Introduction: DIY Over-the-door Ladder Holder

About: Part MacGyver, part Martha, creator, host and producer of Engineer Your Space, an award winning DIY home design show dedicated to clever, affordable and stylish solutions for common challenges faced by renters…

I have a small 4 ft step ladder that's just the perfect size to do my projects around the apartment - it’s fairly light which is great but it is a bit bulky to store. So to minimize the closet space it takes up when I’m not using it, but still make it easy to get to, I came up with a very quick inexpensive solution to hang it on the back of my closet door.

Step 1: Materials and Putting Together the Hanger

This is a really simple project that took minutes to make using things I already had lying around the apartment:

I used a scrap piece of 1"x 3" pine board that I had left over from a project, screwed 2 hooks on the front of it and L-brackets (left over from some IKEA bookcases) on the back of the board.

Step 2: Alternative DIY Over-the-door-hooks

If there isn't enough room between the door frame and the door to accommodate the thickness of the brackets, you can make your own over-the-door hooks using 5" x 7" aluminum flashing sheets like I did for my over-the-door organizer in my tool closet. You can see how to make those in this instructables.

Step 3: Screw the Holder to the Top of the Door

I screwed the brackets to the top of my closet door, leaving the face of the door hole free. This system works really well for me and I especially love the fact that my ladder is stored out of sight yet I don't have to rummage around my closet to get to it.

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