apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Easy! You can get those stick on battery operated lights at Home Depot or Bed Bath and Beyond. They blend into the wall nicely and actually give off quite a bit of light. Hope that helps!
xo Katherine aka. Urban Flea :)
www.urbanfleadesign.com

At almost any home store (Home Depot, Canadian Tire, even some department stores) you can get a wireless, small round light that adheres to any flat surface. Stick it to the ceiling or high on the wall inside the closet, and simply press it to turn the light on. I think each light is only a couple of dollars, probably batter operated.

Call an electrician

better yet, go green with LED bulbs and a motion sensor. like this (google elsewhere, they are out of stock on amazon. but you get the idea):

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-SpotOn-Motion-Sensing-Portable/dp/B000X92EG6/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3SW9FQMLV3KFO&colid=290DNWRL7M9A4

i got some of those stick on lights but instead of sticking them, i just placed them around inside the closets so that in a pinch i can actually use them like a flashlight. they have come in so handy! i got the led DOT-it (tm) ones by Sylvania.

i have the same problem in ALL my closets. not a single one has a light and even though we renovated we just didn't put in lights. d'oh!

so i'm looking at these:

http://www.solutions.com/jump.jsp?itemID=14280&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C4%2C187%2C10471&iProductID=14280

i'm just afraid that they'll go on/off all the time based on movement just outside the closet doors. yathink?

i'm not getting those little 'touch' led lights for closets/cabinets because they SUX bigtime. they do not actually produce useable light!

i ran a power strip from an outlet in the bedroom into the closet. it matches the carpet and really isn't noticeable. the closet is well lit now. i have a dresser in there with my alarm clock on it. i even thought about putting my dressing table in there to make the room look less cluttered. i still might.

Get the led motion-sensored LED lights. I had the same issue and didn't want to press several button lights every time I used the closet.

my closets are the same way--I found some lights (GE and I got them at target) that attach to the wall with velcro strips. they are handy because they actually give off a decent amount of light and you can easily pull them off the wall if the power goes out and use them like flashlights.

I couldn't use motion sensor lights because I leave my closet doors open all the time. I know I'm messy!

These would be utilitarian:
Auto On Off LED Puck Lights
http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product/motion-activated-wireless-led-puck-lights.do

or even a battery operated LED wall sconce:
http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product/wireless-wall-sconce-led-home-lighting.do

I bought those stick up led lights-- but really, the light is so harsh and blue. I'd rather call an electrician or go without.

Oooh! i just did this! It was a long-awaited home improvement project for our big closet that had absolutely no light.

We bought a few rope lights from home depot (like this: http://www.lampsplus.com/products/SuperBright-6-Foot-Long-Rope-Light__81043.html) and put them around the *inside* door frame in the closet. Since there's no outlet in the closet, we drilled a small hole (1/2 inch) near the floor and door frame, and lopped the light cord through it and plugged it in an outlet outside the closet. We lightly glued the cord along the baseboard, and its totally not noticeable.

Even better, we hooked the whole thing up to a motion detector so the light automatically comes on when we walk into the closet. The detectors let you angle which way you want them to point, so if you're worried about it turning on when you walk by the closet, just mount it in such a way that it doesn't point out of the closet door and only "sees" you when you step through the doorway.

Best part? The whole setup only cost about $30-$40, its energy efficient, takes up no space, and gets the job done!

I use these
http://www.joissu.com/prodinfo.asp?number=55-269

nice and bright, but does run though batteries quickly

I have the same problem...definitely going to look into the wireless LED motion sensor lights.

Honestly, I had the same exact problem. Those LED stick ups and any of the battery operated ones do NOT put out enough light to light a walk in closet. I ended up using an extension cord or two to put a floor lamp in the corner of my closet. If we were going to be in our place another year I was going to ask my landlord about having a light installed in there, because otherwise it was a serious waste of storage space.

The stick up lights always die on me. I use them in conjunction with a hanging light from Ikea, and just run an extension cord out to the main room. It's a great place to "hide" the ubiquitous Knappa light and creates a really dramatic effect in the long skinny closet.