. Attach them to that 20.75″ piece of wood at the top of the rack.

To keep the rack horizontal when drying, I also added about a short length (about 10 inches) of metal chain and secured it to both frames with small screw eyes.

All that’s left to do is hang this baby up and dry some clothing on it!

It’s perfect for drying towels, delicates, baby clothing, or anything else you don’t want to throw in the dryer.

And when it’s not in use, simply fold it up! I love that it has such a low profile!

This drying rack has really made laundry day much easier and prettier! Speaking of improvements to the home, one gadget that we recently installed is the Honeywell Lyric™ Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector by Honeywell. This device lets me remotely monitor my water-related appliances and pipes and could reduce the risks of leaks and frozen pipes. What’s really neat is that this device is Bluetooth- and Wi-Fi-enabled, so it easily syncs to the Lyric™ app on my smartphone and will alert me if it senses potential water leaks or freezing conditions! If it senses any such issues, it will send a mobile warning notification to my phone and it will sound a 100dB siren for those in the home. So whether I’m in my living room, at the park with the kids or in another state on a vacation, I will get notified if the device senses a water leak or freezing temperatures. I love that the Lyric™ Water Leak and Freeze Detector by Honeywell offers up to 3 years of AA battery life, so I don’t have to worry about replacing batteries often.

The Lyric™ Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector can be placed right on the floor or it can be hung on a wall. It also comes with an optional cord that can be plugged in to extend the sensing ability of the detector. This neat water-sensing cable is four feet long and can actually be extended with extra sensors for up to 500 feet of coverage! Simply place the cable around objects and along floors, cracks, appliances, etc. This provides such a peace of mind and offers the potential for huge savings by immediately notifying me of a potential water leak or freezing conditions.

It was so simple to set up the Lyric™ Water Leak and Freeze Detector. All I needed to do was insert the batteries and load the Lyric™ app. The app was able to quickly find the device and get everything synced up in mere minutes. The Lyric™ app actually guided me through every step with clear instructions. From the Lyric™ app, I can control my Lyric™ Water Leak and Freeze device and even control my home’s thermostat (the Honeywell Lyric™ Thermostat). Keep in mind that it’s recommended to place Honeywell’s Lyric™ Water Leak and Freeze Detector in areas that are prone to water leaks: near water heaters, washing machine, dishwashers, toilets, sump pumps and under sinks. This device monitors the temperature and humidity of the air, thereby detecting conditions that can lead to freezing pipes or water leaks. I love that this device doesn’t require a separate hub; it connects directly to the home’s Wi-Fi network!

I decided to hang the Honeywell Lyric Water Leak and Freeze Detector on a wall in my laundry room. This room has a water heater, the washing machine and plenty of plumbing, so it’s a great spot in my home for this device! If I’m away on vacation and I get a notification that there’s a potential water leak in my home, I can easily call my parents or some neighbors to go to my house and shut off the water to minimize any damage. I love that the Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector is reusable. Even if it senses water, it can still be used again; simply clean it, dry it, replace the batteries, and reset it! Easy peasy!

If you’d like to test the Lyric™ Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector, simply place it in shallow water (with the sensors down). Be sure not to pour water over the device or submerge it in water.

In addition to the Lyric™ Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector, I also recently set up another fabulous Honeywell product: the Honeywell Lyric™ Round Wi-Fi Thermostat. This thermostat is ideal for those of us who are always on-the-go! With the Lyric™ Thermostat, I can enjoy a comfortable environment when I’m home and fabulous savings when I’m away. And it’s all automatic! Instead of operating on a fixed schedule like other thermostats, the Lyric™ uses my smartphone location and automatically adjusts the thermostat temperature as I come and go! Isn’t that amazing? This technology is called geofencing and I’m really loving the convenience of this system. By the way, you can totally control the radius around your home for the geofence. If you go outside that radius, the thermostat automatically goes into Away mode, thereby saving you money. If you go inside that radius, the thermostat goes into Home mode, thereby making your space comfortable temperature-wise.

Installation was remarkably easy, and this was my very first time installing a thermostat! Using the Lyric™ app, I was able to install it myself in minutes! Note: If you’re not experienced and comfortable doing electrical work in your home, be sure to hire a licensed electrician to do this for you. If you plan on tackling this installation yourself, be sure to follow all applicable safety & code guidelines. This thermostat features an app-based install, so there was no manual involved! Installation involved only four simple steps and the app walked me through each one!

Here are a few screenshots from my smartphone of various steps in the installation process. As you can see, the app asked me simple questions: Which set temperatures would you like? Which temperature scale do you prefer? Which heating system does your home use? Getting this thermostat all set up was a breeze!

I love how modern and sleek Honeywell Lyric™ Thermostat looks on the wall! Here are a few more fun features that I love about this thermostat! The Smart Cues™ feature delivers notifications to my smartphone, letting me know if it’s time to change a filter or if there are any extreme temperatures. That is convenient, because I always seem to forget when it’s time to replace the furnace filter! The Fine Tune™ feature takes into account both temperature and humidity so that my home always feels as comfortable as possible. Plus, with all the shortcut buttons, I can easily change settings for specific circumstances with just one touch. To learn even more about how this thermostat can make your life easier, check out this video here.

All you need to get this set up in your home is a 802.11 b/g/n wireless router and a smartphone or tablet with Android 4.2 and above or iOS 8.4 and above. The Lyric™ Thermostat is compatible with Apple® HomeKit™ and Samsung® SmartThings™, allowing you to control everything from lights to garage doors. And with Apple® HomeKit™, you can also adjust settings with Siri® voice control! Also, please note that in order to use Apple® HomeKit™, you will need a C-wire. Otherwise, the C-wire is optional.

Wondering if the Lyric™ Thermostat will work with your current setup? It’s compatible with many common 24-volt systems, including Single Stage Heating and Cooling, Multistage Heating and Cooling, Heating Only or Cooling Only, Furnace (Warm Air), Central Air Conditioning, Heat Pump without Auxiliary Heat, Heat Pump with Auxiliary Heat (Including Dual Fuel), Hot Water, Steam or Gravity and Gas Fireplaces (24 Volts). Keep in mind that the Lyric™ Thermostat will not work with electric baseboard heating systems (120/240V).

Check out this video here to learn more about the Lyric™ Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector. You can pick up the Lyric™ Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector online at the Honeywell site here or The Home Depot site here.

To stay up-to-date on the latest news & promotions from Honeywell, be sure to check them out on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.

Now, find out how the Lyric™ Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector can give you peace of mind and tell me: Is your home smart? Are you planning any home improvement projects this year?

Ever wanted to learn Arabic online? Check out Arabic Road & learn Arabic on your own terms.

Disclosure: Engineer Mommy is a participant in the Amazon Services, LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For additional details, please see our full Disclosure Policy. Any link may be an affiliate link. All opinions are exclusively my own.